Inside the newly renovated Vinoy

The first phase of an ongoing renovation of the 100-year-old historic Vinoy Resort and Golf Club is now completed. 

The extensive transformation project of the resort, operated by Marriott International, kicked off 2021, with the initial renovation of the Palm Court Ballroom and The Vinoy Grand Ballroom.

The first completed phase entails upgrades to The Vinoy’s legendary veranda (its front porch), its grand lobby, guest rooms, dining experiences and a new spa and wellness area.

Throughout the renovation process, The Vinoy team has been working with San Francisco-based Hart Howerton Architects and the New York-based Rockwell Group to redesign the 354-room resort while continuing to embrace The Vinoy’s traditional Mediterranean revival design and old-Florida grandeur.

The reveal of the first phase comes as The Vinoy Renaissance is also undergoing a name rebranding as The Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, an Autograph Collection Hotel. 

The Vinoy, built in 1925 for the luxury leisure traveler, has a rich history with U.S. presidents and celebrities visiting the iconic resort, which once served as military housing in the 1940s.

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Today, the Vinoy offers guests access to its 72-slip marina, updated pool deck, on-site dining experiences, an 18-hole championship golf course in Snell Isle, a tennis complex, and over 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.

Jeff Silva, senior sales executive at The Vinoy, said the resort operates at near capacity with an occupancy rate in the high 90% range. 

Inside the first phase of the renovations 

The veranda and lobby

The veranda has been enhanced with custom Rockwell Group-designed rocking chairs, a Vinoy tradition since its opening, and a custom-designed bar.

The new veranda bar in the outside entrance.  

Entering into the resort’s lobby, where the original ceramic tile flooring and original cypress wood beam are still untouched, guests will see new contemporary design elements, including custom lantern-like chandeliers and a two-person front check-in desk. 

The new front desk inside the lobby.  

The lobby is home to the newly opened French patisserie Lottie, which offers coffee, gelato, macarons and breakfast items. 

Inside the lobby of The Vinoy.  

Luxury fashion boutique Sunni Spencer, which has a location in Tampa and sells resort-inspired clothing and swimwear, opened earlier this year in a retail space inside the lobby area. 

The Vinoy’s new luxury fashion boutique tenant Sunni Spencer, which has a location in Tampa’s Hyde Park.  

Above the lobby, the mezzanine level will be home to a revitalized history gallery. 

New restaurants 

The Vinoy, which currently has two signature restaurants, Paul’s Landing and The Vinoy Club Grill, will be expanding its offerings. 

A view of the construction of Parasol.

Construction is well underway for Parasol, a Latin American-inspired full-service outdoor restaurant overlooking the resort’s new pool deck.

Parasol’s menu will feature seafood dishes and tropical craft cocktails. The restaurant, expected to debut this summer, will feature a marble wrap-around bar and living green wall. 

The resort is also adding a lower-level dining area in front of the veranda. The new dining space is also expected to be completed later this year. 

A lower-level dining space under construction by the resort’s entrance.  

Updates to the guest rooms 

The Vinoy’s guest rooms are designed to reflect Florida’s coastal topography and feature the hotel’s signature polished palette and design. 

The resort commissioned custom art by painter Alicia LaChance for the rooms.

One the rooms that offers views of the bay.  

The resort swapped out the wood floors for custom, blue-patterned carpeting to resemble the look of sand meeting the sea.

New meeting space  

The Vinoy is known as a renowned wedding and meeting destination with its views of the bay and venue spaces. 

Rockwell Group has designed the Vinoy’s two distinct ballrooms – The Vinoy Grand Ballroom, which has modern upgrades including a restoration of the room’s focal point, the blown glass chandelier Luna by artist Dale Chihuly – and the 11,520-square-foot Palm Court Ballroom and entrance hall that has chic Art Deco chandeliers and sconces that reference the resort’s past. 

The Vinoy Grand Ballroom, which features a blown glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly. 

The Vinoy’s 22 meeting rooms are named after St. Petersburg parks and contributors to the creation of the original Vinoy Park Hotel. 

Additionally, the renovation project included an upgraded pool deck and a new spa. 

The Vinoy Spa is in a renovated space featuring four treatment rooms with staff focusing on coastal-inspired and plant-based therapies.

The spa offers massages, facials, full-body therapies, and nail and hair services. 

The Vinoy Spa. 

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