Hospitality.  Redefined.

BAYSTAR HOTEL GROUP OPENS HAMPTON INN & SUITES – LARGO

Downtown Largo’s first franchised hotel opened Dec. 22

TAMPA (Dec. 28, 2005) — The new $8 million Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel – Largo began receiving guests last week (Dec. 22). It is the downtown Largo's first franchised hotel.

Developed and operated by BayStar Hotel Group, LLC, the five-story hotel sits at the intersection of East Bay and Seminole Boulevard, 100 East Bay Drive, across the street from Largo Central Park. The 92-room, 63,000-square-foot hotel includes 27 studio suites, and its room rates range from $99 to $149.

“We expect to meet the market’s need for a medium-priced business hotel,” said George Glover, chairman and CEO of BayStar Hotel Group.

Business travelers will appreciate the free high-speed Internet access, free local calls, speaker phones and a new “lap desk” that allows guests to work in bed or move around while using a lap top. The new Hampton brought 2,000 square feet of meeting space to downtown Largo with two meeting rooms that can be combined to accommodate crowds of up to 90, plus a smaller Executive Board Room.

“We also anticipate leisure travelers, especially as the number of rooms on the beaches diminish,” Glover added. “So we have amenities for both groups.” These include a heated swimming pool, exercise facility, A Suite Shoppe sundry store, free and pay-per-view movies in the rooms, and the “On the House Hot Breakfast.” Like all BayStar Hotels, the downtown Largo Hampton Inn & Suites welcomes pets.

One of the first newly constructed “Make it Hampton” prototypes, the hotel features wider guest rooms arranged for more living space, open wood bathroom vanities for under-the-counter storage, microwaves, refrigerators, and a new type of bedding with comforters and stacks of pillows.

Richard Donohue is the general manager for the new property, which can be reached at 727-585-3333.

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