The ships are getting ready to sail into Tampa Bay to celebrate the Gasparilla Pirate Festival on February 1, and the Hyatt Regency Tampa is celebrating the event with a great “Festival” rate.

Guests staying at the Hyatt Regency Tampa over the Gasparilla Festival weekend (1/31-2/2/03) will enjoy a rate of $155 per room, per night (plus tax), based on singe occupancy. Double occupancy rooms are available at a rate of $180 per room, per night (plus tax). Rooms must be pre-paid and rate is non-refundable.

In addition to great accommodations in the heart of the Gasparilla festivities, Hyatt Regency Tampa guests will also receive complimentary admission to the hotel`s Gasparilla Party, held in the main lobby on Saturday night, February 1, 2003. This popular, annual party is available exclusively to guests of the Hyatt Regency Tampa. Cocktails will be available at various cash bars in the lobby area.

The Gasparilla Festival gets its name from the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, “last of the Buccaneers”. Following thirty years of capturing and pillaging ships all along the Florida coast, it is believed that Gaspar, also known as “Gasparilla”, left an untold fortune buried somewhere along Florida`s coast. This legend gave birth to the now legendary Gasparilla Festival and “Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla”, whose members now take over the city each February in a tribute to Tampa`s seafaring past.

The Gasparilla Festival begins with the arrival of the Jose Gasparilla pirate ship in Tampa Bay, flanked by hundreds of boats, canons blazing. The Jose Gasparilla docks at the Tampa Convention Center, followed by a victory parade through downtown Tampa. The parade is led by the Captain and his “Krewe”, who share their wealth of doubloons and trinkets with the enthusiastic crowd along the parade route. The historic parade begins on Bayshore Boulevard and winds its way into downtown Tampa to the delight of hundreds festival onlookers from Tampa Bay and across the region.
Guests of the Hyatt Regency Tampa will be situated in the throes of the Gasparilla Festival. The Jose Gasparilla docks just down the street at the Tampa Convention Center, and the parade route passes just one block from the hotel`s front door. The hotel`s lobby party begins at 3:30 pm, following the end of the parade.

For more information or for reservations, please call 800-233-1234, or call the hotel directly at 813-225-1234. You may also visit us on the Internet at www.hyatt.com.

About Hyatt:  Currently, there are 207 Hyatt hotels and resorts around the world. Hyatt Corporation and its affiliates manage, franchise or operate 123 hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Affiliates of Hyatt International Corporation manage, franchise or operate 84 hotels and resorts in 39 countries. In the U.S., Hyatt worldwide reservations for individuals and groups can be reached at 1-800-233-1234. Outside the U.S., contact the local Hyatt sales office or representative. For more information about Hyatt hotels and resorts, visit Hyatt on the Internet at www.hyatt.com.

——-