Once left for dead, this century-old Florida hotel is now one of the South's grandest stays
This hotel's 100-year story is worth a look.
Inspired by what he saw happening in South Florida in the early-1900s, Pennsylvania businessman Aymer Vinoy Laughner, who wintered in St. Petersburg, had a vision of developing the area into a top tourist destination. He took a gamble in February 1925 when he sent invitations to his distinguished friends and colleagues, inviting them to celebrate the grand opening of his hotel on New Year’s Eve: ground had not yet broken on its construction.
To see his vision of a Mediterranean Revival-style hotel come to life, Laughner brought in a 350 European construction crew; in just 10 months, and at a cost of $3.5 million ($638.5 million in today’s money), the 375-room, Henry L. Taylor-designed Vinoy Park Hotel (now The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection) was ready to welcome guests.
Opening With A Splash
The hotel was an architectural marvel, featuring a soaring lobby with hand-stenciled beams and exquisite chandeliers, and a two-story ballroom and restaurant, both Georgina-inspired. On its exterior, the color “Vinoy” was created exclusively for the hotel by Gutta Percha Paint Company.
Back inside, each of the guestrooms boasted cutting-edge amenities and service, which warranted overnight rates of $20 per room per night, or about $365 in today’s money, inclusive of room and board of three meals a day.
The celebratory bash on New Year’s Eve 1925 was an all-out splash, veritable who’s who of the era on the guest list; invitation Laughner sent invitations to his elite friends, including the Rockefellers, Carnegies, Mellons, Fleischmanns, and Pillsburys. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra entertained the guests on a bandstand in the ballroom, with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Johnny Mercer, and Bing Crosby, who was, at the time, one of the Original Rhythm Boys, performing alongside. Some equate the stellar lineup to if the Beatles and Rolling Stones were in one band.
The Vinoy Park Hotel was an instant hit, attracting the elite from across the U.S. to spend the season, December through April, in the warm Florida sunshine on the bay.
Over the years, the likes of U.S. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover stayed at the resort, along with Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Hemmingway, and more. Celebrities and high-profile guests still seek out The Vinoy when in the area, including Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Melissa Etheridge, Harrison Ford, and Jeff Daniels, who stayed earlier this month, as do visiting baseball teams in town to play the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Lights Nearly Go Out
The Vinoy continued to be a popular destination until World War II when it was leased to the U.S. military to serve as housing and a training center in 1942. By the end of the war in 1944, the hotel had seen its share of wear and tear—more than 100,000 servicemen traipsed through the hotel over the two years—and Laughner decided to sell, at quite a loss.
Enter Charles H. Alberding, a hotelier from Chicago, who bought The Vinoy for $700,000. Alberding brought The Vinoy back to life and to its original standard of accommodations and service, reestablishing the resort as a must-visit on Florida’s west coast in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Times change, though, and so do travelers’ tastes. With the advent of highways and roadside motels, not to mention air conditioning, The Vinoy Park Hotel’s services and amenities became dated, and the once-luxurious and -coveted hotel became a boarding house at a rate of $7 a night in the early-1970s. The hotel closed in 1975; nearly all of its furniture, crystal, and china were sold at auction. The once iconic building quickly fell into disrepair.
Fortunately, a group of impassioned locals rallied to save The Vinoy Park Hotel, successfully petitioning the U.S. Department of the Interior to list the hotel on the National Register of Historic Places, which it did in 1978, and passing a special referendum to save the hotel from the wrecking ball in 1984.
A few years later, Frederick Guest secured enough funding to buy The Vinoy from Alberding. A thorough refurbishment of the hotel began in 1990, including adding air conditioning throughout, at a cost of $93 million.
The Vinoy Park Hotel opened once again in 1992 as the Stouffer Hotel and has been welcoming guests ever since, today as The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection.
The Vinoy For The Future
In celebration of its centennial, The Vinoy proudly displays its history in a self-guided gallery on the Mezzanine filled with photos, artifacts, and stories.
Not one to rest on its laurels, The Vinoy continues to intentionally innovate while paying homage to and embracing its history. A recent three-year, $100 million renovation touched every space in the hotel, from guest rooms to meeting spaces, the pool, spa, and verandah, as well as the addition of three new culinary offerings. Lottie is a new French-inspired patisserie off the airy lobby; Parasol is perfect for a Latin-inspired poolside lunch; and Michelin-starred Chef Lee Wolen leads the culinary team at Elliot Aster in The Vinoy’s original, now-sumptuously decorated dining room.
The exquisite, personalized service that The Vinoy was known for upon its opening continues today, not only with the hotel staff, but at The Fifth Avenue Club St. Petersburg, exclusive on the Gulf Coast, which provides by-appointment personal styling, shopping, and luxury fashion services.
Whether a guest or passer-by, one of the best ways to enjoy The Vinoy is by taking a seat on the expansive verandah overlooking the marina and downtown St. Pete. Sip a glass of iced tea or wine, or your favorite cocktail, and simply watch the world pass by in an elegant yet unpretentious, welcoming setting.
