Sirata Beach Resort Expansion

Columbia Sussex, which bought the Sirata Beach Resort for about $207 million, holds city approval for a sweeping expansion of the 16-acre Gulf-front property at 5300 Gulf Boulevard. The plan adds a 290-key JW Marriott, approved at 15 stories with a rooftop deck, bar and dining level, on the northern portion of the site, and a 130-key limited-service Hampton Inn at the southern end, alongside a reworked version of the existing resort that removes some older rooms in favor of a new freestanding restaurant and pool. Once built out, the property would hold about 646 hotel units with roughly $250 million in new investment, making it the largest resort campus on St. Pete Beach and the beach town's first JW Marriott. The plan was approved on a 3-2 vote after lengthy hearings in which neighboring Seamark condominium owners objected to lost views and traffic, and the existing resort has since been renovated to join Hilton's Tapestry Collection while the two new hotels remain separately branded.