ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — After more than six months, the iconic Don CeSar Hotel is reopening on Wednesday in a limited capacity.
Due to the amount of damage sustained during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in different parts of the 1920s Gatsby-Era building, the hotel’s management team decided to bring guests back with a phased reopening.
Starting Wednesday, the Maritana Restaurant, spa, Lobby Bar, and access to the beach and pool along with poolside dining are available. On April 1, the hotel will begin taking room reservations.
Management expects renovations to the newly designed ballroom, the remaining restaurants and bars, as well as the shopping boutiques to continue for the next several months.
This is the first time the Don CeSar has been seriously damaged from a hurricane in its 97-year history. Built in the late 1920s, the hotel was bought by the U.S. Army in the 1940s and used as a sub-base hospital. After that, it fell into disrepair before it was bought and restored in the early 1970s.
Since then, it’s been an icon of Pinellas County’s beach community. Charlie Justice of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce says the Don CeSar opening is what the area needs right now.
“It is a symbol that we are back and the beaches are ready to go,” he said. “It is an important symbol for all of our community and for all of Tampa Bay to say ‘please come visit and the doors are open for you.’”
Work will continue in areas of the hotel through the fall.
