Postwar St. Petersburg hotel gets new look with renovations

By Laura Lyon
| 3:05 p.m. May 1, 2025
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

SkyBeach Resort in St. Petersburg recently completed a series of renovations to the building which dates back to the 1950s.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

Skybeach Resort, a two-story hotel with Old Florida charm on the waterfront just off the Skyway Bridge in Pinellas County, recently completed a series of renovations.

Among the updates are a 6,260-square-foot event center, a redesigned lobby, the opening of Paradeco Coffee Roasters on site and the renovation of its 29-slip marina. The newly renovated spaces join a list of amenities that include SkyBar + Grille restaurant, 24,928 square feet of private beach space, lawn and shuffleboard courts, and a nearly 2,000 square foot pavilion, to name a few. Later this year, a restaurant known as SouthSeas Tapas will be opening on site.

“Transforming this historic property has been a true passion project, and I’m excited for guests to experience this new chapter of SkyBeach,” says Ben Willner, president and CEO of Willner Realty & Development Co., which owns the hotel, in a released statement. “We’re thrilled to introduce our beautiful new events venue in south St. Pete. It’s a perfect setting for groups looking to host gatherings in a quieter part of the city with the convenience of being just minutes from downtown.”

Skybeach Resort opened in 1954 as the Skyway Hotel and went through several changes in ownership and names before being purchased by Willner Realty & Development Co. in 2022 and rebranded in 2023 according to its website.

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author

Laura Lyon

Laura Lyon is the Business Observer's editor for the Tampa Bay region, covering business news in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties. She has a journalism degree from American University in Washington, D.C. Prior to the Business Observer, she worked in many storytelling capacities as a photographer and writer for various publications and brands.