A hotel is planned for the old West Tampa cigar factory

Construction has commenced on the century-old Balbin Bros. Cigar Factory in West Tampa.

“After seven years since the announcement that we would transform West Tampa’s century-old Balbin Bros. Cigar Factory into a 70-room boutique hotel, we’ve finally started construction,” said Dylan Desai, representing My Hospitality Hotels, a family-operated business that acquired the factory for $1.4 million and is investing an additional $12 million in the project. “Perfecting the architectural plans took some time, and COVID caused some delays, but we’re now in full swing.”