True, a bit more night life would be good. Although, it is only two blocks from Fly Bar, The Hub, and Tampa Theater, and three blocks from the restaurants and bars in Skypoint. That area is pretty busy in the day, but the evenings can be empty. But then, this project should add a lot to the area, and it will have the bars in the hotel to draw non-guests.

Steve

Yep. You're right. There's plenty to do along Franklin & then walk back to the hotel since DT is so compact. Florida Ave still sucks at street level and liquor licenses can be hard to get in the areas that are close to the "Methodist area".

Will that change now that the Methodist church there is now closing?

Is the First United Methodist closing? I thought it was another church? Would be kind of surprised if First United closed.

Is the First United Methodist closing? I thought it was another church? Would be kind of surprised if First United closed.

check this out....

http://www2.tbo.com/news/community-news/2011/jun/05/MENEWSO3-church-closes-doors-ar-235213/

^^
Wow, that is sad.

Sad indeed. But is the building able to be demolish? In all honesty, I don't like it. I know it has historic value to it, but I would rather see it gone if a potential buyer is able to draw up plans and build something on the plot.

Int his economy, you are more likely to get a new parking lot. Nothing else.

Also noticed that they have a website up and running. Not much there, and it says "Under construction" at the bottom of the page.

http://floridanpalace.com/

Just wish Ms. Shasteen would give an update. Also, keep in mind, this hotel will not be exactly like it was before although some of the interiors will be the same, just cleaned up, polished (restored). They must have knocked out several walls to make the rooms bigger. I've been told that the original rooms were extremely small.

Also noticed that they have a website up and running. Not much there, and it says "Under construction" at the bottom of the page.

http://floridanpalace.com/

Great find.

It's around the sixth anniversary of the restoration beginning. Just sayin'.

Still no opening date.

Quite annoying actually that they're pretty much hush hush and what's going on with the hotel. If I was the city, I would have the owners update the city council and the council get a little more strict on finishing the project. I know there is some issues with the structure, but 6 years is kind of ridiculous.

Quite annoying actually that they're pretty much hush hush and what's going on with the hotel. If I was the city, I would have the owners update the city council and the council get a little more strict on finishing the project. I know there is some issues with the structure, but 6 years is kind of ridiculous.

That's absurd. It's his building, what business is it of the city council? If he was using city money you would have a point, but he's not.

That's absurd. It's his building, what business is it of the city council? If he was using city money you would have a point, but he's not.
Yes, but it's still a building that exists in the CITY. If there was a building that sat 2 floors completed and then all construction stopped for 3 years, the city would get involved. I don't see why the city council can't have the owners just go to a council meeting and at least update where the project stands.

That's absurd. It's his building, what business is it of the city council? If he was using city money you would have a point, but he's not.
It is a high-profile building in downtown with an historic designation - fair reasons for increased scrutiny.

This city has lost enough notable structures, and has dozens of others sitting in a fragile state or with indifferent ownership. The building may be headed in the right direction, but six years to reach its current condition is ridiculous. Forgive me if I'm underwhelmed by the progress.

Frankly, even if you weren't following the "progress", the website should tell you all you need to know about their ambitions...

Yes, but it's still a building that exists in the CITY. If there was a building that sat 2 floors completed and then all construction stopped for 3 years, the city would get involved. I don't see why the city council can't have the owners just go to a council meeting and at least update where the project stands.

Because this is private property that doesn't having outstanding conflicts with codes or permits? You can't just force a building owner to do something when there aren't rules being broken. There are a lot of empty buildings in DT and they are all in much worse shape. I'd rather the city work on talking to the owners of buildings that are actual code violations.

If he was using city money you would have a point, but he's not.
They're not getting any tax breaks or grants of any kind? I find that hard to believe.

It's just puzzling. It's a hotel. IT's under restoration as we all know. Are they that far behind with rooms that they aren't even going to do a limited opening to start bringing in revenue? They want everything done entirely before they start welcoming guests?

Or is it a matter of parking? In which case you would have already heard something in city meetings because there would have been a public request.

They have a web site up, that's something. But even as web-sites go, it's nothing.

Hotels are a complicated enterprise, as they will have to implement a reservation system and a lot of what corporate hotels could put together with ease. If they were looking for someone to run the property - that would be news. But there is no news.

They're not getting any tax breaks or grants of any kind? I find that hard to believe.

