Madeira Beach hotel-condo The Beachmaker will have Marriott Autograph Collection flag
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 17, 2024

A luxury hotel-condo under development in Madeira Beach will bear Marriott’s Autograph Collection flag.

The Beachmaker Hotel will be built at 14500 Madeira Way. It will have 161 condo/hotel units, 10 residential penthouse units and 30,000 square feet of retail. The residential penthouses will have a separate lobby and elevator.

Madeira Triangle Partners LLC is the ownership group behind the venture. Jeff Beggins, who is part of the ownership team and a Century 21 Real Estate agent, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal the original plan has been “dramatically upgraded” to align with the level of luxury Marriott expects for the Autograph Collection.

The Autograph Collection flag is Marriott’s brand for independently owned, upscale hotels. The Current Hotel and The Epicurean Hotel in Tampa both have Autograph Collection flags, as do the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin and Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg.

“When we looked at all the options to keep as a traditional hotel or to sell the units, it was a simple decision,” Beggins said. “We have done a lot developing out here on the beach and the people who have come to the area fall in love with it. There’s really nothing in this niche, so we started looking at our projects and opportunities and how the owners can participate. The people we talked to are extremely excited and just wanted to buy a piece of it.”

There will be five different room offerings to appeal to different budgets, Beggins said. Amenities will include two pools, a fitness center, multiple restaurants, bars and shopping and a skybridge to the beach. The property will include a wedding and event venue, which Beggins said will drive demand for the rooms.

The team is currently looking for unique restaurant concepts, preferably from larger local restaurateurs. They’re targeting upscale steak and seafood restaurants for an anchor tenant on the ground floor, as well as a dessert concept or specialty bakery. The entire project is geared toward upscale living, and Beggins said their retail tenants will reflect that.

Tampa-based Mainsail Lodging and Development will operate the hotel, which is its first project in Madeira Beach. It currently operates the Epicurean in Tampa and the Fenway in Dunedin.

Beachmaker reservations secured

The feedback for the project following a “slight whisper campaign” has been strong. Beggins said they have already secured more than 50 reservations for the units. Following their public launch, they are aiming for a presale of roughly 50% of the units, or 80 rooms, before they begin construction.

Beggins said it’s an exciting opportunity, especially for buyers in neighboring markets like Tampa or Lakeland who can use the units as weekend getaways.

“The owners get to use the units for 90 days a year,” Beggins said. “They can go into the owners’ portal and block off the weekends they want to use it. They check into the valet, and there are owner’s closets in every one of the rooms where they can keep their belongings. They can go to the pool, get drinks and dinner, check out Sunday, drive home and go back to work. It’s different from a condo because you don’t have to take care of it and maintain it.”

Units will be priced starting at $700,000 and penthouses starting at $3 million. Every unit is fully furnished. Revenue from hotel stays will be split between the owners and the hotel, with owners keeping 55% of the room revenue, Beggins said.

Beggins said they expect to break ground by the end of the year. The ownership group also includes Bill Karnes, Tom Frederick and Marcus Winters.

John’s Pass Village, which has nearly 4 million visitors a year, is less than 2 miles away. Beggins said the hotel will be one of the only upscale accommodations in the area. Karnes and his team have been working for years to build the Madeira Beach Town Center, a master-planned, mixed-use project development on Madeira Way, Gulf Boulevard and 150th Avenue. This triangular group of properties is expected to make this section of Madeira Beach a destination for the Tampa Bay region.

“When the Madeira Beach Town Center master plan was conceived, it was designed to become the central core of the middle beaches,” Beggins said. “Historically, sidewalks roll up around 8:00 at night on the beaches. With all the visitors, tourists and locals, the demographics are trending much younger with families, and people are looking for more to do. For this to be the town center with several restaurants, upper scale shops and boutiques, this really fills the void of an activity center for this region.”