[ON LOCATION] STEVE GRASSO
The city of Bradenton, located on the Manatee River in Florida, is set to transform its offering for groups with the opening of the new Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa this April. The upscale 252-room resort will offer 10,000 sf of meeting space, but will also connect to the adjacent Bradenton Convention Center via a climate-controlled walkway. The convention center itself is undergoing a $48 million renovation and expansion, which will bring its design in line with the new hotel and add 14,000 sf of extra event space to create a 70,000-sf facility. Upon completion it will be the only full-service convention center of its size in a 150-mile radius from St. Petersburg to Naples.
“This new venue will be able to attract conventions, corporate meetings, retreats and trade shows,” says Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area CVB. “We’re 10 minutes from I-75 and we’re bookended by two of the best airports that you’ll find in the state of Florida. When you look at the hotel and the convention center and all of the amenities around it, we’re trying to create a destination, not just a hotel convention center.”
The Palmetto Marriott will boast an expansive resort-style pool with a 15,000-sf pool deck, as well as the 3,500-sf Revive Spa & Fitness Center. Dining options include three-meal restaurant The Social, health- and wellness-inspired cuisine at Revive, and rooftop signature restaurant Oyster River serving a shellfish-forward menu of fresh locally sourced cuisine. The Yard will offer 45,000 sf of outdoor event space and also serve as a community hub for local events. Construction is ongoing to add the Beach Club at Riviera Dunes to the resort, which will create a beach area near the riverfront and offer a lap pool, beach volleyball court, pickleball courts and a waterfront area with cabanas and loungers.
“Corporate events are obviously a big part of what we’re looking to do,” says GM Greg Ciaccio. “The important part for us is to find the meetings and conventions that can utilize all of our meeting space and fit into what we’re building, which is more of an upscale meeting. I think pharmaceutical Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies are right in our wheelhouse for certain. We have access to over 100,000 sf of meeting space, but 150 to 200 rooms would be right in our sweet spot.”
Prevue visited Bradenton ahead of the opening for a hard hat tour of the new development and a taste of what the region has to offer for meeting planners and attendees. SpringHill Suites by Marriott Bradenton Downtown/Riverfront was our host hotel, situated directly on the marina with a great view over the water from many of its suites. The 7-story hotel offers 131 spacious suites as well as a fitness center and rooftop swimming pool. Onsite restaurant Oak & Stone shares the rooftop with the hotel and benefits from the same panoramic views over the Manatee River. Its menu is based around artisan stone-fired pizzas, and it has a self-serve brew wall with a constantly rotating selection of craft beer.
Directly opposite the hotel on the marina is the waterfront PIER 22, located inside a building once used to store freight from steamers going in and out of Tampa. Local Gulf Coast catches are on the menu, and private dining spaces include a Grand Ballroom that can seat up to 150. It also offers an open-air Waterside Terrace that can accommodate up to 300 standing/250 seated.
Also located nearby is the Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant, perched on the water and consisting of four dining experiences at one location. We ate at Reef & Grill where I tried the signature lobster pot pie as well as the exceptionally tasty Cabo fish bites, a local favorite made with seasonal grouper. The restaurant offers two spaces for private dining that can seat up to 40, as well as a second floor buyout option that can seat up to 80.
The Bishop Museum of Science & Nature is the largest natural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Its rotating exhibits interpret the region from the Pleistocene era to the present, and it also includes a Planetarium and the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat that holds 60,000 gallons of water and houses rescue manatees. A unique boardroom features a floor-to-ceiling viewing window of the manatee habitat where attendees can watch the giant sea creatures swim around their underwater domain. Other spaces include an outdoor courtyard with 225 capacity, the outdoor Riverside Plaza that can host up to 400, and many other space options throughout the museum.
LECOM Park is a baseball field that serves as the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It offers several options for events including a terrace that wraps around much of the stadium and is available for buyouts. The venue’s main concourse can accommodate up to 5,000 and can be used for trade shows and large events. Baseball experiences such as a softball or baseball game, batting practice or indoor batting cages can also be incorporated into group events at the stadium.
For a unique day out, groups can visit the Bradenton Village of the Arts, a collection of colorful historic cottages that house a community of local artists. As well as galleries and studios, the village is home to more than 35 businesses including cafes, restaurants and boutique outlets specializing in crafts, pottery, vinyl LPs, fashion and jewelry. Located nearby is Motorworks Brewing, a craft beer emporium with a claim to the largest beer garden in Florida, featuring a spacious deck available for private events and centered around a large 150-year-old oak tree.
The final day of our itinerary took us out to the coastal Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, where we had a tour of the ZOTA Beach Resort. Part of the Opal Collection, this sleekly designed 187-room beachfront resort impresses with its location just steps from the ocean. The lengthy stretch of beach is perfect for long walks and somehow makes you feel like you’re on a secluded island. Viento Kitchen + Bar serves a blend of Floridian, Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisine, while Cascades Pool Bar offers craft cocktails and appetizers with ocean views. The property also offers a 2,752-sf ballroom that can seat up to 300 theater-style or 170 for a banquet, as well as 1,952 sf of pre-function space, and a toes-in-the-sand outdoor space directly on the beach (150 capacity).
After a quick stop at Cheesecake Cutie, a family-owned dessert bakery specializing in mini-cheesecakes known as “cuties” (I tried a delicious Key Lime Pie Cutie), we headed to an excursion on the water with Anna Maria Island Dolphin Tours. The waters here are home to a resident dolphin population, which means you’re almost guaranteed to see dolphins when you go out with a guide. I had never been so close to dolphins swimming right alongside the boat for such an extended time, and the tour was filled with fascinating facts about the habits and behavior of the amphibious mammals.
The final dining experience of our tour was at the Beach House, a casual waterfront restaurant known for its seafood, where we arrived just in time to witness an unobstructed view of the epic Gulf Coast sunset through the floor-to-ceiling windows of its climate-controlled Sunset Deck. I tried the blackened grouper sandwich as well as a fig and vanilla old fashioned. The restaurant is operated by Chiles Hospitality, along with local sister restaurants Sandbar Seafood & Spirits and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub. All three properties offer space for private events and the company has its own events division for group bookings. Chiles Hospitality also owns and operates Gamble Creek Farms, which will be a major local supplier for the new Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa.
bradentongulfislands.com