[Times photos: Thomas M. Goethe]
Damon Shiver, left, one of the owners and hotel managers of the Don Vincente De Ybor Historic Inn, catures a snapshot of family members meeting at the inn last week.

By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 25, 2002

TAMPA -- For Scott Eaton of Atlanta, business trips to Tampa used to be routine.

Check into an upscale hotel along the busy West Shore business district, drive the rental car into Ybor City for lunch and head back to the hotel for the night.

But almost three years ago, Eaton, an environmental manager for a petroleum company, made a decision that transformed his work travels into mini-vacations.

He checked into the newly-constructed Hilton Garden Inn on Ninth Avenue in Ybor City and found himself surrounded by nightclubs, wine tastings and trendy restaurants. He has returned every month since.

The dining room at the Don Vincente.

"I don't like the big, usual (airport hotels)," Eaton said as he prepared last week to check into the opulent Vicente de Ybor Inn, a 16-room bed-and-breakfast style hotel on Republica de Cuba street. "Ybor City has flavor."

Eaton, 52, is among a growing group of business travelers, tourists and even locals who are opting to stay in hotels in nationally historic Ybor City because of its bustling nightlife and proximity to major venues.

It's a new role for an area that didn't have a single hotel for 110 years. A decade ago, the area consisted largely of rundown and abandoned buildings.

Today, there are two hotels in Ybor -- the 95-room Hilton, often buzzing with guests, and the year-old Don Vicente de Ybor, located at 1915 Republica de Cuba.

A Hampton Inn is planned for Seventh Avenue, just inside the arched entrance to the district.

While the West Shore area is still popular with business travelers because it sits near the airport and two shopping malls and offers plenty of office space, Ybor's success is defined by its distinct offerings, said Chuck Ross, a consultant with Atlantic Hospitality Advisors who conducts feasibility studies for hotels.

"It is still a unique situation that is primarily driven by its entertainment content," Ross said. "(A brand name hotel) combined with the Ybor City setting should make it somewhat special in the market."

The revitalization of Centro Ybor, Seventh Avenue, and the restoration of its historic buildings is what drew hotel owners to the area in the first place.

City officials, looking to breathe new life into the dying historic district, cajoled developers and entrepreneurs into fixing the buildings and opening restaurants, nightclubs and galleries. They also ordered the construction of a trolley system linking Ybor City with downtown.

The Ybor scene quickly changed, drawing huge weekend crowds out for a good time.

"It was like a ghost town," recalled Sheryl Shiver, the front desk manager at the Don Vicente. But now, "you can feel (the energy). It's very exciting."

The Hilton's developer, Dilip Kanji, saw the demand for lodging -- and a potential gold mine -- and opened the hotel in 1999.

"If I was traveling in town for business and had a choice between an airport hotel and staying in a historic district within walking distance to all the major events, I'd obviously take the latter choice," Kanji said. "It's a great place for people now."

In addition to its reputation as a tourist attraction, Ybor also offers easy access to Busch Gardens, West Shore, the airport, the cruise ship terminals and of course, downtown, Kanji said.

"Five years ago, Ybor was strictly a weekend destination, and it wasn't much of a draw for out-of-towners," Kanji said.

But pretty soon, the Hilton's guest list started showing repeat weekday travelers, he said.

Then came the Don Vicente, with its Persian rugs, four-poster canopy beds and gilded chairs. It draws an upscale clientele, including wedding parties and honeymooning couples.

The hotels work together -- the Hilton sends its overflow to the Don Vicente, as well as their guests who want to stay in a bed-and-breakfast, Kanji said.

While the Don Vicente also attracts corporate guest on the weekdays, the weekends bustle with local activity. They often host bridal showers, birthday parties and anniversary celebrations in their Grand Salon, said Helen Chavez, the hotel's event coordinator. The entire hotel also has been booked by wedding parties.

"We haven't even had time to market the hotel," Shiver said.

Both the Hilton (rooms go for around $159 a night) and the Don Vicente (weekend rates start about $150 a night) often are booked to capacity.

They have their own parking lots, so guests don't have to circle for spots to get to Ybor's shops, Shiver said.

"You can go out and party and walk home," Shiver said.

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