An expansion of the 105-year-old historic Cordova Inn will more than triple the available rooms when it opens to the public next month in downtown st. Pete | St Pete Rising

After nearly three years of construction next door to one of downtown St. Petersburg’s most storied boutique hotels, the Cordova Inn’s long-awaited expansion is finally nearing the finish line, with the ownership team targeting an opening next month.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” co-owner Tommy Del Zoppo told St. Pete Rising during a recent sit-down interview. “We’ve been laser-focused on getting this done, and we’d like to open by February 15th. At this point it’s furniture, final finishes, and waiting on a few inspections.”

The five-story addition rising at 253 2nd Avenue North beside the 105-year-old Cordova Inn is designed to more than triple the hotel’s room count, taking it from 32 rooms to 97, including three luxury suites on the top floor offering panoramic views of downtown.

The expansion will also add a new ground-floor restaurant and a fifth-floor rooftop bar, both of which will be open to the public.

The fifth floor rooftop bar will offer cabana-style seating and views of the downtown skyline, including the St. Pete Pier | St. Pete Rising

It’s been a long road for the development team, which closed on the property in December 2019, just months before the pandemic upended construction schedules, supply chains, and capital markets nationwide.

The project was designed by St. Pete–based Place Architecture and announced in 2021. Construction by St. Pete–based Reno Boyd Building Co. began in 2023, with the building topping out in mid-2024.

Inside, the new accommodations are designed to feel less like standard hotel rooms and more like apartments, including larger suites, full size fridges, and spacious bathrooms.

“These aren’t traditional hotel rooms — they’re big,” Del Zoppo said. “Some of them are essentially mini-apartments.”

The average room size measures 400 square feet and two-bedroom units approaching 900 square feet.

“We designed it to appeal to a wide spectrum — someone staying one night, families, longer stays — because there aren’t many two-bedroom options out there,” Del Zoppo said. “We want our price point to stay reasonable so families can enjoy St. Pete.”

The new accommodations are designed to feel less like standard hotel rooms and more like apartments, including larger suites, full size fridges, and spacious bathrooms | st. pete Rising

The expansion also introduces multiple spaces intended to attract both hotel guests and locals.

“When I travel, I want to stay where the locals are. I want coffee where locals get coffee,” Del Zoppo said. “If you build experiences that locals enjoy, visitors want to be part of that.”

At street level, the Cordova Inn expansion will introduce a new restaurant, which Del Zoppo described as essential to the hotel’s long-term success.

“What I want is a great restaurant that just happens to be in a hotel,” he said. “I don’t want a hotel restaurant.”

The ownership group has taken a deliberate approach to selecting an operator, prioritizing fit over speed.

“We’re not in a race to get the next celebrity chef in St. Petersburg,” Del Zoppo said. “It’s better to wait than to shove something in. This is a long-term relationship — you don’t want to get it wrong.”

The restaurant, which will hopefully open later this year, will occupy roughly 3,000 square feet on the ground floor, along with an 800-square-foot kitchen.

guests will be able to enjoy a meal or a cup of coffee on a meandering garden patio situated next to the future restaurant | St. Pete Rising

Outdoor seating is planned for the front porch, a second-floor terrace, and a meandering garden patio situated between the historic hotel and the new expansion.

“For the restaurant, it has to be good enough to convince people to venture off Central Avenue,” he said. “We want something refined but approachable — simple food done really well — a place where different kinds of people all feel comfortable.”

In addition to the restaurant, a barbershop and salon operated by Billy’s Corner Barbershop will occupy space on the first floor.

According to Hodges, the second-floor terrace is designed as a flexible venue for private gatherings while also providing additional seating for the ground-floor restaurant.

“This second floor will be used for weddings, brunches, cocktail hours — events like that,” he said during the tour.

Overlooking the terrace is a five-story mural of an elegant white peacock, painted by Tampa Bay artist Aaron Tullo during last year’s SHINE Mural Festival.

an elegant white peacock painted by Tampa Bay artist Aaron Tullo during last year’s SHINE Mural Festival | St. Pete Rising

Above it all, the fifth-floor rooftop bar is expected to open next month and serve as one of the hotel’s signature features, offering cabana-style seating and views of the downtown skyline, including the St. Pete Pier.

“We’ll operate the fifth-floor rooftop bar ourselves at first,” he said. “Eventually the restaurant operator may take it over.”

Wellness programming is also planned for the rooftop.

“We’re planning rooftop yoga, personal training, and massage services on the fifth floor,” he said.

Despite the delays, Del Zoppo said the final product matches the original vision.

“The best part is that the project is exactly what we envisioned,” he said. “It’s over budget, no doubt, and it’s over time — absolutely — but we want this to be a unique asset and a shining star for St. Petersburg.”

The expanded Cordova Inn offers southwest-facing views of Williams Park, along with eastward vistas of the waterfront, including the St. Pete Pier | St. Pete Rising

The overall project budget, Hodges added during the tour, is “around $30 million.”

If remaining inspections go as planned, the expanded Cordova Inn is expected to begin welcoming guests in February.

“We’re kind of right there,” Del Zoppo said. “It’s getting more and more exciting.”

Even after the expansion opens, additional work is planned for the original historic structure.

“After the expansion opens and we give it a little time, we’re going to gut the entire original building — electrical, plumbing, everything,” Hodges said. “Same number of rooms, but completely rebuilt from the inside.”

The hotel’s coffee and cocktail bar, The Scott, will remain open during renovations.