Clearwater Beach, Fla. (July 25, 2017) – Key International – a prominent real estate investment and development company specializing in hospitality – has announced that the new Marriott® dual-branded Residence Inn Tampa Clearwater Beach (140 suites) and SpringHill Suites Tampa Clearwater Beach (115 suites) will open August 2017. The firm has appointed LBA Hospitality – a full-scale hotel management, development and consulting firm – to oversee the properties.
Co-located at 309 Coronado Drive, both hotels will feature oversized guestrooms with a coastal vibe, flexible living, working and sleeping space, stunning views of Clearwater Bay and a wide array of shared amenities.
“Thanks in part to the city’s successful Beach by Design redevelopment plan to revitalize Clearwater Beach, the destination is thriving with both leisure and business travelers, and we are thrilled to be part of this record growth,” said Shawn Gracey, Executive Vice President of Hospitality with Key International. “Having two properties at one address allows guests to choose the hotel that best suits their unique travel needs, while enjoying access to another for even more experiences.”
The fusion of these two unique Marriott® brands presents a variety of added amenities. Guests will enjoy mobile check-in/check-out, a mix of suite types with in-room Smart TVs, complimentary signature daily healthy-choice breakfast, shared outdoor swimming pool with expanded deck, state-of-the-art fitness center, meeting space, 24/7 business center, guest laundry, 24-hour market and valet/covered parking. The properties are also pet-friendly and will offer the Marriott Rewards loyalty program.
In conjunction with the opening timeframe, LBA is pleased to announce Ron Bitz as general manager and Kelly Clark as director of sales.
“Ron and Kelly are exceptionally qualified to lead our executive team for this new development,” said Farrah Adams, Chief Operating Officer of LBA Hospitality “In addition to their decades of expertise and industry notoriety, they are locals who are deeply rooted in the community and actively invested in the market.”
With three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Ron Bitz comes to the Residence Inn Tampa Clearwater Beach and SpringHill Suites Tampa Clearwater Beach with extensive operations experience from upper-level Hilton brand positions. Most recently, Bitz was area general manager for Hilton Worldwide, where he was nominated for General Manager of the Year (2016) and, recently, recognized with a Community Service Award and Employee Engagement Award at the 2017 General Manager’s Conference. Bitz also worked as area director for the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton and Homewood Brands. He will oversee day-to-day operations of the new Clearwater Beach properties. Bitz is an active member of Tampa Bay Lacrosse Officials Association and serves on the boards of Tarpon Springs High School Music Leadership Conservatory and the University of South Florida’s School of Hospitality.
As director of sales, Kelly Clark will handle training and supervision of the sales team to generate meeting business in the corporate, government, sports, and social market segments. With more than 15 years of accomplished hotel sales experience, Clark is trained and certified in numerous hotel brands. She was most recently director of sales at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Tampa Bay, where she had three years of record-breaking revenues, including three record months in the first quarter of 2017. Prior to this, Clark was director of sales at SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Gainesville, Florida, where she created a sales training program and incentives to target past accounts and groups. As an active member of the community, Clark has been involved in many local causes and organizations throughout her career. She will continue her service in Clearwater through her efforts at the Homeless Empowerment Campus [HEP].
For more information or reservations, go to Marriott.com/tpayr for Residence Inn Tampa Clearwater Beach and Marriott.com/tpays for SpringHill Suites Tampa Clearwater Beach.
