For a hotel to remain in business after 100 years, it means it has endured world wars, global pandemics and travelers’ ever-changing needs. For a hotel to do it in Florida, it not only overcame those obstacles, but it dealt directly with natural disasters and had to work around Mickey Mouse’s shadow.
So, the fact that The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection, a sophisticated, salmon-toned hotel in the heart of St. Petersburg, Florida, has been open since New Year’s Eve 1925 is a cause for celebration. Find out why the milestone is the perfect opportunity to visit the property and its surrounding area.
The Design
The Vinoy looks like a structure you’d find along the Tuscan coast. The bold exterior color helps with that assertion, but so too does the Mediterranean Revival-style hotel’s ceramic tiles, hand-painted cypress rafters and custom rocking chairs. The Tampa Bay property teeters between nuanced nostalgia and contemporary cool without leaning too heavily either way.
Inside the hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, details are nearly as dashing. Stately white columns and wood-beam ceilings are but some of the bold touches in the grand lobby area. And more subtly, you’ll find iron railings and indigenous foliage dotting the spaces.
Over the years, areas have been enhanced — when The Vinoy’s leadership team called for a major renovation in 2023, the Rockwell Group architecture and design firm upgraded everything from the public spaces to the spa — but the same charm from a century ago can still be felt within the hallowed halls.
The Rooms
There are 354 rooms at The Vinoy. You owe it to yourself to reserve one that looks out to the North Yacht Basin and North Straub Park. Morning, noon or night, the scene is phenomenal.
When you turn from the window to look inside your room, the views are almost as nice. The property’s modern makeover called for units to receive fresh crown molding, art from painter Alicia LaChance and blue-patterned carpet that gives the appearance of a coastline.
For our visit, we stayed in a newly renovated Historic Premium Room with Bayview. While far from the biggest accommodations (that distinction goes to the 1,420-square-foot Marina View Suite), it has a rattan and wood dresser, a couch and a mini fridge that gave the space an elevated residential feel. A bathroom awash in marble and scented with Ortigia Sicilia toiletries makes the “home” that much more refined.
The Restaurants
One of the property’s commemorative gifts to its guests is Elliott Aster, a sophisticated brasserie that opened in May 2025. In a dining room filled with dark woods and muted golds, you’ll nosh on flame-kissed wagyu strip and beef cheek tortelli while sipping on signature pours named Downtown St. Pete (bourbon, amaro, raspberry cordial and grapefruit) and Old Havana (rum, chile liqueur, Italian bitters, pineapple and lemon). Elliott Aster is the high-end culinary experience Vinoy visitors were missing.
But the hotel understands that every night won’t call for sports jackets and Lilly Pulitzer sweaters. For those more casual evenings, there’s Paul’s Landing. The indoor-outdoor eatery serves up juicy burgers, plump wings, cold beers and priceless peeks at the marina across the street. If you want to have some fun with your order, give the exquisitely blackened grouper sandwich a try.
Skip any sweets Paul’s Landing might have and head down to the ground-level Lottie. This cute, French-inspired counter specializes in coffee drinks and delicious desserts. Though all the creative confections in the glass display will catch your eye, the colorful macarons and fruit tarts are what you’ll remember most.
The Amenities
With fun on the Vinoy’s calendar in the summer (themed brunches) and winter holidays (Nutcracker High Tea), centennial-focused events will occur in 2026. Until they do, make the most of all the property regularly offers its guests. Explore the park and surrounding neighborhoods with a complimentary one-hour e-bike ride. Go on a docent-led hotel history tour that includes tea and pastries. And if that new putter is just itching to get out, make the six-minute drive over to Vinoy Golf Club for a round.
Back at the hotel, be sure to reserve some time for Vinoy Spa. While always having one eye on the calendar — this summer, for example, there’s a seasonal package with a 50-minute Manuka Honey Facial, a 50-minute aromatherapy massage with Himalayan stones and a food credit to the Parasol poolside eatery — the sanctuary’s everyday menu offers a host of plant- and coastal-centric treatments like Marine Renewal, a body-balancing massage that uses Swedish techniques to blissfully renew and center.
The Location
The scenes from your room are so special because you’re just that close to the water. Before you can pull out your phone to order an Uber to the park, you will have already walked to it. Stroll along the bay for a few minutes and you’ll run into St. Pete Pier, a family-friendly attraction with a big playground, a snack bar and a complimentary shuttle that circles the area. Keep walking until the pier ends, and you’ll hit Teak. The seafood-focused restaurant’s sesame-crusted salmon is good, but you’ll want seconds of the bay views.
Mosey over to the St. Petersburg Museum of History after your meal. The small but substantial attraction uses artifacts (“Pathway to Eternity: Life, Death and Afterlife”), photographs (“The American Soldier: Conflicts, Shipwrecks and Homefront”), excursions (Historic Civil Rights Trolley Tour) and other mediums to shed light on local history and global affairs.
Just down the street from it is the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. Housing an impressive collection of classics while also featuring strong temporary exhibits (“In Caravaggio’s Light” will show from October to February), MFA makes a great afternoon detour. Coincidentally, the museum marks its 60th year in 2025, giving yet another reason to come to this quaint corner of Florida to properly celebrate.
