HOTEL HAYA

Boutique Hotel | Ybor City, FL

Hotel Haya is a unique lifestyle hotel concept nestled in the heart of historic Ybor City. The Adaptive Reuse Space has been transformed in a sleek, modern hotel, restaurant, and event space.

ARCHITECT: ALFONSO ARCHITECTS

LOCATION: TAMPA, FL

AREA: 30,000

PRESERVING THE YBOR SPIRIT

The existing buildings preserve Ybor's intriguing history while new construction honors the district's architectural style, accenting the neighborhood's character. This fusion resulted in Hotel Haya becoming the talk of the town and the Crown Jewel of Ybor City. The ornate Las Novedades building initially opened in 1890 and was Tampa's first Spanish restaurant. Rumored to have housed crime boss Charlie Wall's gambling dens, the Warren Building transformed into popular nightclubs with massive dance floors and famous drag shows.
The firm retrofitted these buildings' interiors to maintain the historic facades and storefronts while allowing the space to be transformed into modern event and meeting space. Behind walls, builders found original brick and exquisitely hand-painted reproductions of works by Spanish painter Francisco Goya. They are now prominently displayed alongside a rotating collection of contemporary art as part of a collaborative initiative with the University of South Florida's Graphicstudio and Contemporary Art Museum.

EXCEPTIONAL FINISHES

The Hotel features exceptional finishes unlike anything else in the Tampa market. Ellison and Batson-Cook assembled a local team of top-tier artisans and subcontractors. This high-design approach to building creates a space that can be not only seen but felt. Modulo Design Studio created a custom steel-clad front desk in the lobby featuring the Hotel's unique logo. Behind the desk stands a wall adorned with the Venetian Plaster by Ybor City artisan Ron Francis, whose work is featured throughout the project. The lobby's terrazzo floors hypnotize, enhancing the mid-century Cuban spirit of the space. A gorgeous throwback settee graces the lobby's center and is adorned overhead with a halo of gold-leafed ceiling panels by T to the S.

The Hotel's restaurant, Flor Fina, features a wood floor created with 55,000 individual end-grain wooden blocks sourced from a historic lumber company then installed, stained, and sanded by hand on-site. More gold-leaf panels overlook the restaurant's bar area, while a mesmerizing hand-blown glass art installation from Morean Glass takes center stage hanging above the dining room seating.