As far as I've heard, it's self financed. With a big recession in the middle. He's paying his property taxes (http://www.hcpafl.org/CamaDisplay.aspx?OutputMode=Display&SearchType=RealEstate&ParcelID=1829244ZI000016000030A) to the tune of $50,000 a year.

Maybe he's waiting for the hotel market to heat up before making the large investments it takes to fully staff and operate a hotel.

Mr Markopoulos has enough money. He sold his property on Clearwater Beach for more than 40 Million $ to Mr. Patel (now it's woth a lot less). So, he can take all the time he wants to finish the Floridan.

But the restoration is costing "Millions, Millions". It's been done over six years.

A 19 story hotel that's being brought back to it's heyday status. Now look at the St. Pete TImes forum which is undergoing a massive renovation this summer, about $35 Million worth of changes and improvements.

You can't tell me that something as dated as the Floridan would cost less to restore than an arena's modernization whose pricetag starts at $35 million and will likely cost more in the end.

It could absolutely cost less. Besides the fact that they are not at all comparable, the Lightning are having to do it at a breakneck pace which greatly increases costs (double shifts). All the while keeping the Forum open for events.

Barely open for events.

But again, six years. Hand crafted replicas, rewiring the entire building, probably doing the same with HVAC, pipes. Having to meet codes for historical preservation. Plus the property taxes and other costs when the property is idle and nothing is being worked on. That adds up.

If I remember correctly, he bought the property for 6.5 Million $. I guess the renovation costs about 10-15 Million $.

Has anyone seen any activity there lately?

I don't walk that block much (but I work on Polk / Franklin so I'm close by) so I wouldn't notice construction activity. That said, one of the letters of the sign went out last week. It was fixed for the next night and is now fully illuminated again.

I don't walk that block much (but I work on Polk / Franklin so I'm close by) so I wouldn't notice construction activity. That said, one of the letters of the sign went out last week. It was fixed for the next night and is now fully illuminated again.

Awesome! I like how it stands out while driving by on 275.

Found this:

http://www.tampasdowntown.com/userfiles/files/15th%20Annual%20Development%20Forum/The_Floridan_Palace.pdf

Has some pics of the pre-renevation hotel. It seems that Lisa Shasteen recently gave some presentation on the project to the Downtown Partnership committee.

It was posted earlier in the thread.

http://ericseibert.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/hotel-floridan.jpg

^^ She's a beauty...maybe one of these decades it'll actually open! :-)

Gorgeous shot, xeddiex.

I drove by the other night and snapped these photos from my phone (sorry for the poor quality). This was the first time I noticed these lanterns outside the Cass Street lobby.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9486/photo2nw.jpg

You can't see the beautiful chandelier in this photo of the Cass Street lobby:

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/600/photorhs.jpg

So, with the lack of news through traditional sources, I decided to do a quick scan on Twitter to see if anyone has mentioned the Floridan Palace / Floridan Hotel lately and given any news on expected opening. Lo and Behold, Lisa Shasteen (or someone associated with her firm) did tweet something about it recently (https://twitter.com/#!/ShasteenSizemor/status/136890594168553472):

Work on the Floridan Palace is winding to a close as 2012 ramps up! Looking forward to serving a new generation of real estate tycoons!

@shasteen-sizemor isn't Lisa's official account. it's @lshasteen. But that acccount has been compromised (spam, spam, spam, spam eggs and spam)

More news from TBO that is an update, but not much of one:
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/dec/08/historic-floridan-hotel-renovation-approaching-com-ar-332574/

The massive renovation of the Floridan Hotel in downtown Tampa is nearly done -- almost.

The historic hotel that's been under reconstruction for several years now stands with all its rooms completed, a lobby ready for a final floor polish and its bar nearly ready for crates of liquor for an opening party.

"It's not been easy, but that's O.K.," said Antonios Markopolous, owner of the hotel that's been everything from a swank tourist oasis to an abandoned flophouse. "If it was easy, everyone would do it."

The downtown hotel now awaits a huge shipment of furniture for each room and the final inspections and permits for plumbing, electrical and food service inspections. The walls that were once gutted have been closed up and re-plastered.

Various artists and craftsmen are finishing final details. For instance, this week in the sunny mezzanine of the elaborate marble-floored lobby, there was a row of seven seamstresses at sewing machines, busily fluffing and hemming enormous white curtains that will hang around the wide arched windows.

But when will it open for guests? The hotel owners won't commit to a date yet, and the hotel isn't on the list of available spots for the RNC convention in August next year.

