Water Street Tampa starts construction on Marriott Edition hotel and condos
The 27-story tower near Amalie Arena is expected to open in the spring of 2021.

By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
Published: Aug 19, 2019

TAMPA - Construction is underway on the Tampa Edition Hotel & Residences, a 27-story tower at Water Street Tampa and the third of three major Marriott projects planned for the $3 billion project, developers said Wednesday.

The tower, which is going up at the northwest corner of Channelside Drive and Water Street, across the street from Amalie Arena, will include a rooftop pool with an adjacent indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant, large spa and fitness center, a second more intimate restaurant next to the hotel lobby and retail spaces designed to draw visitors and create activity on the street.

The Edition is scheduled to open in the spring of 2021 with 172 guest rooms topped by 37 cross-branded condominiums on floors 10 through 27. The project is a partnership between Marriott International and hotelier Ian Schrager, known for his extravagant, edgy and bohemian transformation of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

At the Tampa Edition, Schrager's design will include the lobby bar, lounge, market and an entertainment venue. The project has a $120 million value, according to city records.

"A significant cultural and hospitality destination,” said James Nozar, chief executive officer of Strategic Property Partners, the Water Street Tampa development company created by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment, the private wealth fund of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

"Offering an experience unlike any other hotel in Tampa Bay, The Tampa Edition will reflect our city's lifestyle through its timeless design, impeccable service and engaging amenity spaces that will connect guests to the neighborhood in a unique way," Nozar said in an announcement of the project.

Developers say The Residences at The Tampa Edition be the first hotel-branded condominiums in Tampa and the third such property within the United States to offer Edition-branded residences. The others are in Miami and West Hollywood in Los Angeles, and other Edition hotels can be found in London, New York, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, Bodrum, Turkey, and Shanghai and Sanya in China.

The condominiums, which will have large private balconies, are currently the only for-sale residences at Water Street Tampa. Smith & Associates Real Estate of Tampa will handle sales, with a formal launch later this year.

Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times