Advertising sheet circa 1970s: Larry Passaro
 
Tampa-Airport -- 702 N Westshore Blvd
AKA Stadium AKA Westshore
 

Slated for a grand opening in the summer of 1967, the classically configured highway-style Tampa-Airport complex touted its convenient proximity to Tampa International Airport as well as downtown. During the 1970s the property was at the top of game featuring 124 guest rooms, and offered an Executive section, 24 hour Howard Johnson's Restaurant, Bellman service, and a Rum Keg Lounge with live entertainment. The site also boasted a Lamplighter Room with banquet facilities and could provide poolside cocktail parties. Like most Motor Lodges built during the 1960s, Tampa-Airport only offered modest meeting room facilities, but made up for its modesty by providing them with clever names like: Hanger 8, Barnstormer, Tower, and The Hijacker (no way any current hotel would call any part of its facility "The Hijacker" today!).

Time ran out for the venerable well-designed and sited complex in the middle 1980s, for the sprawling complex was demolished to make way the compact but considerably larger 11-story Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel which opened in December 1986. The new generically designed Plaza-Hotel only lasted until 1989, and subsequently became a Crowne Plaza (unverified), the Quorum Hotel, and in 2010 Wyndham-Tampa Westshore. Its current status is unclear.
 

Below: Howard johnson Plaza Hotel -- Westshore
The magnificent 11-story Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel is a beautiful addition to Tampa's exciting Westshore business district. This modern structure complements the area's architecture, with its stucco finish, aluminium ornamentation louvers, and glass skylight over the lobby. The interior was elegantly fashioned with a predominance of pastel color schemes and custom-designed furniture.

The Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel is ideally situated two miles from the Tampa International Airport, and five miles from downtown, at Interstate 275.

Designed for today's business traveler, the Plaza-Hotel offers a wide variety of comfortable accommodations, spacious, comprehensive conference and banquet facilities, several courtesy services, special amenities and recreational facilities.
 
Advertising sheet 1986: Larry Passaro
 
 
© Microsoft Corp: image date 2006
 
 
gandy
 
Postcard circa 1960s: Kummerlowe
 
Tampa, Florida-South -- 3688 Gandy Blvd
AKA Gandy AKA West

Among the earliest Motor Lodges to be built using a standardized layout, The Gandy complex was opened in 1957. With its Nims-"Ranch" Gate Lodge, the site remained a Howard Johnson's until about 1975. Eventually its Restaurant was demolished and replaced with a convenience store (the Restaurant's address was listed as 1010 S. Dale Mabry Hwy).

At some point following its HoJo's days the property became the unbranded Crosstown Inn featuring "efficiencies." By 2012 the site's owner was listed as Gandy Mabry, LLC with the following individuals listed as principles: Ketan & Sangit Kapadia, Dharmesh J Mistry, Mahesh Patel, Thakor & Kapil Patel, and Sangita Kapadia.
 
Below: Note the fully modern 2nd floor guest room based on plans by Rufus Nims. Familiar Features included a beamed vaulted ceiling, second vanity, slatted semi-privacy screen, and a continuous counter with a built in luggage holder. Later Motor Lodges enjoyed fine tuning by Howard Johnson's architects and planners. Key improvements in later designs were the addition of the Pamper Panel, telephone between the beds, and a solid privacy screen.
 
Postcard April 1960: Kummerlowe
 
 
Postcard circa 1950s: Kummerlowe
 
 
Photographs 2000: Kummerlowe
 
 
 
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