Renaissance Tampa is The Place to Stay in Tampa, Fl

Situated next to the International Plaza mall, the Renaissance Tampa hotel has got to be the destination hotel in Tampa. Why? Well...let's start with the concept behind the hotel.

The Renaissance Tampa is one of the few hotels I know that has a story that was developed before the theme was decided. I know, you are probably saying theme and story are the same thing. Not necessarily, actually, not at all. Let me demonstrate the difference with hotels. The Gaylord Palms in Orlando/Kissimmee is a breathtaking hotel with three different atriums. Each atrium and the rooms that surround that atrium have a theme - the Everglades, St. Augustine and Key West to be exact. So all the rooms in the Key West atrium have bright colors with whitewashed furniture to give a feeling of being in Key West. The Renaissance Tampa has an actual story. It is the story of Sergio and Gabriella.

Sergio and Gabriella are newlyweds that have just built a mansion in Gabriella's home town of Tampa. The two meet while Gabriella was traveling to Spain to look for cigar rings and boxes after inheriting her father's Tampa cigar company. Of course, they fall in love and marry. The mansion (a.k.a the Renaissance Tampa) is their dream home and is built to look like the Mediterranean villas of the Costa Del Sol. Simply put the Renaissance Tampa is Sergio's and Gabriella's home.

After the designers came up with the story then they decided to decorate the hotel. So, they tried to make it look like a home. A couple of interesting choices are: the photos that adorn the walls everywhere are of Sergio and Gabriella (actually two models) and on the left hand side of the porte-cache is a tiled message that says "Sergio and Gabriella welcome you". Nice design touch I thought.

The next reason for the Renaissance Tampa to be "the" hotel in Tampa is the location. The hotel is situation only about 5 minutes from Tampa International Airport which makes it very convenient for all types of flyers. It is actually part of the International Plaza and Bay Street - an upscale mall and dining location with such stores as Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, Hugo Boss, restaurants like the Capital Grille and The Grape and bars like Blue Martini and Bar Louie. Being that it is in the "Westshore" area of Tampa means that it is also near many business centers for easy access for the business travelers. They even have a shuttle to and from the airport. If you're really feeling frisky, the concierge can have Hertz deliver you a car once you get to the property.

The last reason that the Renaissance Tampa is my favorite hotel in Tampa is the staff. I do not know where they found them but every staff member seems to care about you, not just your money. The valets (an outside company by-the-way called 717 Parking) welcome you with a "Welcome to the Renaissance". The Front Desk staff come around the counter to give you directions to your room. Every request is answered with "My pleasure". They will try everything to "make it happen". I even saw a manager drive a guest to St. Petersburg when his car wouldn't start and the guest needed to make a job interview. And not only did the manager drive him to St. Petersburg for his job interview but the concierge made sure that he had a new rental car when he returned. Now that is service. That is the Renaissance Tampa.

On your next trip to Tampa make sure you check out the Renaissance Tampa hotel. I love it.