The hospitality industry is booming, and people are flocking to the Sunshine State for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Because JAI is centered in an area thriving with year-round business and leisure travel, local hotels recognize the need to keep their properties fresh, technologically current, and entirely focused on the guest experience. JAI is hard at work designing three unique Florida properties that encompass our mission of “Design that Makes a Difference.”
Jacksonville Delta Hotel
Positioned along miles of beaches, rivers, and parks, Jacksonville, FL, sets the tone for a relaxing pace of life. Inspired by nature, our design objective at the Best Western Premier Hotel is to create a refreshed atmosphere by bringing in outdoor elements as the property is converted to a Delta Hotel by Marriott.
The lobby, lounge, dining/bar areas, Delta’s signature Pantry, fitness center, outdoor spaces, meeting area, corridors, and guestrooms design will focus on details that simplify and declutter each space while enabling guests to move seamlessly between work and play. Natural wood tones, stone, woven fibers, and shades of uplifting blues will pull everything together.
Christina Kirkpatrick is taking the lead on this impressive project. Construction documentation and specifications are complete, and procurement has several orders placed. Completion and the new brand flag are scheduled for August 2023.
Gateway Dunedin Development
Exterior Renderings Created by DLW Architects
Dunedin, FL, is a hidden gem! Located between Tampa Bay and Clearwater Beach, the area is all about community, food, art, music, and breweries.
For the past 20 years, Dunedin residents have stared at a vacant lot at the east entrance of Main Street, waiting for something to occupy the space. Their wait is over – the Gateway Project is underway, and JAI is playing a significant role in the design!
The project has two major parts: a four-story, independent boutique hotel and a mixed-use building. The hotel features 79 guestrooms, underground parking, a meeting space, and a pool, while the mixed-use building will house 90 apartment units, a pool, and a ground floor space reserved for restaurant/retail use. More than half an acre will be an open green promenade for local arts and music.
All designs and documentation have been completed and submitted for permit. We are now in the construction pricing stage. Lead designer Jenn Lindner, the entire JAI team, and Tampa Bay locals eagerly await the groundbreaking of this highly anticipated project!
The Floridan Palace Hotel
The 1926 iconic Tampa landmark, once known as the Floridan Hotel, is now under new ownership and ready to be refreshed.
JAI Senior Designers Jenn Lindner and Christina Kirkpatrick have taken the lead on this one, as The Floridan Palace Hotel is renovated and rebranded as a Tapestry by Hilton boutique hotel.
JAI has been hard at work preserving the historic character of the interior spaces – marble floors, iron railings, ornate architectural ceiling details, windows, and original mailboxes – while making each area feel new. While the original hotel was over-the-top feminine and embellished, our design direction will bring modern, more masculine elements to provide balance.
We are already watching the collaborative vision of this beauty come to life! All orders are placed, and demo has begun, phase by phase, for the least disruption to the guests and staff. Currently, lower-level back-of-house demo and construction are underway, and “The Dan” restaurant will be complete in a matter of weeks, then open to the public soon after! (Remember the drunk monkeys?)
This is truly one of JAI’s most remarkable projects to date! We cannot wait for guests to be welcomed into the heart of this historic space by a new design that feels like it has been there forever.
Design That Makes a Difference
I am so grateful that the JAI team is located in multiple states, giving us more flexibility when building and renovating hotels around the United States. This structure has allowed us to take on exciting new projects.
But there is something so rewarding about impacting the hospitality industry in our community. I feel blessed to call Florida home and fueled knowing that guests will travel to Florida hotels we design and leave fulfilled by an experience JAI created. It’s all about our mission of “Design that Makes a Difference.”
