Four hotel projects planned for downtown Tampa (Spring Hill, Mayo: how much, unemployed)

[CountryFisher]

This isn't good or needed. Tampa needs more business skyscrapers, not condos or hotels that are mostly for the rich.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by tampagator89

It is important to remember that this is a long-term investment of funds and not a short-term solution to hotel overcrowding (certainly far from it). The reason expansion is happening is because owners see residential development projects happening all over downtown. They are banking on the fact that these projects will succeed and expect expanded business, events, and entertainment destinations to follow as a result from an influx of new people. Officials are going all-in on this downtown thing, as one would expect for a complete overhaul of a congested area.

EDIT: Or...what thethinktank said. Lol.

Agreed ^^ what you and thethinktank said!

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by EngGirl

As far as I know existing downtown hotels are having hard time to sell their rooms... Are on the short staff for that reason... Sales directors are getting fired for not keeping up with projected occupancy and sales for meeting spaces... And 4 new hotels? All I can say is WOW.

After being in the hotel/travel/tourism industry for almost twenty years, those four new hotels better have a lot of meeting space.

The business traveler makes up over 60% of a hotel's revenue.

It sure as heck isn't people coming to sightsee. They are just gravy.

I agree that the Floridian is getting in its own way. Come on, it is 2013, get your online bookings up and going. You are losing tons of revenue already.

When I called to make a reservation, the guy on the phone was already busy doing other things.

[burbdweller]

Originally Posted by CountryFisher

This isn't good or needed. Tampa needs more business skyscrapers, not condos or hotels that are mostly for the rich.

Tampa needs more productive residents, less welfare leechers

[algia]

Originally Posted by burbdweller

Tampa needs more productive residents, less welfare leechers

Low wages is what is putting ppl on welfare!!!!! Things cost the same at the grocery store for everyone! Its not like they ask u how much u make & adjust ur bill!!!!! It is ignorant to beat up on ppl who receive welfare, because if they were paid a living wage nobody would be on welafre!!! U have employers to beat up on for not paying living wages!
How many hotel employees make $15 per hour? Most hotel employees WILL BE on welfare so 4 hotels are not creating jobs, they are only adding to the welfare population. We need more Quality jobs here that pay living wages not more of these useless service jobs that PUT ppl on welfare.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by algia

Low wages is what is putting ppl on welfare!!!!! Things cost the same at the grocery store for everyone! Its not like they ask u how much u make & adjust ur bill!!!!! It is ignorant to beat up on ppl who receive welfare, because if they were paid a living wage nobody would be on welafre!!! U have employers to beat up on for not paying living wages!
How many hotel employees make $15 per hour? Most hotel employees WILL BE on welfare so 4 hotels are not creating jobs, they are only adding to the welfare population. We need more Quality jobs here that pay living wages not more of these useless service jobs that PUT ppl on welfare.

Something has been bothering me about the forum, and this pretty much sums it up, burbdweller claims that there are too many "welfare leeches," you algia, claim that low wages is what causes it. On several occasions, I've made the statement that Florida is a very low wage paying state. Spring Hillian then tells me that she doesn't know anyone making minimum wage and that only people with no skills, education, or lack of motivation do poorly in Florida.

So what is a person to believe?

I know what I went through in my 18 years living in the Bay Area and I often times resent when someone dismisses my experience and thoughts on the area just because it doesn't always fit into the Sunshine & Disney mindset of others. There are quite a few people that do very well for themselves in Florida, but they are the exception, NOT the rule!

[algia]

Originally Posted by TXRyan23

Something has been bothering me about the forum, and this pretty much sums it up, burbdweller claims that there are too many "welfare leeches," you algia, claim that low wages is what causes it. On several occasions, I've made the statement that Florida is a very low wage paying state. Spring Hillian then tells me that she doesn't know anyone making minimum wage and that only people with no skills, education, or lack of motivation do poorly in Florida.

So what is a person to believe?

I know what I went through in my 18 years living in the Bay Area and I often times resent when someone dismisses my experience and thoughts on the area just because it doesn't always fit into the Sunshine & Disney mindset of others. There are quite a few people that do very well for themselves in Florida, but they are the exception, NOT the rule!

$8 an hour in Florida is very equal to $12 in NY....
The issue starts with the fact that "employers" don't put value on people's jobs, and then they wonder how come 47 million receive some form of public assistance. Isn't that the Marie Antoiette thinking? I think it is. She got hung for thinking that way.

