Why book?

How often can you say that a single hotel has the potential to change an entire city’s tourism outlook? This little slice of South Beach plunked down on the shores of Tampa Bay has redefined what luxury looks like in Central Florida, bringing some much-needed verve to a city that has spent the past few decades working to revitalize its sleepy downtown. This is only the fifth U.S. location of Marriott’s ultra-glam EDITION brand, and the hotel giant’s leap of faith on a destination that’s still very much on the brink of big things to come bodes well for Tampa’s future growth as a destination for tastemakers.

Set the scene

There’s a cool sophistication to the whitewashed, Art Deco–inspired curves of Morris Adjmi’s 27-story tower—which almost feels like a subdued version of Santiago Calatrava’s skeletal creations (Nichols Architects was the Architect of Record for the project). Once you walk through the front door, however, you’re confronted with an immediate burst of life: The expansive lobby is packed in with a jungle’s worth of potted palms, not just clinging to the edges of the room but creating such a dense, multilayered thicket of greenery that you almost feel like you need a machete to get to the reception desk. The plants act as a sort of hedgerow, walling off portions of the space to create intimate vignettes: a travertine pool table here, a stainless steel orb sculpture there, and a scalloped Calacatta marble espresso counter in the distance. The influencer-baiting centerpiece, undoubtedly, is a sculptural, white spiral staircase; a signature of Studio 54 impresario and EDITION mastermind Ian Schrager that whisks guests up to the second floor’s collection of nightlife spaces. Equally show-stopping is the rooftop pool deck—with its canopy of Japanese blueberry trees and bougainvillea—which is fast becoming the city’s swankiest hangout.

Read the full review >>> Source: Conde Nast Traveler https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/tampa/the-tampa-edition