Hilton hotel aimed at younger travelers opens new location

BRADENTON — Tru by Hilton, the hotel chain’s brand aimed at younger travelers, opened in east Manatee County last week.

Sarasota-based Firmo Construction built the three story, 81-room hotel, near the State road 70 exit of Interstate 75.  

Firmo, in a statement, says it took about a year to build and “showcases Hilton’s latest property model, known for its vibrant and youthful, yet affordable and comfortable quality.”

The hotel opened April 9 and is the second Tru by Hilton in the area. The other is on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg.

Construction on the east Manatee hotel began in March 2020 just as the pandemic was beginning to take hold.

Firmo’s president, Eric Collin, says that “the opening of this hotel is a positive indicator of our communities’ (sic) resilience through the ups and downs of the past year.”

Firmo was started in 2003 and is a commercial contractor in 15 states.

Some of its other hotel projects include the expansion of Rosemary Square in downtown Sarasota, the ground-up build of Hampton Inn and Suites by Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and the revitalized Homewood Suites by Hilton.

The builder says last year that it was working with developer Divine Hospitality, Rick Toenjes from Valley Bank and architect Abhay Pradhan with AP Architecture on the project. 

In all, Hilton has 13 Tru locations in Florida, according to its website.

The chain says its Tru by Hilton brand “is designed for cross-generational appeal.” Among the features it touts are modern guest rooms and lobbies designed to provide more public space.

Christopher Nassetta, the chain’s president and CEO, told the Wall Street Journal in 2016 when the brand was first launched, that it was aimed at travelers who “are united by a millennial mindset—a youthful energy, a zest for life and a desire for human connection.”