Hotels near Tampa Convention Center

The Tampa Convention Center is a City of Tampa facility at 333 S. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602, on the downtown waterfront beside the Hillsborough River. The city's own directions are written for drivers. From South Florida, take I-75 North to I-4 West and merge onto the I-275 junction at Exit 45A, then follow signs for Tampa Street. From St. Petersburg and Clearwater, take I-275 North, use Exit 44 and follow signs for Tampa Street. From Orlando, Lakeland and Plant City, take I-4 West into Tampa, merge onto the I-275 junction at Exit 45A and follow signs for Tampa Street. All three routes finish on Tampa Street, so that is the name to watch for once you leave the interstate.

If you arrive by air, the Tampa International Airport Rental Car Center is reached from the main terminal on the SkyConnect train. The airport says Uber and Lyft pick up at the curbside at the SkyCenter One office building, which is across the street from the Rental Car Center, and that private vehicles cannot enter the Rental Car Center itself. We have not been able to confirm a current official drive time or fare between the airport and the Convention Center, so check your rideshare app for a live estimate before you leave the terminal. HART runs the area bus network, and you should check its trip planner for any airport to downtown route rather than relying on a number from a forum.

Amtrak serves Tampa Union Station at 601 North Nebraska Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602, according to Amtrak's station page. That page describes a train station building with a waiting room, and says parking can be reserved in advance through SpotHero. It does not give a walking route to the Convention Center, so plan on a rideshare or the streetcar described below, and check amtrak.com for the current timetable before you buy a ticket.

Once you are downtown, the easiest car free link is the TECO Line Streetcar. The City of Tampa says the streetcar stops at Dick Greco Plaza, stop number 10, just outside the Convention Center. Its parking guide also describes the streetcar as free and as running between downtown, the Channel District and Ybor City. Fares have changed over the years, so confirm at tecolinestreetcar.org or on the HART info line, (813) 254-4278, before you rely on it. The city's page for The Sail, which is on Convention Center property, also lists the Pirate Water Taxi, stop number 7, as a way to arrive from the water.

The City of Tampa's entrance page lists two event entrances and one administrative entrance. The Franklin Street entrance is the main attendee entrance. It is a multi door entrance directly across the street from the Convention Center garage. The Channel Entry is a double door entrance near the waterfront, set between two sets of escalators, and the city says it is most directly reached from the Front Drive parking area. A separate administrative entrance sits across the street from the garage, just before the main entrance, and it is for administrative use, so do not use it as a way into a show.

For drop off and pick up, the city names two spots. The Front Drive runs directly off Franklin Street just past the building and is recommended for people with disabilities, rideshare and taxis. A rideshare and taxi spot sits just beyond the Front Drive entrance at 333 S. Franklin Street, across from Water Street. The second spot is on the street in front of Harpoon Harry's Crab House at 225 S. Franklin Street, at Channelside Drive, and the city lists it for ADA visitors, rideshare and taxis. If your driver cannot find you, tell them which of these two you chose.

On size, the city describes 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 36,000 square foot ballroom and 50 breakout rooms, in a LEED Silver O+M certified building with waterfront views. The city's floor plan page shows the first floor and the second through fourth floors as separate color coded plans, and it keeps individual room names and sizes in a separate Room Specs document and a Floor Plan PDF. Because we have not read those documents, we are not going to list hall names here. Your show's floor plan will tell you which level and room you need, and it is worth opening the plan before you travel so you know whether to use Franklin Street or the Channel Entry.

Exhibitors should also look at the city's Loading Docks and Front Drive document. The floor plan page links a Front Drive and Loading Docks map with directions and a loading dock spaces diagram. It also lists the Florida State Fairgrounds and Raymond James Stadium as marshalling yard locations, and says the licensee or decorator is responsible for setting up the yard and telling exhibitors where to go.

