Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® and Liberty Group announced
that Starwood’s fast-growing Aloft® brand will soon debut in
Tampa, Florida.
Opening
in early 2014 along the Tampa Riverwalk, Aloft Tampa Downtown will
occupy the former Mercantile
Bankoffice building as part of an adaptive re-use
project developed, owned and managed by the Liberty Group in a
joint-venture partnership with Convergent Capital
Partners, which acquired the vacant office building
earlier this year. Orlando-based Baker Barrios Architects has been
selected as the lead architect
and interior designer for the project.
Aloft
Tampa Downtown will deliver style-at-a-steal with 130 spacious,
loft-like rooms, forward-thinking technology and a vibrant, social
atmosphere in an ideal location along the Tampa Riverwalk, the
landmark gateway to downtown. It will be the fifth Aloft in Florida,
following the opening of Aloft Miami-Brickwell in 2013.
“We
are thrilled to add Tampa to the Aloft brand’s rapidly growing list
of destinations in
Florida and look forward to working with Liberty Group on this
exciting adaptive re-use project ,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior
Vice President, Speciality Select Brands for Starwood. “The go-to
brand for savvy travelers,
Aloft delivers high design, accessible technology and a social
atmosphere.”
“With
its urban design aesthetic and appeal to savvy travelers, Aloft
is particularly well-suited to adaptive re-use projects like Aloft
Tampa,” said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America
Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Aloft
has a fiercely loyal following and has proven to be a hit within the
development community. Conversions represent a promising growth
channel for the brand, helping us bring the brand to new
markets more
quickly to meet growing demand.”
The
project is a vision of joint-venture partners Punit Shah of Liberty
Group and Santosh Govindaraju of ConvergentCapital Partners.
Collectively, the companies have invested over
$550,000,000 in performing / sub-performing commercial mortgages and
real estate including hotels, golf courses, multifamily, and office
in just the past four years.
For
Liberty Group, Aloft Tampa Downtown represents yet another
opportunity to adapt and reposition anotherdistressed
property in a prime location, having acquired
more than 20 hotels throughout the United States since 2010.
“While
we already own several premier hotels in the Tampa Bay area, my
family has specifically been focused on developing a hotel in
downtown Tampa for years, and this project presents the perfect
opportunity to own the hippest hotel in the most dynamic location in
Tampa Bay,” says Punit Shah, President and Chief Operating Officer
of the Liberty Group. “Tampa continues to establish itself as a
world-class city, and our urban core offers diverse
demand generators that create the ideal location for our Aloft hotel.
It’s a wonderful accomplishment for Tampa to have an Aloft Hotel
that is in the same conversation as cities like London, New York,
Beijing, and Abu Dhabi.”
Located
along the Hillsborough River and the new Tampa Riverwalk, Aloft Tampa
Downtown will be within walking distance of the University of Tampa,
Tampa Convention Center, University of South Florida’s new CAMLS
facility, Tampa Times Forum, Tampa Center for the Performing Arts,
Tampa History Museum, Curtis Hixon Park, Florida Aquarium, and the
Port of Tampa. Hotel
amenities will include the Aloft brand’s
signature w xyz sm bar located adjacent to the waterfront pool and a
24-hour fitness center. Aloft Tampa Downtown will also feature a
4,000 square foot rooftop flexible meeting and outdoor terrace area
in the heart of Tampa’s bustling financial district.
“This
project will energize a very important gateway into our downtown and
add more activity to our Riverwalk,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
“It’s great to see another building in our downtown re-purposed
with such a well-respected Development Team and Brand associated with
the development.”
Pioneering
initiatives in music, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as
a must-have living-social brand for the next generation of travelers.
Aloft has reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since
its launch, reflecting the success of its modern and vibrant design
at an affordable price point. Aloft's social guest experience, with
the buzzing re:mix lounge and w xyz bar, have also earned select
hotels within the portfolio designations in TripAdvisor's 2012 "Top
10 Trendiest Hotels in the US" rankings.
