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Renovated Hilton to include Starbucks
By SHARON L. BOND
Published March 30, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - The Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront is starting a $4-million renovation of its guest rooms and will add a Starbucks that the hotel says will be one of the coffee chain's larger shops in Florida.
Upgrades and refurbishes started at the 33-year-old hotel in 2001. The public spaces, including the lobby and meeting rooms, were redone in 2003.
Starbucks will take the space previously occupied by Pizza Hut. Hotel General Manager Jack Odom said he did not have a definite opening date for the popular coffee house, which already has a number of outlets in St. Petersburg.
"It should be six months at the outside," Odom said, indicating that Starbucks could be open before the fall. Starbucks will build its own space, rather than have the hotel do it.
The room renovation was supposed to be finished late last year, Odom said. But Hilton's owner, Ashford Hospitality Trust, delayed the process and upped the amount of money it planned to spend to $4.4-million from $2.8-million. The hotel is at 333 First St. S.
"It's hard renovating during the season," Odom said. The hotel has 333 rooms, and during the renovation, as many as 37 rooms per day are not available because of the project.
Since the furniture in the rooms is fairly new, it will stay, he said. New carpet, baseboards, trim, drapes and bedding will be added. Odom said Hilton decided there was too much plastic in its rooms and is changing as much as possible to a hammered metal look. No longer will ice buckets be plastic but metal. Sconces will replace fluorescent lights.
The hotel now has wireless high speed Internet and is upgrading its first-floor business center. All door locks are being replaced and parking is being changed from valet service to individual parking for both room renters and those attending meetings.
Odom said about 80 percent of the available rooms are occupied. Rates range from $129 to $169, except during the upcoming Grand Prix when room rates are higher. The downtown Hilton is managed by Remington Hotels.
[Last modified March 30, 2005, 01:03:17]
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