Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® and Liberty Group has 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 Bank office 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.
The project is a vision of joint-venture partners Punit Shah of Liberty Group and Santosh Govindaraju of Convergent Capital 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 another distressed property in a prime location, having acquired more than 20 hotels throughout the United States since 2010.
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 xyzsm bar located adjacent to the waterfront pool and a 24-hour fitness centre. 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.
Pioneering initiatives in music, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as a must-have living-social brand for the next generation of travellers. 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.
Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
