Jan. 22–TAMPA — Water Street Tampa developers outlined some broad goals for their planned $40 million renovation of the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina in a video posted to social media on Monday.
In short, they want a hotel that feels inclusive, not exclusive. And they want it to draw not just out-of-towners, but Tampanians.
"It's going to be a major makeover to the building, something that's been needed for quite some time," said Damian Presiga, senior construction manager for Strategic Property Partners, the joint venture between Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates' Cascade Investment. "Sometimes we forget about the locals. Locals are extremely important a part of hotels in general and of the city, so let's bring them all here to enjoy what we put together."
Introducing the renovations to the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina from Water Street Tampa on Vimeo.
SPP plans to spend $40 million updating the 719-room Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina, which it bought for $150 million in 2014.
The renovation will add eight rooms, bringing the total to 727, bring in a new operator for the hotel's main restaurant, and relaunch Champions Sports Bar as a gastropub serving high-end food and beer. The project will add 3,111 feet of meeting space at the northwest corner of the hotel along Water Street. The project is scheduled to be finished by early 2019.
In coming months, SPP also plans to break ground on a new hotel, a 26-story JW Marriott with 519 rooms, next door to the Marriott Waterside, resulting in a combined 1,246 guest rooms and 175,000 square feet of meeting space between the two.