Employers devalue jobs, because "employers" are also people, and are mainly people who want something for nothing. My suggestion to these people is simply that if you are not willing to pay someone to live, then please refrain from complaining they are "leeching" to welfare. YOU, and YOUR nasty wages put them there. (FL, or the entire US, cause this is not isolated to Florida by a long shot).

Here's an example: when we moved to PA...my hubby was supposedly making $55k....an increase "on paper" (and on paper only), from his $39k here....Guess what: after all the taxes taken, including those FOR that "handout" called Social Security, his paycheck that we had to live on was $300 less than here. The point: things even out a LOT when you don't make $100,000 a year...or more. So for us, it doesn't matter where we live financially speaking because the pay is in that same low wage category. Mind you, the WORK itself...is ten times harder than my kids pediatrician, who shows up after we wait like idiots for an extra 35 minutes AFTER the appointment scheduled.................................and who does nothing demanding physically or mentally. The Pediatrician...orders tests, which are done by someone else.....sends to a "specialist", who also orders others to run tests, so basically these people's jobs are in the LEAST demanding, yet they get paid $6 figures easy. For WHAT exactly???? My former physician charged me $75 for making me wait 45 minutes over the time of the appointment, came in, listened to what i said, and wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic! I went because I sprained my hand and needed XRAYS not antibiotics! After the shock, of not even being looked at (as in look in my nose, throat before prescribing an antibiotic), I called and demanded a refund, as such LOW LEVEL of professionalism did not deserve my last $75 bucks. If I were to compare my pediatricians job "demanding" wise with the cashier @ Publix...the cashier wins...because not only that cashier has to stand there for hours, and hours, has to be customer service friendly, LIFT all my groceries, apply pay discounts, coupons and stuff, some that ppl bring that is not valid, so we're waiting for the manager and so forth...time in which that cashier still stands, and has to be nice...some restock shelves carrying heavy items and so forth. At the end of the day, I have MORE RESPECT for that cashier, than I have for my pediatrician, and that is simply because of the actual WORK demands. One works, the other walks around an office doing nothing. At Macy's if the cashier doesn't sale at least 5 store cards per month they get disciplined! That is abusive. Why does that employer get away with that? I don't want a store card...people here don't need store cards, low wage people can't make payments out of $8 an hour paychecks...why shove those down ppl's throats? why keep putting people in debt? who benefits from that?

4 Hotels in Tampa will solve nothing employment wise. When they'll end up sitting empty...because it will take A LOT of business, and business people to come and occupy these rooms, and who's going to get fired when the business is NOT booming? the builder? the investor? no, the poor room keeper, restaurant waiter and the limo driver. NOT the management. How does this help our local economy exactly? Tampa doesn't need anymore low end jobs, and neither anymore low class people/employers wanting something for nothing.

[algia]

Think about this: we have USF & University of Tampa...plus other ones around here, and instead of serious businesses coming here and keeping these people here...we keep bringing immigrant jobs to the area?! There are people who GRADUATE both those schools EVERY YEAR....I don't think only 2 graduate...so instead of catering to the educated people who are natives, or come to school here, we cater to low wage jobs that don't help the economy at all. That ass backwards thinking needs to stop...really, it is annoying at best. There is NO EFFORT put in to KEEP these graduates here. We keep hearing how they graduate and move to NY....and for good reason, why should they stay here and be hotel limo drivers at $8 an hour? they can't advance their lives career wise, family wise...why should they stay? we need to stop allowing these "builders/investors" to hold us back with their crappy jobs. These hotels won't help a bit Tampa's economy. Its like the not smoking patch...its not long term, its not going to keep the educated people here.

Downtown is a ghost town. It needs tons, and tons of shopping and entertainment to bring in some people...but it will always remain a ghost town because people don't like to be out walking the streets so close to crack town. This is a HUGE issue downtown has. More hotels, more homeless begging at the guests, since Tampa can't solve the homeless problem either!

THIS is what DT needs:
http://www.lasolasboulevard.com/

http://www.visitsarasota.org/things-to-do/

Lively atmosphere...diversity in entertainment and shopping....

[burbdweller]

Originally Posted by algia

Low wages is what is putting ppl on welfare!!!!! Things cost the same at the grocery store for everyone!

Laziness puts people on welfare.

Low wages around here? Move away then.

[algia]

Originally Posted by burbdweller

Laziness puts people on welfare.

Low wages around here? Move away then.

Now you're just being rude to an entire working class. People can't just up and move. And we did move, and found the same cycle where we moved.