The transit link the city promotes for the Convention Center is the streetcar, so getting back late comes down to the streetcar, rideshare, taxis and your own car. We are not stating a last departure time for the streetcar, because we only read the operating hours, not a stop timetable. The City of Tampa lists the TECO Line Streetcar as running every 15 minutes, with service hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Those are the published hours of operation for the service, not a promise about the last car at the Dick Greco Plaza stop, so check the operator before you plan a late return around it.

The city also says HART can add extra streetcar service for big crowds, such as Gasparilla or sporting events, with announcements in advance. If you are at an evening event, look for that notice on tecolinestreetcar.org or call the HART info line at (813) 254-4278. For buses, check HART directly for any route you plan to use at night, because we did not read a current bus timetable for this page.

Rideshare and taxis are the dependable fallback. The city's pick up points are the Front Drive at 333 S. Franklin Street and the curb in front of Harpoon Harry's Crab House at 225 S. Franklin Street. When Amalie Arena has an event, traffic around Channelside Drive and the Pam Iorio Garage can be heavier, according to the city's parking guide, so give a driver a little extra time.

If your hotel is on the Riverwalk or connected by walkway, you may not need transport at all. The Embassy Suites by Hilton is joined to the Convention Center by a walkway above Franklin Street, and the Tampa Marriott Water Street, listed at 0.2 miles by the city, is reached on foot along the Riverwalk. For a late night after a long show day, a walk along the waterfront is often simpler than finding a ride.

The city lists several parking options. The Tampa Convention Center garage is at 141 E. Brorein Street. The city's parking guide says its entrance is at Tampa Street and Brorein Street, on the far side of the facility, and that you exit onto Channelside Drive and use the crosswalk to reach the Franklin Street entrance. It has a maximum height of 6 feet 6 inches, it does not allow long term parking and the city warns that for large events it can fill quickly. Electric vehicle charging is listed, with two stations on the city's parking page.

The Pam Iorio Garage is at 301 Channelside Drive, between the Convention Center and Amalie Arena. Its entrances are on Florida Avenue and Morgan Street, and the city's guide says to keep left from Franklin Street, follow signs for Convention Center parking on Channelside Drive, take the first right onto South Florida Avenue and turn left into the garage. The city lists visitor overnight parking there until 6 a.m., and two electric vehicle charging stations. Expect more traffic when the arena has an event.

The Fort Brooke Garage is at 107 N. Franklin Street, with its hourly entrance on Whiting Street, a maximum height of 6 feet 8 inches and visitor overnight parking until 6 a.m. The city's parking guide describes it as about 0.3 miles, or a 7 minute walk, from the Convention Center, and says it often has the least traffic. It also says you can take the free streetcar from stop number 11 outside the garage at Whiting Street and Franklin Street to stop number 10 at Dick Greco Plaza, just outside the Convention Center. That parking guide was posted in 2020, so treat the details as a guide and confirm with the venue on (813) 274-8511.

There are other facilities on the city's parking page. The Front Drive metered lot at 333 S. Franklin Street has 36 metered spaces, with visitor hours from 8 a.m. to midnight and no overnight parking. The Selmon Expressway West lot is at 201 S. Ashley Drive, the Selmon Expressway CAMLS lot is at 301 S. Florida Avenue and is open weekends only, the William F. Poe Garage is at 802 N. Ashley Drive and the Twiggs Street Garage is at 901 E. Twiggs Street. Event rates apply at most of them, so look at the show's own parking page. We do not quote rates here because they change with the event. For very large events the city suggests parking at the Port of Tampa Bay garage in the Channel District or at a City of Tampa garage in Ybor, then taking the streetcar to the Convention Center. The city's Parking Division can be reached on (813) 274-8179.

Tampa Convention Center sits on the downtown side of the Hillsborough River, and the hotels worth comparing fall into a few clear groups. The first group is right beside it. The city lists the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center at 513 S. Florida Avenue as connected through a sky bridge, and the Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S. Florida Avenue and the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street as 0.2 miles away. If you want to be able to leave the show floor and be in your room within a few minutes, this is the side to choose.

