Schmap Tampa Where to Stay

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Tampa - Where to Stay
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Tampa Bay boasts an eclectic roster of hotels to satisfy just about any visitor's needs—antique or contemporary, grand or cozy, serene and quiet, or right in the heart of the action.

Location, attention to detail, and an eye for the season—these are the attributes that define the region's hotels, each relying on one or more of these elements to define itself in this split-personality region. Some accommodations pride themselves on their convenience to business connections in Downtown Tampa, but everywhere else relies on miles of scenic beaches to lure guests. Across the causeways, on the beaches of Clearwater and St. Petersburg Beach, Madeira Beach, and Treasure Island, several small, family-operated motels welcome you to sandals-and-sarong serenity, where dressing for dinner means donning closed-toe shoes.

Downtown

Hundreds of corporations have settled in Downtown Tampa, where high-rise hotels and business-oriented properties seek attention. Here, a host of corporate offices have spawned hostelries hoping to provide respite to weary road warriors. Naturally, the presence of so many major businesses—not to mention St. Joseph's Hospital (the second largest public hospital in Florida), several universities and colleges, a sleek waterside convention center, a busy port, and a top-ranked airport—means there are many reasons for business travelers to enter Tampa addresses in their Palm Pilots. Tampa's roster of corporations reads like a Fortune 500 list of the nation's major companies.

Savvy Choices

While many of those hotels are focused on attracting business travelers and convention delegates, they may also prove a savvy choice for leisure travelers who don't mind sacrificing seaside accommodations for abundant amenities or, in some cases, for substantial price breaks. Most hotels are clustered around Tampa International Airport in the Westshore area. Not far away, in the Brandon suburb, a number of smaller properties appeal to both leisure and business travelers.

The Marriott

Seeking to capitalize on Tampa's ideal location, Marriott Corporation opened its 2,000th hotel, a $110 million, 717-room beauty on the city's waterfront, across from rival Wyndham Hotel's handsome highrise. The city's waterfront Tampa Convention Center, opened in 1990, sits just steps away from both hotels.

Historic Hotels

While the new Tampa Waterside Marriott represents the ultimate in modernity, Tampa Bay is also home to three hotels that steal the scene in historic splendor. On the mainland of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, flappers once held court at what was then the 375-room, Prohibition-era Vinoy Park Hotel, completed in 11 hectic months to open on New Year's Eve, 1925. In those halcyon days, this massive hotel was the toast of the town. As the years wore on, the Vinoy Park was abandoned, and lay crumbling for decades. Now fabulously beautiful again, thanks to a $93 million dollar renovation by Renaissance Hotels, the St. Petersburg Renaissance Vinoy Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a study in Mediterranean Revival magnificence.

Belleview Biltmore

Meanwhile, railroad entrepreneur Henry Plant established the Belleview Biltmore. Occupying 625 acres in mainland Belleair, just a few minutes from the sands of Clearwater Beach, the hotel is reputed to be the world's largest occupied frame structure, with a 2.5-acre roof! This magnificent hotel, built in a style known as Steamboat Gothic, first opened its doors in 1897 and hasn't closed since. Inside its white frame exterior are stained-glass panels, leaded glass ceilings, and ornate woodwork.

Don Cesar

Not far away is St. Petersburg Beach's Don Cesar. Built in 1928 by a land-boom millionaire, this pink-hued hotel closed during the Depression, but was rescued by preservationists and reopened in 1973—a $7 million renovation put it on the National Register of Historic Places. No two rooms are alike, and nearly every original feature of the hotel remains, including the 13,900 panes of glass! Its splendor restored, from grand staircase to Olympic-size pool, the hotel is today every bit as glamorous as it was when the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clarence Darrow, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Dr. Walter Mayo frolicked here.

From 100-year-old restored relics to trendy skyrises, a host of hotels welcome the Tampa Bay traveler.

Copyright 1999-2005 Wcities, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Wcities

Downtown Tampa

Tampa
United States

Tampa's Hillsborough River winds its way through the Busch Gardens/University of South Florida section of the city and through downtown Tampa, bisecting the city as it makes its way to the sea. On the east side of the river, you will find a number of attractive Hôtels in the city's downtown core. Points of interest in this part of town include the Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa Performing Arts Center and the main office of the Tampa Hillsborough Visitor Information Center, as well as stores, banks and government offices.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Thomas Langer

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Downtown Tampa photo by sticksoffire.com

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Downtown Tampa photo by Christian Delfino

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Madeira Beach

Tampa
United States
Madeira Beach is a beautiful section of Tampa. Because it is located right on the water, the residents make great efforts to conserve water and live in harmony with the surrounding marine environment.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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St. Petersburg Beach

Tampa
United States
St. Petersburg Beach is the official beach for the St. Petersburg region. Packed with restaurants, motels, Hôtels, shops and souvenir sellers, the beach is always busy. The Don Cesar Hôtel has been luring guests for generations-F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda stayed here, among many other notables.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampa Convention Center

Tampa's major meeting hall 333 South Franklin St
Tampa, FL 33602
United States
+1 813 274 8511
http://www.tampagov.net/dept%5... Many major functions, from business meetings to musical events, take place in Tampa's big convention center. This center offers 600,000 square feet of meeting space. Located in the city's harbor section, the facility is an open and airy place with 2,000 feet of waterfront view, a 250-seat lounge, a 120-seat cafe and a 12,500-square-foot kitchen. A 72,000-square-foot pre-function space is joined by 63,000 square feet of meeting level space, a 36,000-square-foot ballroom and an exhibit hall. An information booth stocks everything from aspirin to paper and pens for weary conventioneers.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina

Luxury on the Waterfront 700 South Florida Avenue
One Tropicana Drive
Tampa, FL 33602
United States
+1 813 221 4900 / +1 888 268 1616 (Toll free)
http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2... This Marriott hotel, the 2000th in the chain, is on Tampa's waterfront. It is designed to lure business and leisure travelers to downtown Tampa and to serve convention delegates from the Convention Center, only a few steps away. A number of amenities in the hotel, ranging from high-speed Internet connections in hotel rooms to business and fitness facilities, are also aimed at business travelers. Close to downtown, this handsome new hotel is also near The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Museum of Art, Garrison Seaport, Old Hyde Park Village and historic Ybor City.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Treasure Island

Tampa
United States
Located on the central Gulf Coast of Florida, Treasure Island is home to those who enjoy life near the ocean. It is a small and peaceful island that transports many back to the simpler days of the 1950s. There is still plenty to do on Treasure Island, though, including numerous outdoor activities, eateries, and shopping.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Wyndham Westshore Hotel

Airport area hotel 4860 West Kennedy Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33609
United States
+1 813 286 4400 / +1 800 866 7177
http://www.wyndham.com Located in the Westshore business and shopping district, this hotel is conveniently near the Tampa International Airport and downtown. Shula's Steak House is the premier restaurant serving lunch and dinner, while the Courtyard Café serves American cuisine all day. There is also a Grand Slam Sports Bar and Shula's No Name Lounge. Room service is available around the clock.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Wyndham Westshore Hotel photo by wcities
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Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Tampa - Where to Stay"
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Other nearby cities:
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Florida Keys (360 miles)
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New Orleans (765 miles)
Chattanooga (837 miles)
Nashville (995 miles)

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