At one point, the hotel owners had considered opening for the Super Bowl – in February 2009.

Still, hotel owners decline to allow any photographs inside the building. That will wait until the grand opening, Markopolous said.

The biggest reason for all the delays so far: Breaking the many small rooms that were in the historic building into the much larger hotel rooms that travelers now expect in a modern hotel.

The hotel had to take 426 small rooms in the original layout and break them up into 195 larger, standard rooms, 15 suites and 3 penthouses. All the utilities were ripped out and replaced with modern systems. The showers were gutted and replaced with Spanish marble enclosures.

The air conditioning system was a huge problem, solved only this summer by finding ways to work within the existing structure – not with window units.

Representatives from the Republican National Convention toured the hotel recently, but the hotel wasn't ready yet to come to terms on room price or availability.

This all cost "tens and tens of millions of dollars," said Lisa Shasteen, who is organizing much of the renovations. One thing is for sure. The hotel won't be re-branded as a big, brand name hotel like Hilton, Marriott or Sheraton – not even if that meant those hotel companies merely managed the hotel as is often done with grand old hotels.

The current owners decided to keep the hotel independent, Shasteen said, and reinvest what would be royalty payments into the operations. Though she declined to say what rooms will cost, Shasteen said it's worth looking at other historic hotels in Florida.

Those prices can vary widely. Currently, Miami's posh Fontainbleau hotel charges $529 for a standard room at the end of March 2012. The Casa Monica hotel in downtown St. Augustine charges $260 for that same night.

rmullins@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7919 Twitter: @DailyDeadline

^^ It's better than the all out silence we had been subjected to the past few months. Thanks TS.

I was inside the building a bit ago - thought the following might whet your appetite.

From the walkway surrounding the penthouses:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/tjcouch/Floridan/penthouse.jpg

The lobby:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/tjcouch/Floridan/lobby.jpg

The wonderful detail work of the lobby:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/tjcouch/Floridan/lobby2.jpg

New elevator motors:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/tjcouch/Floridan/elevator.jpg

Really impressed!

Wow, looks good.
Hopefully it opens....... soon

Wow looks great!

Could be getting close(r):

RSS Text Size Print Share This Historic Floridan Hotel renovation approaching completion
Next Image > < Previous Image

RICHARD MULLINS/STAFF


RICHARD MULLINS/STAFF
RICHARD MULLINS/STAFF
The historic Floridan hotel opened in 1927 but fell into disrepair over the years. A developer has been renovating the structure for several years.

RICHARD MULLINS/STAFF

The historic Floridan hotel opened in 1927 but fell into disrepair over the years. A developer has been renovating the structure for several years. RICHARD MULLINS/STAFF 1


TAMPA --
The massive renovation of the Floridan Hotel in downtown Tampa is nearly done -- almost.

The historic hotel that's been under reconstruction for several years now stands with all its rooms completed, a lobby ready for a final floor polish and its bar nearly ready for crates of liquor for an opening party.

"It's not been easy, but that's O.K.," said Antonios Markopoulos, owner of the hotel that's been everything from a swank tourist oasis to an abandoned flophouse. "If it was easy, everyone would do it."

The downtown hotel now awaits a huge shipment of furniture for each room and the final inspections and permits for plumbing, electrical and food service. The walls that were once gutted have been closed up and re-plastered.

Various artists and craftsmen are finishing final details. For instance, this week in the sunny mezzanine of the elaborate marble-floored lobby, there was a row of seven seamstresses at sewing machines, busily fluffing and hemming enormous white curtains that will hang around the wide arched windows.

The hotel's massive kitchen has all its equipment and stands ready to feed upwards of 1,500 hotel and banquet guests. The three main guest elevators have been paneled in rich wood and have their inspections almost done.

The Sapphire Room bar is finished out, complete with a hand-made, curved marble bar spanning the corner room space. The lobby's chandeliers have thousands of tiny Swarovski crystals polished. Painted on the walls just beneath the elaborately corniced ceilings are rows of hand-painted cherub angels frolicking above where guests will check in at the front desk.

But when will it open for guests? The hotel owners won't commit to a date yet, and the hotel isn't on the list of available spots for the RNC convention in August next year.

At one point, the hotel owners had considered opening for the Super Bowl – in February 2009.

Still, hotel owners decline to allow any photographs inside the building. That will wait until the grand opening, Markopoulos said.