Across the river on Harbour Island is The Westin Tampa Waterside at 725 S. Harbour Island Boulevard, listed by the city at 0.3 miles. A conference site that includes the Westin describes it as about three blocks away across the river. Another choice is the Channelside Drive and Water Street end, where The Tampa EDITION at 500 Channelside Drive is listed at 0.5 miles and ROOST Tampa at 1050 Water Street is also listed at 0.5 miles. This side suits people who want to be close to the Channel District restaurants and the waterfront in the evening.

The north side, toward the courthouse and Riverwalk, has more chain hotels. The Hilton Tampa Downtown at 211 N. Tampa Street is listed at 0.5 miles, the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House at 325 N. Florida Avenue is also 0.5 miles, Aloft Tampa Downtown at 100 W. Kennedy Boulevard is 0.6 miles and Le Méridien Tampa, The Courthouse at 601 N. Florida Avenue is listed at 0.7 miles. These are further out, and the streetcar or a short rideshare is often a better choice than walking in Florida heat.

The farthest group is Ybor City and the airport side. The city lists Hampton Inn and Suites Ybor City at 2 miles, Hotel Haya at 2 miles, Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Ybor Historic District at 2.3 miles, and the Tampa Airport Marriott at 8.4 miles. Staying out there only makes sense if you have a car and the price difference is large, and the free streetcar does link Ybor City to downtown.

We do not show prices on this page, because rates in Tampa move with the event calendar, and a hotel that is affordable in a quiet week can be one of the most expensive options in a big convention week. What we can do is point you at the select service chains that tend to sit lower in the market than the large convention hotels, using the city's own distance list, and let you compare live rates.

The closest of these is the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House at 325 N. Florida Avenue, listed at 0.5 miles. Aloft Tampa Downtown, a Marriott brand at 100 W. Kennedy Boulevard, is listed at 0.6 miles. SpringHill Suites Tampa Downtown at 1105 N. Tampa Street is at 0.9 miles. Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Downtown at 102 E. Cass Street and Residence Inn Tampa Downtown at 101 E. Tyler Street are both listed at 1 mile, and Home2 Suites Channel District at 1155 E. Kennedy Boulevard is listed at 1.1 miles.

If you are happy to be further out, the city also lists Hampton Inn and Suites Ybor City at 2 miles and Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Ybor Historic District at 2.3 miles, as well as Aloft and Element Tampa Midtown at 4.1 miles. At those distances you will want a plan for the evening ride back, and the streetcar hours listed above matter.

A practical way to keep cost down is to book early, travel with others and split a two bed room, and look at the hotels at 0.9 to 1.1 miles rather than the ones next to the entrance. If you are booking for a team, hotels can be booked for the whole group with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available.

The City of Tampa publishes a list of nearby hotels with distances, and the hotels at half a mile or less are the realistic walking set. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center at 513 S. Florida Avenue is the only hotel the city describes as connected, through a sky bridge, and a conference organizer's page adds that it is a walkway above Franklin Street, so you do not cross the road.

Next are the Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S. Florida Avenue and the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street, both listed at 0.2 miles. A conference organizer describes the walk to the Marriott as along the Riverwalk, between The Sail outdoor restaurant and the Marriott's back entrance, which avoids crossing Franklin Street. The Westin Tampa Waterside is at 0.3 miles, on Harbour Island across the river.

At 0.5 miles the city lists The Tampa EDITION at 500 Channelside Drive, Hilton Tampa Downtown at 211 N. Tampa Street, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House at 325 N. Florida Avenue, and ROOST Tampa at 1050 Water Street. The city's list does not give walking times, so we have not either. In general half a mile is a normal walk in cool weather, but Tampa is often hot and humid, so many people use the streetcar or a short ride after a long show day.

Beyond half a mile the list continues with Aloft Tampa Downtown at 0.6 miles, Le Méridien Tampa, The Courthouse at 0.7 miles, Hotel Tampa Riverwalk at 200 N. Ashley Drive at 0.8 miles and AVE Tampa Riverwalk at 160 W. Tyler Street at 0.9 miles. Those are better thought of as short ride hotels.

