Hotel firm expands in Florida

ST. PETE BEACH — Philadelphia-based Hersha Hospitality Management plans to expand its business operations in Florida, starting with taking on the management of the Postcard Inn on the Beach, a popular hotel in Pinellas County.

The full-service boutique hotel, in St. Pete Beach, is one of three Florida properties Hersha now manages. The company also recently announced it has contracts to manage the 263-room Cadillac Hotel Courtyard Miami Beach and the newly renovated Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle in Islamorada. The Holiday Isle inn is a full-service resort spread over 12.5 acres of oceanfront property.

Hersha's expansion, in addition to Florida, includes the West Coast. “Our goal is to continue building a meaningful presence in Florida and the West Coast with six to 12 properties in each geographic market over the next 18 months,” Hersha President and CEO Naveen Kakarla says in a release. “We have invested in people and infrastructure, with a plan to achieve even greater economies of scale as we grow in these markets.”