Hotel Haya is the place to stay if you want to sleep inside Tampa's history rather than look at it from a tower. The boutique hotel sits on Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, the National Historic Landmark District built by Cuban, Spanish and Italian cigar workers, and its design takes cues from that heritage: Spanish-style architecture, tilework and courtyards that echo the neighborhood's social clubs and factories. The hotel is named in honor of Ignacio Haya, one of the cigar manufacturers who helped found Ybor City, and the interiors weave local stories into the decor. Flor Fina, the main restaurant, cooks Latin American, Mediterranean and Gulf Coast dishes over a live-fire grill with a rum-focused cocktail list, and Cafe Quiquiriqui (named for the rooster call of Ybor's famous chickens) serves coffee, sandwiches and salads. A courtyard pool, open dawn to dusk with a pool bar on weekends, gives a quiet retreat between outings. Step outside and you are among the cigar shops, the Columbia Restaurant, the Ybor City Museum State Park and the streetcar to Channelside and downtown. One honest caveat: Ybor is Tampa's nightlife district, and weekend nights on Seventh Avenue can be loud, so ask for a quieter room if you are a light sleeper. Fit: couples who love history and food, culture-focused travelers, and anyone who wants Tampa's most atmospheric neighborhood at the door.
Aparium Hotel Group opened Hotel Haya in September 2020 as Ybor City's first boutique hotel, and it is more rooted in the neighborhood than its new façade suggests. The 178-room hotel combines new construction with two historic buildings: Las Novedades, an ornate 1890 building that housed one of Tampa's oldest restaurants (its name lives on in the Las Novedades Ballroom), and the Warren Building.
Tampa's Alfonso Architects gave it a midcentury Cuban look in blues, reds and golds, with exposed brick, a repurposed HAYA sign, a blown-glass chandelier and wrought-iron railings made by local artisans, and lamps modeled on Ybor's ovoid street lights. The hotel has also earned a place in the Michelin Guide's hotel selection.
Room craft
Most rooms have balconies, some over Seventh Avenue and others facing the palm-lined courtyard pool; take a pool-facing room for quieter weekend nights, or a street-facing balcony if you want to watch the avenue. Junior suites add space and character. Book Flor Fina for at least one dinner (ceviches, paella and wood-fired steaks, with live music on many weekends), and start the day at Cafe Quiquiriqui with a Cuban coffee and Cuban toast, which is as much a local hangout as a hotel cafe.
The hotel offers ADA-accessible rooms on request and a lift at the pool. Use the free TECO Line Streetcar to reach Channelside and the Riverwalk rather than driving.
Practicals
1412 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, Tampa; about 15 minutes from Tampa International Airport and around 45 to the Gulf beaches. Concert-goers can look for the hotel's event packages, which have included late checkout. How it compares: the Tampa EDITION is the luxury downtown choice with a rooftop pool, while Hotel Haya costs less and puts you inside the historic district, steps from the Columbia Restaurant and the Ybor City Museum State Park.
Fit
Couples, history lovers and food-focused city travelers. Less suited to light sleepers on weekends or anyone who wants a beach at the door.
Why stay here
- ✓Spanish-style design and courtyards
- ✓Flor Fina live-fire restaurant
- ✓Rum-focused cocktail bar
- ✓Cafe Quiquiriqui coffee shop
- ✓Courtyard pool with weekend bar
- ✓On Seventh Avenue in Ybor City
- ✓Streetcar to Channelside nearby
- ✓Walk to the Ybor City Museum
Good questions
Is Hotel Haya noisy?+
Ybor City is Tampa's nightlife district, so weekend nights on Seventh Avenue can be lively; request a room facing the courtyard pool rather than the street if you are a light sleeper.
What is the dining like?+
Flor Fina cooks Latin American and Gulf Coast dishes over a wood fire, with ceviches, paella and steaks and a rum-focused bar, and Cafe Quiquiriqui handles Cuban coffee, pastries and light meals. There is also a pool bar.
How do we get to the beaches?+
Drive about 45 minutes to Clearwater or St. Pete Beach, or use the hotel as a city base and take beach day trips. For downtown, the free streetcar is the easy option.