For the best hotels near the Tampa Convention Center, location is the main difference. The best for convenience is the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center, because of the sky bridge. If you want a waterfront setting on the Riverwalk, the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street and the Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S. Florida Avenue are both 0.2 miles away, and Westin Tampa Waterside on Harbour Island is 0.3 miles away.

Two more options in the city's list are The Tampa EDITION at 500 Channelside Drive and ROOST Tampa at 1050 Water Street, both at 0.5 miles. Hilton Tampa Downtown at 211 N. Tampa Street and the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House at 325 N. Florida Avenue are at the same distance.

We have not rated hotels for service or room quality, and the order here is by distance, not by quality. Before booking, check the cancellation terms, whether parking is charged at the hotel and whether your show's housing block offers a better deal than booking direct. If the show runs a block, booking through it can matter for the organizer's room commitments.

The most convenient option sits on the Convention Center's own property. The Sail is a 360 degree waterfront bar at the Sail Plaza, at 333 S Franklin Street, beside the Riverwalk. The city says it serves craft cocktails, frozen drinks, beer and wine, with outdoor seating, weekly live music and TVs for sports. Big Ray's Fish Camp is in the same plaza. The Sail's published hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and Big Ray's Fish Camp closes at 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hours can change on event days, so check before you plan a late dinner.

A conference organizer's guide lists Harpoon Harry's, Hattricks, Yard House and American Social, along with many others in the downtown and Channelside Drive and Water Street areas, as within a 15 to 20 minute walk of the Convention Center. Harpoon Harry's Crab House is also the address of the rideshare pick up spot at 225 S. Franklin Street, which makes it a handy meeting point.

For a longer walk, a trade association article describes the Tampa Riverwalk as a 2.6 mile path along the Hillsborough River that connects dining, parks and museums, with the Convention Center on it. At the north end is the Heights Public Market at Armature Works, in a historic streetcar warehouse. At the south end is Sparkman Wharf, with a biergarten, a recreation lawn and restaurants in refurbished shipping containers, part of the 56 acre Water Street Tampa development. The same article names the Tampa Bay History Center and the Tampa Museum of Art as cultural stops. The article is from 2022, so confirm that a restaurant is still open.

If you want to leave the Riverwalk for a different evening, the TECO Line Streetcar links downtown, the Channel District and Ybor City. Remember the operating hours above, and plan the return ride if you are going further out.

Start with the show's own instructions. The Convention Center hosts many different events, and each organizer sets its own entrance, loading and parking guidance. The city's calendar lists, among others, Art Fair Tampa, The National Franchise Show, the Tampa Bay Condo and HOA Expo, HYROX Tampa, Tattoo Arts Convention, the FMEA Professional Development Conference and the Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Weekend, and the entrance you need may be different for a consumer show than for a trade conference.

Exhibitors should read the loading dock and Front Drive document on the city's floor plan page before the move in day, and confirm the marshalling yard your decorator has chosen. Allow extra time on event days, because the city warns the Convention Center garage can fill quickly and the Front Drive is a pick up spot for rideshare and ADA visitors as well as loading.

For visitors, the Franklin Street entrance is the main one and sits across the street from the Convention Center garage, so if you park there you cross Franklin Street. If you park at the Pam Iorio Garage, remember it sits between the Convention Center and Amalie Arena and is busier on arena nights. If you use the streetcar, get off at Dick Greco Plaza, stop number 10.

For comfort, expect strong sun and humidity on the Riverwalk between the hotel and the building, and plan for the walkway above Franklin Street if you stay at the Embassy Suites. If you need accessible access, the city recommends the Front Drive for ADA drop off, and also lists designated disability spaces in the Convention Center circle drive and garage. The venue's main number is (813) 274-8511.

If you are booking for a team, hotels can be booked for the group with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available.