TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 22, 2018 — Strategic Property Partners, LLC ("SPP") today announced that it will bring Marriott International's JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts luxury brand for the first time to Tampa, within the Water Street Tampa neighborhood. The 519-room, 26-story hotel will rise steps from the Tampa Convention Center and Amalie Arena, where the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning play. Construction on the hotel will start in early 2018.
SPP, which is developing downtown's $3 billion Water Street Tampa neighborhood, announced renovations are underway at the adjacent 727-room Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. The renovations of the Marriott Waterside Hotel began in the Fall of 2017 and will continue through 2018. Combined, the two hotels will create the largest collection of hotel rooms and meeting space in Tampa Bay, with 1,246 rooms and 150,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
"We are incredibly excited to extend our partnership with Marriott International, bring the JW Marriott brand to Water Street Tampa and significantly enhance the hospitality offerings in downtown Tampa," said SPP CEO, James Nozar. "Not only are we bringing a new luxury hotel to the neighborhood, we are also reinvesting in the Marriott Waterside Tampa to create a one-of-a-kind hospitality experience for everyone to enjoy, with dynamic outdoor amenities seamlessly connected to the Tampa Riverwalk and adjacent marina."
The hotels will play a key role in the Water Street Tampa neighborhood, a multi-phased urban development project that includes more than 9 million square feet of commercial, residential, hospitality, educational, entertainment, cultural, and retail space, with the first new buildings breaking ground this year. Named for the historic street on which both hotels are located, the Water Street neighborhood is an ambitious vision that will create one of the largest coordinated urban mixed-use real-estate developments in the United States.
"Marriott International is thrilled to be part of SPP's impressive Water Street Tampa project, which will bring more people, new economic activity and cultural amenities into downtown Tampa," said Noah Silverman, Chief Development Officer, North America Full Service Hotels, Marriott International. "It's a perfect setting both for a new JW Marriott and a fully upgraded Marriott."
JW Marriott Tampa
JW Marriott Tampa will feature 519 hotel rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including the largest hotel ballroom in Tampa Bay at approximately 30,000 square feet.
Designed to be a center of activity, JW Marriott Tampa will offer multiple social spaces and amenities across six levels. The entrance will include a four-story atrium envisioned as an active public space that encourages socialization and collaboration, while the ground floor will feature a full-service restaurant and other neighborhood-serving retail outlets.
The hotel's sixth-floor will house an expansive full-service spa and fitness center, as well as a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, bar, event lawn, an extensive pool and sun terrace.
A rooftop lounge and terrace on the 26th floor of JW Marriott Tampa will boast sweeping 360-degree views of downtown Tampa and Hillsborough Bay, and will be the highest rooftop bar in Tampa Bay.
Designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates with interiors by Champalimaud Design, the new hotel will break ground in early 2018, with a grand opening in 2020.
Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina
Situated directly on the Hillsborough Bay, the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina was originally built in 2000 and acquired by SPP in 2014. The hotel currently houses 719 rooms, which will grow to a total of 727 rooms once renovations are complete, with over 50,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The extensive renovations to the property are already underway, and include the public spaces, lobby, meeting space, standard guest rooms, the 34 'Stay Well' rooms, and new cultural, social, and gathering spaces.
The new guestrooms and meeting space have been designed by Looney & Associates. The redesigned interiors, informed by the adjacent waterfront, blend together minimalist and coastal elements alongside new artwork, hardwood floors, and modern light fixtures.
The hotel will also re-launch its existing food and beverage offerings and plans to bring in a new, nationally recognized restaurateur to oversee service throughout the ground floor offerings. The new public spaces, designed by The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, include a new sports gastropub, replacing the existing Champions Sports Bar, which will include new outdoor patio seating and direct street access. Located off of the rear lobby, a new outdoor terrace and bar will open to the waterfront, creating an active and engaging space for locals and visitors alike. Portions of the existing patio will be sunken to create covered outdoor lounge areas that front onto the Riverwalk and overlook the marina and waterfront.
Additionally, new retail space will be added to the northwest corner of the property along Water Street, allowing the hotel to embrace the streetscape envisioned for Water Street.
All improvements to the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina will be complete in early 2019.
