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. 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.
The backstory
While you weren’t looking, Tampa has stealthily been remaking itself into a mini Miami. That transformation can be felt most keenly in the $3 billion transformation of the Water Street district, which stretches roughly between the cruise port at the Channel District and the office buildings of downtown. A joint venture between Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik (the NHL team’s home arena is directly across the street) and Bill Gates, the neighborhood became the first in the world to receive a WELL Design & Operations designation, which celebrates a community-wide commitment to better air and water quality, fitness, and other wellness benchmarks. Marriott, which has operated the city’s largest hotel on Water Street since 2000, is going all in on the area: The brand also debuted a JW Marriott just a few blocks away in 2021.
The rooms
There’s a haiku-like simplicity to the 172 rooms and suites, which you enter through a moody, black-walnut vestibule before emerging into a sun-filled, white-oak living space. The room remains widely unadorned except for a few signature design pieces: a white-lacquer Norman Cherner chair, surrealist prints by fashion photographer Rodney Smith, a single monstera leaf in a bulbous little vase. Each of The Edition properties also has its own style of faux-fur throws, and one is found here, draped faux-messily over the corner of the bed. While the effect can feel a bit more Telluride than Tampa, it does add a touch of coziness to an otherwise hard-edged room.
Food and drink
There are five bars and restaurants within the property; so many that you could conceivably visit for a weekend and never leave the hotel. The jewel in the crown is Lilac, a Mediterranean-tinged tasting menu spot from chef John Fraser, who led the Michelin-starred kitchens at New York City institutions Dovetail and Nix. Expect playful yet elegant dishes, like the PB&J-inspired snack of poultry liver mousse and port wine jam on a savory almond croissant, and a riff on Portuguese-style bouillabaisse of local grouper served with grits. Fraser’s also responsible for the rooftop Azure's Aegean-accented menu of meze and raw bar.
Come nightfall, pick your poison at the velvet-curtained Arts Club, which sits under a ceiling full of mirror balls; the Lobby Bar, where you can order a sophisticated artichoke negroni or harissa margarita; or the lounge-like Punch Room, which is dedicated to cane spirits and the flavors of the Caribbean. A rum bar, it turns out, fits like a glove in this city with strong Cuban heritage and an annual pirate-themed festival, and the smoky Principe de Gales—made with cognac and lapsang souchong tea—is designed to evoke the cigars that have been made in these parts since 1885.
The spa
If you’ve ever stepped foot in an Edition, you can probably conjure scent memories of the brand’s calming black-tea aroma by Le Labo. It's present in the signature massage at the cocoon-like spa tucked away on the second floor, complete with six treatment rooms and a candle-lit relaxation area.
The service
Staff is uniformly friendly and attentive, with special bonus points for the concierge, who happily recommend coffee shops and restaurants. The servers and sommeliers at Lilac also execute at a level of precision that isn’t often found in these parts.
Eco effort
The surrounding Water Street area recently achieved LEED silver certification in the category of Neighborhood Development—no small feat for a city that had previously been defined by its seemingly endless suburban sprawl.
Anything left to mention?
We can’t overstate how buzzy the statement staircase has become: It’s such a selfie magnet that it’s quickly becoming Tampa’s answer to the Eiffel Tower.
500 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602
https://standard.wellcertified.com/well