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Dunedin's first boutique hotel, The Fenway, features a lot of history

Fenway Hotel
Posted at 4:56 AM, Jul 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-23 08:12:54-04

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Fenway Hotel's old historic building sits right across from the water on Dunedin's Edgewater Drive.

From some time in the 1920s to the 1960s the building was a hotel. It was also home to a Pinellas County radio station in the 1920s. In the 80s and 90s, it was a local college but the building also sat empty for quite some time.

In 2014, the Taoist Tai Chi Society purchased the property for its headquarters. Now, it's about an 83 room hotel building.

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Mickey Melendez with the Fenway Hotel says, "To me how it ties in Dunedin history, you know, especially with the Scottish culture, that not everybody knows about it, especially tying in live music, you know. I think the epitome of Fenway Hotel is about is being walking distance, you know, close to the TD Park, where the Blue Jays play at, Main Street with all the local restaurants and also the sunset that ties and again, it's in the middle of a neighborhood, you know, so it's probably one of my favorite parts."

The Fenway also does a Sunset Jazz Series on the Sunset terrace.

"It is fun to see that it's not just the guests in house, but I'd probably say a good 80% of its the Dunedin population. So I feel like we play a pinnacle role to downtown Dunedin," says Melendez.

The Fenway is part of the Autograph Collection with Marriot Hotels which took over the property in 2018, renovating it.

The Fenway also offers a rooftop bar, meeting space, and on-site activities for guests.

"The public and neighborhoods had been absolutely supportive and it's really great to see that especially in a tight-knit community. And I really do see it just becoming expanding more and more," says Melendez.