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Radisson to undergo $20 million overhaul, expansion
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |
PINELLAS PARK – The six-year-old Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Pinellas Park will undergo a $20 million expansion and become a Marriott entity, aiming its sights on more corporate tourist business.
Plans already are being firmed up to bring ESPN to the facility when the Super Bowl is scheduled to be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
A new nine-story edifice at 12600 Roosevelt Blvd. will be added to the present building.
Besides the approximately 50 additional suites, all present rooms will undergo massive renovations. The present 10,000-square-feet of meeting facilities will be expanded to 25,000 square feet and a two-story tall waterfall will be the centerpiece of the new lobby area.
The present Bellarte restaurant will be converted into a high-end eatery with upscale food and liquors. A present gym will be relocated to the first floor and transformed into a fitness center with the latest exercise equipment.
So major are the renovations that the present swimming pool will be relocated to another area of the property. The present pool space will be converted into a new outdoor restaurant.
The announcement was made by Anthony Menna, a major investor and owner of the property that opened its doors Jan. 5, 2002.
The hotel, Menna said, has become a major draw for business and industrial conferences and tourists alike.
Menna said Steve Dorsey, named “Hotelier of the Year” by the Hilton chain, has been appointed new general manager of the soon-to-be Marriott.
“A lot of credit for our success and for the expansion must be given to the City of Pinellas Park whose officials bent over backwards to help us,” Menna said. “They have been easy to work with through the building and other processes.”
Aminie Mohip, an attorney and director of development, said the hotel, once completed, will have a value of between $40 and $60 million. That means additional tax revenues into city coffers at a time when officials are looking for ways to cut costs due to state-mandated property tax reform.
“The new facility also will provide an economic overflow to other businesses in the area,” Mohip said.
Menna, meanwhile, said he first approached the Marriott chain about branding his hotel in the early 2000s. The facility didn’t have a track record at the time, but proved itself since its 2002 opening by drawing big-name corporate businesses to its conference center and other facilities.
“Marriott has some of the best meeting planners in the world,” Menna said. “We expect a lot more new activity.”
The Bethesda, Md.-based Marriott is expected to help draw millions of dollars worth of business not only to the hotel once it’s completed, but to local establishments as well.
Menna said the hotel is being reconstructed in the “great room concept” with much of the first of two phases of work expected to be completed by Dec. 31.
Work on the new nine-story addition is scheduled to begin in April 2009.
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Article published on Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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