Officials of the Prisa Group, a family-owned developer, builder and owner of hospitality, resort and entertainment projects in Puerto Rico and Florida, together with its capital partners Peachtree Hotel Group and Argosy Real Estate Partners, officially opened the newly constructed, 175-room AC Hotel by Marriott Tampa/Airport – Westshore.
Prisa developed the hotel, with Peachtree and Argosy acting as additional equity investors in the project. Marriott International will operate the hotel. The construction was headed by a partnership between Prisa Group and Orlando-based Welbro Building Corporation. The Miami-based offices of Popular Community Bank provided debt financing for the project.
“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,” Federico Stubbe, president and CEO of Prisa Group, said in a statement. “We now own the newest, design-focused, lifestyle product on the market, a key driver for both business and leisure travelers who want something beyond the ‘typical’ hotel stay. As a company, we focus on delivering best-in-class, quality hotels in their respective segments while innovating in architecture, art and interior design relative to the brands we represent. With its European flair and emphasis on high quality accommodations, amenities, food and beverages, we are confident the AC Hotel by Marriott Tampa/Airport-Westshore quickly will become the place to see and be seen for visitors and locals alike.”
The hotel is housed within MetWest International, a high-end, 32-acre, mixed-use development in Tampa’s Westshore Business District. The hotel is located near Tampa International Airport and is adjacent to International Plaza Mall, Bay Street and Tampa International Airport, which currently is undergoing one of the largest airport expansions in the U.S. The MetWest International mixed-use complex contains multiple restaurants and bars within steps of the hotel, as well as a variety of large corporate tenants. Nearby attractions include downtown Tampa, the Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Designed in a European style, the hotel's guestrooms include plush bedding, an integrated work desk and luggage bench, a signature closet and a 47-inch television. Bathrooms provide glass-enclosed showers that offer AC Hotel amenities from Gilchrist & Soames. The hotel's 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 fitness center with more than 900 square feet of space, a pool and pool bar, complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property and 2,300 square feet of meeting space. The hotel also includes 25-by-58-foot digital art installation located outdoors, which will project colorful, abstract imagery on the side of the hotel.
The hotel’s AC Lounge serves a variety of craft beers, specialty wines and cocktails. Guests and locals alike will have access to the AC Kitchen, offering European-inspired breakfast with croissants, egg tarts, Iberico prosciutto and Nespresso coffee.
“These properties are indicative of what we seek in hotel assets: ground-up development opportunities in attractive markets with multiple demand generators and a lack of new supply,” Brent LeBlanc, SVP of Peachtree, said in a statement. “Additionally, we continue to seek acquisition and third-party management candidates to round out our portfolio of select-, limited- and extended-stay service hotels throughout the United States. While deals are growing harder to come by, there remain ample opportunities for savvy hoteliers in this phase of the cycle.”