The biggest reason for all the delays so far: Installing a custom air conditioning system and breaking the many small rooms that were in the historic building into the much larger hotel rooms that travelers now expect in a modern hotel.

The hotel, which first opened in 1927, had to take 426 small rooms in the original layout and break them up into 195 larger, standard rooms, 15 suites and 3 penthouses. All the utilities were ripped out and replaced with modern systems. The showers were gutted and replaced with Spanish marble enclosures.

The smallest room now stands about five yards by nine yards – about the size of many New York hotel rooms. A two-room suite spans about eight by 15 yards, and includes a sitting area.

The project has been a painstaking labor, Markopoulos said. Instead of hundreds of workers laboring simultaneously under a general contractor, he is basically the general contractor. Crews of just a couple workers at a time plastered the intricate walls, honed the wrought iron banisters, inlaid the ceiling woodwork and polished the marble tabletops.

Virtually all the paperwork goes through Markopoulos's own desk, including a single stray receipt left in a second-floor Men's room: $6.97 for a drill bit from Home Depot.

"We're at Home Depot, a lot," said Lisa Shasteen, a business partner and official spokeswoman for the hotel project.

The city of Tampa's acting growth management director, Tom Snelling, said he's visited the site before and found Markopoulos elbow-deep in projects.

"He's a real character," Snelling said. "He's a real old-school builder who pays as he goes … I've seen him there pushing a broom, sweeping up right next to his crews. He works."

Markopoulos still does his accounting by hand on grid paper, because that's his way.

The rooftop penthouses alone were a huge project because their roofs had caved in and suffered years of damage from rain. "He rebuilt them all," Snelling said. "Had he not come along, who knows what would happen to that building."

The main office where Markopoulos works is strewn with architectural drawings, fabric samples and an old marble shoe polishing station from the original hotel. On one wall, there's a massive bed headboard sample from a furniture contractor with elaborate Victorian-style arches, flourishes of carved wood, spiral columns and gold leaf decorations.

Eventually, every room in the hotel will have such a headboard, hand-made and delivered to Tampa. Luxurious, yes, but Markopoulos makes a point here: "There are Marriott hotels all over the world. But there's only one Floridan."

Representatives from the Republican National Convention toured the hotel recently, but the hotel wasn't ready yet to come to terms on room price or availability.

This all cost "tens and tens of millions of dollars," Shasteen said. One thing is for sure. The hotel won't be re-branded as a big, brand name hotel like Hilton, Marriott or Sheraton – not even if that meant those hotel companies merely managed the hotel as is often done with grand old hotels.

The current owners decided to keep the hotel independent, Shasteen said, and reinvest what would be royalty payments into the operations. Though she declined to say what rooms will cost, Shasteen said it's worth looking at other historic hotels in Florida.

Those prices can vary widely. Currently, Miami's posh Fontainebleau hotel charges $529 for a standard room at the end of March 2012. The Casa Monica hotel in downtown St. Augustine charges $260 for that same night.

I can't wait, it looks and sounds stunning. What a great project to have in DT.

So much for not allowing photographs inside the hotel. :lol: Great pics btw, looks amazing.

Amazing, can't wait till it opens. I am sure the bar will be a hot spot

This should really help enliven the streets on the north side of downtown past 5pm. Such a shame that 2-3 more projects didn't go up before the bust.

Odd. Drove up Florida today. In the old post office which is attached to the Floridan you could see that they had mattresses or box springs stacked up.

Maybe they're being stored while they're set up in the rooms over the course of a week or so?

Maybe they're being stored while they're set up in the rooms over the course of a week or so?

Seems likely. Probably part of that big furniture delivery they mentioned.

Anyone else making casual scans from time-to-time on the Hotel web site, or on Google News, trying to find something (Anything) that suggests the Hotel is getting read to go live?

Not sure if you can see, but the 2 floors above the Floridan lobby have curtains in the windows now. I'm guessing they are finally finishing the actual hotel rooms now.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/trump74/IMG_1046.jpg

It looked awesome the other day as I was driving up Florida. The chandaliers on first or second floor were all on. The SE face of the building looks like someone took a huge eraser and wiped off all the smudge. It's getting there.

I have noticed that they are putting curtains in all the rooms and now they are above the ledge and have 3 floors left. They have been averaging a couple floors a day. Hopefully it means they are getting close to having all the furniture in the rooms.

