A rendering of the dual-branded Hyatt House and Hyatt Place that HRI Properties is developing in downtown Tampa. HRI Properties

Downtown Tampa attracts dual-branded Hyatt House, Hyatt Place

Christopher Curry | Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Renderings of the dual-branded Hyatt House and Hyatt Place that HRI Properties is developing in downtown Tampa. HRI Properties

HRI Properties

A New Orleans-based hotel developer is the latest national player to get in on Tampa’s ongoing redevelopment boom.

HRI Properties will own and operate a dual-branded Hyatt Place and Hyatt House on a former city-owned brownfield site adjacent to Tampa City Hall. A parking lot, the Cold Storage Café, a city fleet maintenance facility, and several underground gas storage tanks are among the prior uses on the one- acre parcel.

The 17-story, 230-room Hyatt Place and 115-room Hyatt House will transform the once-contaminated site into another piece of downtown’s ongoing transformation.

This is HRI Properties’ first project in Tampa. Senior VP for Development Services Josh Collen says the city’s growth, the influx of jobs, and the amenities and attractions in the downtown core combine to make Tampa an appealing market.

“We are thrilled to be in Tampa,” Collen says. “It is a growing market and we are happy to invest in it.”

The hotel will rise on the corner of East Kennedy Boulevard and North Florida Avenue in close proximity to not only City Hall, but downtown’s office district, the Channel District, Amalie Arena and the Tampa Convention Center.

“The location offers a diversity of demand drivers for guests,” Collen says.

The dual-branded Hyatt House and Hyatt Place continues the uptick in hotel development in and near downtown that has accompanied Tampa’s growing profile on the national stage. The EDITION hotel is slated to open in 2021 as part of the Water Street Tampa development. Nearby in the Channel District, Tampa-based Liberty Group will own and operate a 10-story, 215-room hotel that will include two Hilton brands: Hampton Inn and the extended-stay Home2Suites.

Collen says the dual-brand Hyatt hotel will allow HRI to efficiently meet two different market niches. The Hyatt House will include kitchenettes to meet the needs of families or extended-stay guests.

The hotels are slated to open in the Fall of 2020.The project will include 3,200 square feet of ground-floor retail, including a coffee shop, and have a hotel bar that Collen expects to draw a happy hour crowd from the neighborhood and surrounding offices. A 220-space parking garage will include 127 spaces for public use.

The Tampa office of DPR Construction is the design-build contractor for the project.

Read more articles by Christopher Curry.

Chris Curry has been a writer for the 83 Degrees Media team since 2017. Chris also served as the development editor for a time before assuming the role of managing editor in May 2022. Chris lives in Clearwater. His professional career includes more than 15 years as a newspaper reporter, primarily in Ocala and Gainesville, before moving back home to the Tampa Bay Area. He enjoys the local music scene, the warm winters and Tampa Bay's abundance of outdoor festivals and events. When he's not working or spending time with family, he can frequently be found hoofing the trails at one of Pinellas County's nature parks.