After years of chatter about what might rise on a coveted corner of the Channel District, construction crews are finally going vertical on a 13-story, dual-branded AC Hotel and Moxy by Marriott at 111 N. Meridian Ave. The project will pack in 310 guest rooms, a rooftop restaurant and bar, a fifth-floor pool deck and a street-level café. McKibbon Hospitality is both developing and set to run the hotel, with doors expected to open in early 2028.
Project size, rooms and program
Design and rezoning documents outline a 13-story tower with 310 keys split between 175 AC rooms and 135 Moxy rooms, plus ground-floor retail and meeting space, according to Bohler. The firm’s project summary also highlights a fifth-floor pool deck and a rooftop restaurant and bar as signature amenities for guests and locals alike.
Site purchase and permitting
McKibbon paid $9.3 million for the 0.74-acre site at 111 N. Meridian Ave, a deal first reported by Tampa Bay Business Journal. A construction permit for the hotel was filed with the city in late January, a procedural move reviewers said was needed before work could officially kick off, according to reporting compiled by Appraisal Development.
Builder, design team and retail plans
McKibbon has brought in Coastal Construction as general contractor, tapped Lindsay Pope Brayfield & Associates as architect and will lean on its in-house McKibbon Places team to oversee the build, according to Connect CRE. That report also notes more than 10,500 square feet of street-level retail, including a café and wine bar, along with over 6,500 square feet of event space that SRS Real Estate Partners will market for lease.
What it means for the Channel District
The AC-Moxy tower joins a growing lineup of new hotels and residential projects reshaping the Channel District skyline and sits a short walk from the Water Street Tampa expansion and Amalie Arena, a combination developers say will keep rooms and restaurant seats in high demand, as reported by The Real Deal. If the timeline holds, the project will add fresh dining and meeting options for Lightning fans, convention attendees and cruise passengers flowing through nearby Port Tampa Bay.
McKibbon’s hotel-management arm is slated to operate the AC-Moxy once construction wraps, and the company expects an opening in early 2028, according to Connect CRE. SRS Real Estate Partners will continue rolling out ground-floor leasing opportunities as the building rises.