Here is a photo I took the other day of the curtains. Just about every window now has curtains hanging, which definitely makes the hotel look "alive".

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4844/photo2iw.jpg

This is a picture I took last night; this is from the left-hand doors on the Florida Avenue side. You can see there is a table and mirror and a water fountain. The door at the end of the hallway on the left side may be doors to restrooms.

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4602/phototxu.jpg

I also added Lisa Shasteen on Facebook. She said that we would hear something about the Floridan "very soon" :)

Awesome... And now people can be 'spooked' by moving curtains in a 'haunted hotel' and whatnot. haha

They could probably pull off a wicked haunted house on one of the floors, if they so chose.

So, going by the photos we've seen so far, am I the only one that thinks this looks incredibly tacky?

^??? Tacky? That adjective hasn't entered my mind.

In what way are you concerned about tackiness?

So, going by the photos we've seen so far, am I the only one that thinks this looks incredibly tacky?

It can be tacky if it's all fake, but it's not tacky to restore something to its original glamour. Especially with the custom artistry going into the Floridan. It's very high end and very beautiful.

Posted by a Twitter user, asking if there is a projected opening date. They had said that there was a flurry of activity around the building today. This is just one example of it:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/431717_10150653093876306_172339226305_9256711_494605981_n.jpg

Looks great to me.

RE: Tacky -- no, it doesn't look tacky at all. It looks out-of-place in Tampa. I don't mean that as a knock on the building, but with how often things around here are done on the cheap and for the general masses (not a classy, high end kind-of-way), what we've seen looks more fitting for New York, Chicago, or downtown LA than Tampa.

(speaking of which, wonder if the interior of the Floridan could be used for the backdrop in a period-piece movie)

Nice pick John F

From ABC Action News a few weeks ago (http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/education/republican-national-convention-puts-tampa-projects-on-the-fast-track):

In the private sector, there is a lot of buzz over the historic Floridan Hotel. It was once hoped renovations of the historic building would be completed for the 2009 Super Bowl. Spokesperson Lisa Shasteen says she has no doubt they will be taking reservations for the convention in August.

"We're very excited about that. We're talking to a few groups about hotel rooms for that period and we're ready to go," said Shasteen.

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/education/republican-national-convention-puts-tampa-projects-on-the-fast-track#ixzz1owGuPUhm

There's video on teh story I have linked to, but nothing new or substantial from the HOtel.

It was seven years ago today that the Floridan was purchased by Antonios Markopoulos.

Seven years, jeez...

Wow, didn't realize that long

^^ Yeah, the actual restoration process didn't start until August. I only happened on the date of the purchase by chance the other evening.

And it's like a black-hole now, there's nothing on the hotel... With everything supposedly being imminent, there seems to be nothing beyond the restoration's near-completion. Employees being hired, job fairs, reservation system, online marketing in one form or another, media coverage....

If the RNC is the next target open date, I figure they need to open by late May -- three months of operation to work out the kinks before the RNC begins.

I have been told by a reliable source that the hotel will open in June!

There was a wedding party at the Floridan on April 28, all the lobby lights were on.

UPDATE- their website now says "coming June 2012"!

I drove by it yesterday and noticed what i thought were event vendors unloading stuff. I figured they were going across the street. I guess not.

I have been told by a reliable source that the hotel will open in June!

There was a wedding party at the Floridan on April 28, all the lobby lights were on.

And the chandeliers on the second floor. Looks like there are a bunch of them and that they are fantastic.

I've found instagram pictures of the hotel. I'm still going through them. A Twitter user posted links to them... I guess he was an attendee:

I don't want to steal / hotlink this guys pictures so I'll just link to the pics:

Signage (http://instagr.am/p/J_pk9Oj9xl/)

The ceiling (http://instagr.am/p/J_opFgj9xU/)

The bar (http://instagr.am/p/J_p4_vD9xq/)

^^
Very nice pics indeed. It will be very interesting when the place finally opens.

This is going to be something very special when it opens.

^It really is!

What has it been, 24 years since the hotel closed?

Yeah, '88-'89 sounds about right. I know it wasn't long after I moved here, and that was in '86.

However, hasn't it been much longer than that since the hotel operated in its intended condition?

Yeah, '88-'89 sounds about right. I know it wasn't long after I moved here, and that was in '86.

However, hasn't it been much longer than that since the hotel operated in its intended condition?

