Holiday Inn brings its brand to Westshore neighborhood in Tampa

Kathy Steele | Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore Airport is the newest hotel brand to cater to business travelers, families and local residents who want an upscale getaway in the heart of the city's largest business district.

West Shore is at the center of new residential and retail growth with new apartments, restaurants and shops along Boy Scout Road and Westshore Boulevard. It also is located near International Mall, Tampa International Airport and Interstate 275.

An $8 million renovation at the hotel, at 700 N. Westshore Blvd., features two new restaurants, Market Place Coffee Bar & Cafe and Bar 700 Grille & Lounge. Marketplace will sell grab-and-go snacks, sandwiches and specialty coffee. Bar 700 will offer dinners, specialty cocktails and craft beers.

The hotel is placing special emphasis on giving "foodies" a different and local flair in their dining and drinking options, says Holly Clifford, president of press marketing for Holiday Inn.

Craft beers from Ybor-based Coppertail Brewing Co., and pastries from Pane Rustica Bakery & Cafe in Palma Ceia will be included in menus at the bar and cafe.

"(The bar) is a much more high end look and feel," says Clifford. "It looks very today and modern."

The renovations also improve on other amenities such as arrival and welcome services, guest room comfort and a redesigned logo. The hotel has about 15,000 square feet of meeting space with a newly added ballroom.

General manager Pam Avery is chairwoman of the board for Visit Tampa Bay. "This has been a phenomenal year for tourism," she says.

That translates to a high occupancy rate for hotels including the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore, which has 262 guest rooms.

The hotel initially began operation as an independent hotel under the name of Quorum. It also operated as the Wyndham. Quorum still owns and manages the hotel but is now a franchisee of Holiday Inn.

Avery says Holiday Inn is a well-known brand that many people grew up with but it has become much more modern and edgy. "We think it's a perfect fit for us," she says.

But there are some Quorum traditions that won't change.

Guests can still quench their thirst with fruit-infused water and grab a handful of M&Ms, peanut and plain, from dispensers.

Read more articles by Kathy Steele.

Kathy Steele is a freelance writer who lives in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. She previously covered Tampa neighborhoods for more than 15 years as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune. She grew up in Georgia but headed north to earn a BA degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. She backpacked through Europe before attending the University of Iowa's Creative Writers' Workshop for two years. She has a journalism degree from Georgia College. She likes writing, history, and movies.