New Orleans-based owner, operator and developer HRI Properties, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and public officials broke ground this week on construction for the dual-branded Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels in downtown Tampa, Fla.
“HRI Properties is excited to be awarded this project, and today we celebrate the long-awaited groundbreaking with the City of Tampa and our friends from Hyatt,” HRI Properties President/CEO A. Thomas Leonhard said in a statement. “We are constructing first-class hotels inspired by the rich history of Tampa that will complement and enhance downtown hospitality options for both visitors and locals alike. We hope this will be the first of many HRI Properties projects in this great city, and we look forward to celebrating our ribbon-cutting ceremony later next year.”
The Hyatt Place and Hyatt House development opportunity was initiated by the city of Tampa and was awarded to HRI Properties through a competitive request-for-proposal process. DPR Construction was selected as the design-build contractor for the property.
The project will consist of a new-build 17-story, 230-room Hyatt Place hotel and a 115-room Hyatt House hotel, with approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting space, 3,200 square feet of ground floor retail space and a 220-space public parking garage. The development is expected to open in fall of 2020.
“Tampa’s skyline is seeing rapid growth and it’s just beginning,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “This city is in the midst of a renaissance and it’s projects like these that will help complete Tampa’s next chapter and add to our live, work, stay and play environment.”
The hotels will be located directly across the street from City Hall. “The location is exactly where we want to be in Tampa and we look forward to celebrating its opening,” said Julienne Smith, Hyatt’s SVP of development and owner relations.