Yuengling Is Building a Beer-Themed Hotel

As more and more people make locally-crafted beer a part of travel plans, it's no surprise that beer-themed hotels have started to pop up. Now, the nation's oldest brewery is getting in on the action. Yuengling has announced plans to open its own beer hotel. Though, it's not going to be where you think it is. 

The Pottsville, Pennsylvania brewery is in the planning stages of opening a beer hotel in Tampa, Florida, where it also has a facility. It was revealed earlier in May on Facebook by URBN Tampa Bay, an urban development advocacy group. "Yuengling Beer Company is moving forward with a large mixed-use development at 11111 North 30th Street just south of USF next to its main brewery," it wrote. "The project includes 200 hotel rooms, a microbrewery, a beer garden, a tasting room, 12,700 square feet of restaurant space, a Yuengling museum, and 5,900 square feet of conference space."

Philly Voice reported in mid-April that the brewery ended tours at its Tampa facility because the company was "planning for a major project to improve [it]." However, the brewery is being a little coy about it at the moment. "On behalf of the Yuengling Brewery, we're excited about the opportunity to enhance our Tampa property, and are currently in the early stages of that zoning process," Wendy Yuengling, the sixth generation of Yuenglings, said in a statement provided to Thrillist.

She continued, explaining why the expansion will take place in Tampa and not in Pennsylvania. "Twenty years ago, we opened our first brewery in Florida to give consumers more opportunities to experience our brand. Since then, Florida has become a second home for Yuengling, leading our growth in the southern half of our 22-state footprint. As consumer interest in locally crafted beer continues to grow, we are always looking for ways to engage our loyal fans and re-envision the Yuengling experience in Tampa. This new development will not only offer visitors an enhanced brewery hospitality experience, but will also increase our presence in the local community."

As brewery-based hotels continue to grow in popularity it will be interesting to see if an old brand like Yuengling can find new fans in the craft world through a hotel. Though, that will be a little bit down the road. URBN reports that a zoning hearing isn't scheduled until September.

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