JW Marriott Water Street: A Convention Center Hotel Designed for Connection

In the heart of Tampa’s Water Street, the JW Marriott stands as a benchmark for convention center hotels, designed to bring people together while elevating the city’s skyline. Completed by Nichols Architects, the hotel has quickly become a destination for conferences and industry events, seamlessly blending hospitality with the needs of professionals gathering to shape the future of their fields.

This year, the JW Marriott Water Street will again welcome architects and industry leaders as it hosts the AIA Florida Convention & Trade Show from July 30 to August 2, 2025. Themed Shifting Paradigms: Community, Technology, and Climate, the convention will explore the fast-paced evolution of the profession, with sessions on designing for identity, accountability in practice, 3D-printed structures, ethics in AI, and more. It promises to equip architects with the tools needed to adapt while fostering the connections that move the profession forward.

For Nichols Architects, the JW Marriott Water Street continues a legacy of designing convention center hotels that have defined Florida’s hospitality landscape, from the iconic Loews Miami Beach to the Hilton West Palm Beach and the Higgins Hotel in New Orleans. The JW Marriott’s thoughtful design anticipates the needs of large gatherings, creating comfortable, light-filled spaces that encourage collaboration while maintaining a sense of place within Tampa’s growing downtown district.

As AIA Florida returns to the JW Marriott, we look forward to seeing the building once again support the conversations and ideas that will shape the future of architecture in Florida and beyond.

For more information, visit AIA Florida 2025 Convention & Trade Show