The first JW Marriott in the Bay Area will open Monday in downtown Tampa, and along with Marriott Water Street next door, will become the NFL headquarters for Super Bowl 55 in February.
"So the NFL, we have roughly a 1,000 room commitment across the properties," General Manager Ron McAnaugh revealed. "There's lots of demand for the remaining 245 [rooms]."
The JW Marriott Tampa has already become the headquarters for the NBA's Toronto Raptors, who've set up two full-size basketball courts in the luxury hotel's 30,000 square foot ballroom. The Raptors are scheduled to play in Tampa through March 4, the first half of the season, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions between Canada and the United States.
"If I had to put on my list of what to put in the hotel to open it, two NBA courts was never on the list," McAnaugh said. "The Raptors are going to hit the road for a long road stretch over the Super Bowl."
It took a little more than two and a half years to build the $200 million-plus, 26-story, 519-room luxury hotel. The property is owned by Strategic Property Partners, a joint venture between Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates' Cascade Investment.
"It's spectacular," McAnaugh exclaimed. "Worth every penny."
McAnaugh said the JW Marriott is a much needed addition to the Tampa luxury hotel market.
"We've been lacking in luxury hotels," he said. "Now this just brings a new level of approachable luxury, we like to call it."
The JW Marriott Tampa has a four-story atrium lobby lounge with floating art and a skybox that can only be accessed from the third floor. It also features a resort-style pool on the 6th floor that overlooks Port Tampa Bay, a spa, fitness center and a bistro restaurant appropriately called Six.
Executive Chef Joe Pankrath said Six will focus on Florida food with European techniques.
"It's all about being rooted in Florida," he said. "Using Florida ingredients that are season now and not using ingredients from the north that are in season in the fall up there."
There's another restaurant located on the main floor called Driftlight. A rooftop bar on the 27th floor that has been touted as the highest in the city, will open in about a year.
McAnaugh said the soft opening during Christmas week will give the staff some good experience before the Super Bowl arrives on Feb. 7.
"We'll open on Monday and people say 'why are you going to open right around Christmas?'" McAnaugh said. "It actually gives us a little time to kind work things in before we start to really see volumes."
On average, a standard room costs about $250 per night. The price will adjust based on the season.