Yup, a long while according to Wikipedia:

In 1966 the hotel closed to commercial and tourist hotel and remained only open to long term renters. By the 1980s the once grand and luxurious hotel had become a residence for transients renting rooms by the week or month. The Floridan Hotel finally closed its doors in 1989 after new ownership fails to bring the building up to new firecodes.

Wow. So it's been at least 40 years since the building was in good shape. (because obviously, it wasn't in good shape in 1966 either, or it wouldn't have been downgraded as a hotel facility)

This article doesn't state the June opening date... I guess they didn't check in to their website. I was told by a Floridan worker that they are opening in June.

http://www2.tbo.com/business/business/2012/may/02/4/events-hint-floridan-could-soon-reopen-ar-398853/

There's no formal opening date yet, but after more than six years of renovation, the Floridan Hotel in Tampa is starting quietly to host weddings and, soon, a major gala dinner.

It marks a significant step for the hotel's owners, as construction is still under way in parts of the hotel and the site lacks permits for occupancy or food service.

Until the city and state issue those permits, one option for the hotel is to seek a series of temporary event permits for its massive ballroom and bar &mdash; similar to those sought by film festivals and nonprofits that rent vacant buildings downtown for fundraisers.

This past Saturday, the Floridan hosted its first wedding in decades, a private affair for a bride and groom who are friends of the owners. The owners declined to offer more details about the event.

A much bigger event is scheduled for May 24 &mdash; the DEA Educational Foundation fundraiser and dinner to honor Tampa attorney and former FBI agent James Cusack, who will receive a lifetime achievement award for decades of work fighting drug crime and building drug treatment programs.

Invitations for the dinner went to more than 1,000 people, including Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will serve as honorary chairwoman, with a reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.

An invitation reads, "Be among the first to experience the newly restored Floridan Hotel at one of the first events held in the hotel before its grand reopening to the public!"

Bill Alden, the foundation's president and chief executive, said he has met numerous times with Floridan owner Antonios Markopoulos and admires Markopoulos' dedication to restoring the hotel. Alden said he is confident the event will be successful.

If necessary, the hotel can seek temporary permits that require just a few days notice and use outside caterers to bring in food, said Lisa Shasteen, who is helping marshal much of the hotel's renovations and business development.

Those workarounds will have to do until more thorough inspections and paperwork are complete.

Neither the hotel nor its ballroom have an approved Certificate of Occupancy, which normally are issued after successful fire and other safety inspections, said John Barrios, Tampa's Construction Services Center manager.

"The construction work has not been completed, as evidenced by several open construction permits still on the project," Barrios said.

The old post office building next door is included in the overall renovation, but Barrios said there are no occupancy certificates for that site, either.

Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which licenses restaurants and hotels, has no active food service license for the hotel or the old post office, said department spokeswoman Sandi Copes Poreda.

During its history, the hotel has been everything from a swank tourist oasis to an abandoned flophouse.

Markopoulos is gradually renovating the structure, restoring its Sapphire Room bar and combining many guest rooms into larger suites to suit the demands of modern travelers. Markopoulos said he'll restore the hotel at his own pace.

At one point, the hotel owners considered opening for the Super Bowl &mdash; in February 2009.

At more than 10,000 square feet, the ballroom at the Floridan would become a major attraction in downtown Tampa, competing with other major hotels in the region for large conferences and weddings.

Depending on room rates, the Floridan also would compete with the Le Meridien hotel planned for the renovated federal courthouse building a few blocks south on Florida Avenue.

Though they have given select tours, Floridan owners have not disclosed an opening date for the hotel, and the location isn't on the list of available spots for the Republican National Convention in August.

June 30th

There was a craigslist listing that stated the Hotel would open at the end of June. And now there is this:

http://declassifieds.info/jobs/hotel-restaurants-fb-floridan-palace-hotel-tampa-downtown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hotel-restaurants-fb-floridan-palace-hotel-tampa-downtown

I can't wait to check out the Sapphire Room.

A classified ad has now popped up for HOTEL staff (remember, the last one was for Restaraunt staff). This one says the hotel opens June
30. The restaurants apparently open on the 15th.

http://2ndincomejobs.com/tampa-bay-part-time-jobs/hotel-staff-floridan-palace-hotel-tampa-downtown/

The official open date is June 30.

There was an event there last night, I saw valets outside. Not sure what it was though.

There was an event there last night, I saw valets outside. Not sure what it was though.

An awards dinner I believe. It was mentioned in an article abot the hotel recently.