New hotel in the middle of a mall

By:Rebecca Clark

Tampa, Florida - Whether you love to shop, or go out to eat; now the place you spend the afternoon or evenings could also be the place you wake up in.

DARRYL McGARITY, Renaissance Hotel:?People want more than a shopping experience, they want to be able to eat and go out and now they can have a hotel experience all in one.?

Darryl McGarity is the marketing and sales director of the Renaissance hotel. It?s between Neiman Marcus and the Bay Street Cafes, but when you walk in the lobby, you immediately feel like your somewhere else entirely.

McGARITY:?You get a sense of place, but it?s convenient to shopping, right off of the Bay Street entrance to the mall.?

From the rich colors and architecture in the lobby, you can tell this hotel has a theme.

McGARITY:?They wanted to identify what was important about Tampa, the rich cultural history, the Mediterranean feel and the Spanish influences.?

There?s actually a story behind the hotel, something unique to Tampa.

McGARITY:?Everything about the interior is based on a love story about a girl in Tampa named Gabrielle, at the turn of the century.?

From the bedrooms to the bathrooms and restaurant, there?s a definite European feel.

McGARITY:?They ended up getting married, and honeymooned in southern Spain."

With the bonus of a mall in the midst, they?re hoping it?s an added reason to make Tampa a destination.