NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels are opening south of the Mason-Dixon line, including two Florida properties and a first for My Place in South Carolina.
AC Hotel by Marriott Tampa/Airport – Westshore
The newly constructed, 175-room AC Hotel by Marriott Tampa/Airport – Westshore recently opened in Florida.
The hotel is housed within MetWest International, a high-end, 32-acre, mixed-use development. Hotel public space is equipped with a communal table and reading section, lounge seating and a multimedia area. Additional amenities include a market, two media salons and a business/social events room, featuring Workspace on Demand by Marriott for online meetings at other locations. The hotel also houses a more-than-900-sq.-ft. fitness center, pool and pool bar, and 2,300 sq. ft. of meeting space.
The hotel also has an outdoor, 25-ft. x 58-ft. digital art installation that projects colorful, abstract imagery on the side of the hotel, creating a nighttime light show for passersby.
Prisa Group developed the hotel, with Peachtree Hotel Group and Argosy Real Estate Partners acting as additional equity investors in the project. Marriott Corporation will operate the hotel. The construction was conducted by a partnership between Prisa Group and Orlando-based Welbro Building Corporation. The Miami-based offices of Popular Community Bank provided the debt financing.
“This marks the first of three Marriott-branded hotels we are opening in Florida, including an under-construction, dual-branded SpringHill Suites/Residence Inn in Orlando at the Mall of Millenia, and we remain bullish on the market,” said Federico Stubbe, Prisa president/CEO.
My Place Greenville
Extended-stay brand My Place has opened its first property in Greenville, SC. The four-story, 85-unit hotel is independently owned by M.P. Greenville LLC and operated by CUSA LLC.
“We are excited to expand the My Place brand into South Carolina, and to become part of the vibrant and rapidly growing community of Greenville,” said owner Daniel Pretorius. “We look forward to serving the local community and businesses along with travelers to the area. Our goal is to add a high-quality hotel with excellent amenities and outstanding customer service at an affordable price.”
Fenway Hotel
Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, FL, is set to open in September. A member of the Autograph Collection of Marriott, the boutique historic hotel was developed by Mainsail Lodging & Development.
Originally opened in 1927, the hotel is considered an icon of the Jazz Age, playing host to notable explorers, artists, politicians, musicians and living legends in its time as an operating hotel. It was also home to the first radio station in Pinellas County, which began broadcasting from the roof of the Fenway in 1925.
“The unique history of Fenway Hotel and the community of Dunedin inspired our vision for the property,” said Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Lodging & Development. “The new Fenway will bring together touches of the past in a modern setting, giving new life to the hotel and restoring a piece of the destination’s charming, offbeat character.”
The new hotel will have 83 guestrooms and suites; HEW Parlor & Chophouse, with private dining options and an open kitchen bar; Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar overlooking Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands; a combined 10,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space; a resort-style pool; and a front lawn for croquet, badminton and special events. Plans include activating the outlets and public areas with live entertainment as a nod to the hotel’s musical past.
