New hotel being built in Dunedin, Florida, especially for Toronto Blue Jays baseball team
You can call this Southern hospitality, major league baseball style. The Toronto Blue Jays are building a hotel specifically for its players to call home during their annual spring training visits to Dunedin, Florida.
The hotel is to be built on a stretch of property near the water in Dunedin, which is located on Florida's Gulf coast — and happened to be one of the stops on Zach Honig's tour of the area earlier this year.
The proposed development is a three-story, 51-room boutique property that is being called the J Hotel. It's a fitting name, given that the hotel is meant to be a dormitory exclusively for Blue Jays players during spring training. The city commission had a meeting about the hotel Oct. 7 with the developer and landowners, according to the St. Pete Catalyst.
The hotel is part of a long-term agreement between the city and the Toronto organization signed in 2017 that committed the Blue Jays to remain in Dunedin and continue playing their games at TD Ballpark for 25 more years. It also included a $120 million, 115,000-square-foot Player Development Center that opened in town earlier this year.
Related: Florida tourism on the rebound
The hotel is considered the final piece codifying the MLB team's commitment to its preseason home, while providing the players a comfortable and private place to live as they work out and get ready for the upcoming season. Only a few of the rooms at the hotel will reportedly be made available to non-players outside of the spring training season.
“[The developers] have a blank canvas, so this will be the best dormitory/hotel in all of professional baseball,” Charlie Wilson, general manager of minor league operations for the Blue Jays, stated during a previous meeting about the hotel.
Dunedin is one of several gems along the Gulf coast, an area known for its beaches, boating and baseball. Baseball fans from all over flock to Florida's "West Coast" each spring to watch their favorite major league baseball teams get ready for the upcoming season. The Grapefruit League, as it's called, is a cherished tradition for baseball diehards. Spring training is also hugely important to the host communities because it means a huge bump in tourism spending.
Read more: United Airlines adds 3 more point-to-point routes from the Midwest
How to get there
If you want to plan a trip around spring training, getting to Dunedin is fairly easy, since it's close to Tampa. You can fly into Tampa International Airport (TPA) and then make the short drive to Dunedin from there. It's about 25 miles, so it should take close to 40 minutes, as long as traffic isn't too bad.
Related: 13 of the best beaches in Florida
There are several options for Toronto-based fans to follow their team down south in March. There are a number of nonstop flights out of Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Tampa via WestJet (a partner of Delta Air Lines) and Air Canada. WestJet flights are as low as $295 round-trip at the moment.
Many of the cheapest return flights do include a stop, but between the two Canadian airlines (plus the legacy U.S. airlines), you should have plenty of flexibility to chose the price and schedule that suits you best.
Some snowbirds who come down for spring training may also want to make a visit to Disney World or Universal Orlando. If that's the case, you can break up the trip by traveling first to Orlando International Airport (MCO) or Orlando Sanford International (SFB) and spend a few days at a theme park before making the 107-mile drive west on Interstate 4 to Dunedin.
As with Tampa, there are quite a few flight options from Toronto to Orlando. The cheapest flight we found right now for a March trip, when spring training takes place, is on the ultra-budget Canadian carrier Swoop. It's just $195 round-trip for a nonstop flight to Orlando Sanford Airport.
Flights involving Orlando International tend to cost at least $77 more per itinerary — though the location of MCO is much more convenient than than of SFB.
You could also choose to fly first to Tampa and then drive from there to Orlando. It just depends on how you plan your itinerary. Obviously, keep an eye out for sale or deal alerts involving Tampa and/or Orlando because depending on your destination city, you could find a good price.
Related: Florida travel on the rebound as hotels sell out and airlines add flights
Where to stay
Once you get there, you'll need a place to stay. There are approximately 6,600 hotel rooms and other guest properties in the Dunedin area, according to Hotels.com. There are a number of points hotels in the area, too.
The Fenway Hotel, an Autograph Collection property that dates back to the Jazz Age, starts at $293 per night or 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a six-night stay. Like many spring training towns, hotels that are really close to the ballpark tend to get booked up quickly, and can get expensive due to the time-tested "supply and demand" theory. One way to avoid this is to book a hotel a few minutes away.
You could also look for a vacation rental, as TPG Senior Editor Nick Ewen did on a May 2020 visit to Dunedin. The two-bedroom house he booked on Airbnb was walking distance from both downtown and the ballpark — though that particular rental has a 21-day minimum in March 2022.
Related: These are the best times to visit Florida
There are a number of points hotels in Clearwater Beach, which is just a 20-minute drive from Dunedin. The AC Hotel Clearwater Beach is a new hotel in the area and you can book rooms in March for $387 or 40,000 points per night. Bonvoy members get one night free for every five they book using points, so keep that in mind while planning your trip.
Keep in mind that visiting a destination like Dunedin during spring training is peak-season travel. A room at the Residence Inn in Clearwater is going to cost you around $246 per night. The Fairfield Inn & Suites will run about $245 per night at the moment, and will likely rise as you get closer to spring.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.