The Gourmet Food International Food Expo 2027 sits at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St. The City of Tampa record blocks the building from 7 a.m. on Wednesday 3 March 2027 to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday 4 March.
That page returned a 404 on 21 October 2026. The indexed record carries both clock times, the street address, Event Status Scheduled, and a Registration required line under Event Website. Confirm both dates with the venue sales desk on (813) 274-7762 before a room is held.
The record description reads that Gourmet Foods International is seeking a venue for an annual Food Expo, a four-day event with over 275 exhibitor booths, educational seminars and training meetings. The When field spans two calendar dates. The description names four days. The record carries no fourth-day date and no daily grid.
The Event Website field names GourmetFoodsInternational.com. That host failed its TLS handshake on 21 October 2026, and gourmetfoodsintl.com did not resolve. The organiser's events page at gfifoods.com lists Atlanta, a charity golf tournament on 27 October 2026 and three national bookings, with no Tampa row.
The Thursday the show creates
One overnight sits inside this run. Wednesday opens at 7 a.m. and Thursday closes at 11:59 p.m., so an exhibitor who works both days needs the night of Wednesday 3 March.
The Thursday close sets the second need. A room held into the evening gives an exhibitor a shower and a desk before a late departure from Tampa.
Where the day windows land
The Dayuse Tampa page returned 14 priced properties on a 21 October 2026 read. Three carry Downtown in their city field.
Aloft Tampa Downtown at 100 W Kennedy Blvd reads $109 net and $116 with a $7 fee, against $250. Its window is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 0.6 miles on the venue hotel list.
Westin Tampa Waterside at 725 S Harbour Island Blvd reads $129 net and $138 with a $9 fee, against $330. Its window is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 0.3 miles.
Le Méridien Tampa, The Courthouse at 601 N Florida Ave reads $129 net and $138 with a $9 fee, against $305. Its window is 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 0.7 miles.
Hotel Flor Tampa Downtown, Tapestry Collection by Hilton reads $139 net and $148 with a $9 fee, against $240. Its window is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The venue list carries the property as The Floridan Palace Hotel at 905 N Florida Ave, 1 mile out.
No downtown card opens at 7 a.m. The earliest window starts three hours after the hall does. On Thursday the latest window closes at 8 p.m., four hours before the 11:59 p.m. finish.
The two nearest properties
The venue hotel list puts Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center at 513 S Florida Ave, connected to the convention center by Sky Bridge. The Dayuse page carries no priced card for it, so no day rate exists to quote.
The list puts AVE Tampa Riverwalk at 160 W Tyler Street, 0.9 miles out. That property also carries no priced card on the page.
Parking for a booth
The Convention Center garage at 141 E Brorein Street holds 454 spaces, 11 of them ADA, two electric vehicle chargers, and a clearance of 6 feet 6 inches. Its event rate runs $5.00 to $50.00, subject to the event. Its non-event rate runs $3 per hour with an $18 daily maximum.
Front Drive at 333 S Franklin Street holds 36 metered spaces at $4 an hour, Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to midnight, with no overnight parking.
Pam Iorio at 301 Channelside Drive holds 790 spaces, 41 ADA and two chargers. Fort Brooke at 107 N Franklin Street holds 556 hourly spaces with a 6 foot 8 inch clearance.
Space inside the building
The venue facility page describes 600,000 square feet across four floors and a guest capacity of 17,000. The first floor holds Ballrooms A-D and Meeting Rooms 101-125. The third floor holds East, West and Central Halls. The fourth floor holds Meeting Rooms 401-409.
Free wifi runs in all public areas and meeting rooms of the convention center, and outside at The Sail Plaza. Internet in the Exhibit Halls carries a daily fee through SmartCity.
The second floor holds East and West Registration and the WaterView Lounge, with an outdoor escalator landing carrying tables and chairs. The page publishes no seat count and no hours for the lounge.
What the platform states
hotelSlots sells four slots: morning 6 a.m. to noon, afternoon noon to 6 p.m., evening 6 p.m. to midnight, and overnight midnight to 6 a.m. Its home page states 103,857+ hotels across 46 states, rates 30 to 75 percent under the nightly rate, and $0 in fees.
The same page FAQ states that Florida, Hawaii, Iowa and Washington restrict day-use bookings under state travel laws. An exhibitor in Tampa books the day room with the property direct.
The directory path returns HTTP 404 with a 2-byte body at /directory/tampa and at /directory/florida.
The figures above come from the 21 October 2026 read. Day rates move within a day.
Booking against a 7 a.m. door
An exhibitor who needs a room before the Wednesday door buys the Wednesday night. A 10 a.m. start leaves three hours of the hall uncovered by any day card.
On Thursday the 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. window at Le Méridien covers the afternoon and the early evening. The last stretch to 11:59 p.m. sits outside every downtown card.
Add the fee to the day rate before comparing two cards. A $109 card with a $7 fee comes to $116.
