As in-person business continues to bounce back, planners will find a host of new and renovated properties to explore in Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater. We detail the latest news and attractions you can look forward to at your next meeting.
Tampa
In 2021 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became Super Bowl LV champs (and the first team to win in their hometown stadium), while baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, who play at Tropicana Field in St. Pete, finished as AL East Division champs and the Tampa Bay Lightning won the coveted 2021 Stanley Cup. It’s no wonder locals refer to themselves as residents of “Champa Bay.”
And, as a testament to Tampa Bay’s mettle, this all happened while the pandemic kept a foothold on the hospitality industry—with airlines, hotels and restaurants struggling throughout the country.
These sporting events were a boon for the Tampa Bay area, where hotel occupancy reached over 90% in Tampa during Super Bowl weekend alone.
Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, said, “It’s pretty remarkable how Tampa has bounced back after the pandemic. It just shows you how resilient we are. Tampa rolls up its sleeves when times are tough.”
In April 2020, Tampa’s hotel occupancy had plummeted to 22.2%; conventions were cancelling or rescheduling, and Visit Tampa downsized, Corrada said. But they had a plan.
“We needed to evolve as conditions improved and we incentivized groups to come back. We added 3,000 rooms in 2019 and some of the hotels took the low occupancy during the pandemic as an opportunity to renovate.”
When other parts of the country weren’t ready for leisure and meeting groups, Tampa was, Corrada explained. “We had conventions from cities that weren’t open like Chicago and New York relocate to Tampa. Every month since April 2020 we have seen incremental growth based on hotel revenue and occupancy,” he said.
“Several properties opened during—or around—the Super Bowl: the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, a new Hard Rock Hotel and a new Hyatt. This May, Tampa Edition will open. There’s been a lot of investment here.”
[Related: 6 Ways Florida Meeting Planners Modified In-Person Programs During the Pandemic]
Tampa is landing some major groups for the future and Corrada said they’ll be busy this year. “We’re also concentrating on bringing groups here in the summer months and bringing back groups that cancelled in 2020, like the National Defense Industrial Association, which will be back in May.”
One thing Corrada is seeing is attendees staying beyond the meeting. “They’ll stay a couple of extra days. They get a nibble and want to eat the whole thing. They don’t want to go home,” he said.
And, Corrada added, people should stay to see all that’s new. “Ten years ago, I wouldn’t take people downtown. Now I have to show off the Riverwalk and all the new restaurants. It’s a great attraction in the middle of town.”
The 2.6-mile Riverwalk links some of Tampa’s most popular attractions, hotels, museums and parks. At one end of the Riverwalk is Sparkman Wharf, with live music on the weekends and some diverse restaurants including Gallito Taqueria, Flock and Stock and the newly opened Jotoro Kitchen and Tequila Bar.
Also on the Riverwalk, Armature Works, which was once a trolley barn, boasts a food hall with such eateries as Bar Raw, Bento Asian Kitchen and Graze 1910. Its Rooftop 220 offers spectacular views of the Hillsborough River and downtown Tampa. In Water Works Park, Ulele restaurant, housed in the old Water Works building, celebrates ingredients from Florida waters—pompano, snapper, grouper—and several dishes prepared on the grill.
The Riverwalk is also anticipating the opening of Pendry Tampa in 2024, a new luxury hotel and residences with 220 hotel guest rooms, three restaurants, spa and fitness center, rooftop pool and more than 11,000 square feet of private events space.
And, for the first time, The Michelin Guide will start awarding stars in Orlando, Miami and Tampa in 2022 as part of a new partnership between the restaurant guide and Visit Florida. Corrada anticipates some of Tampa’s best will be awarded.
St. Pete and Clearwater
The city of St. Petersburg, popular for smaller meetings and incentives, and the bustling beach town of Clearwater, have also seen a boom in building—and renovations, said Stephen Hayes, CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.
“Florida has bounced back more than most states due to its openness to do business and, because of that, we’ve seen a boom in investment and reinvestment in the area,” Hayes said.
“Just look at what’s happened in downtown St. Pete in the last couple of years. We have the new Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art opened, the Clearwater Aquarium expanded to include event space and we opened the new St. Pete Pier.”
The new 26-acre St. Pete Pier district is the crown jewel of the city, and just a stone’s throw from the two major meetings properties downtown, The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club and Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront.
“If you had a meeting at The Vinoy, you could easily do an event at The Pier, which has so much outdoor space including a beach area. It’s within walking distance of the hotel. The key thing in downtown St. Pete is indeed its walkability. Guests can walk from the Hilton or Vinoy to shopping and restaurants,” Hayes added.
All of the new restaurants at the St. Pete Pier can accommodate groups including Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille, and for casual fare, the Spa Beach Bistro. Inside, The Pier has Driftwood Café, and Teak, an upscale restaurant with two unique dining areas for groups. All restaurants have superb views of downtown St. Pete and the Tampa Bay. The rooftop bar Pier Teaki is the perfect spot to see spectacular sunsets and enjoy steel drums warbling in the wind.
During the pandemic, many hotels took the opportunity to reinvest in their properties when occupancy was low,” Hayes said.
“Hotels on St. Pete Beach like The Bellwether Beach Resort, TradeWinds Island Grand Resort and Rum Fish Beach Resort at TradeWinds, all received major renovations.”
New hotels opened, as well, including Cambria on Madeira Beach and AC Hotel in Clearwater. JW Marriott Residences, also on Clearwater Beach, will open in 2023. The hotel portion of the property includes 166 guest rooms, a Spa by JW, and two restaurants. The rooms, residences and restaurants will all have magnificent views of the 300-foot private beach, which faces Sand Key across an inlet and looks toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Connect
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
(727) 464-7200
Visit Tampa Bay
(813) 223-2752
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