The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection

The Vinoy Park Hotel opened on December 31, 1925 after a ten-month construction sprint led by architect Henry L. Taylor for oil tycoon Aymer Vinoy Laughner. The original 375-room hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1978. The property closed in 1942 and served as a US Army training facility during World War II, then operated under various ownerships through the postwar era before going dark for eighteen years from 1974 to 1990. A ninety-three-million-dollar restoration through 1992 returned the property as a Stouffer Hotel, soon rebranded the Vinoy Renaissance after Stouffer's 1993 acquisition by the Renaissance Hotel Group. In August 2018, SCG Hospitality, owned by Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer, acquired the property for one hundred eighty-eight and a half million dollars. A multi-year comprehensive renovation by interior designer Rockwell Group with Hart Howerton as architect of record concluded in April 2023, when the property reopened as The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection within the Marriott portfolio. The Vinoy operates 21 event rooms across nearly 75,000 square feet, including four ballrooms and 24 breakout rooms. The Vinoy Grand Ballroom holds 6,120 square feet under a restored blown-glass "Luna" chandelier by Dale Chihuly, with arched windows over a living garden and Rockwell Group interiors. The Palm Court Ballroom, the property''s largest, holds 11,520 square feet for up to 1,000 guests with Art Deco chandeliers and sconces. The Sunset Ballroom and Taylor Boardroom round out the indoor inventory. Outdoor venues include the Marina Terrace, Tea Garden, Bayview Terrace, Fred''s Patio, and the poolside bar and restaurant area. Twenty-two meeting rooms were renamed during the 2023 renovation after St. Petersburg parks and local historical contributors. The hotel operates 362 guest rooms within Marriott Autograph Collection, fully participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Tampa International Airport (TPA), a domestic hub, sits roughly twenty-five to thirty-five minutes by car via I-275. St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) is closer at fifteen to twenty minutes but operates a smaller schedule. Historical guests include Babe Ruth, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, and James Stewart. The property anchors fourteen acres of bayfront in downtown St. Petersburg.