Baptist Health is proposing a two-part hotel just west of San Marco Boulevard to serve the public and provide lodging options for long-term hospital visitors.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new hotel may soon be coming to Downtown Jacksonville’s Southbank.

Baptist Health is proposing building a 15-story hotel just west of San Marco Boulevard, a project that would be open not only to hospital patients and their families, but also to the general public. 

The project is still in the proposal stage, but the development is already generating interest among people in the downtown area.

“I definitely think it would benefit the community,” said Heather Finnegan, a Jacksonville resident.

According to Baptist Health’s proposal, the hotel would include 226 rooms and 130 parking spaces, with both an extended-stay option and a four-star hotel component. The goal, hospital leaders say, is to create lodging that supports long-term hospital visitors while also contributing to downtown’s growth.

Resident Kim Stone says she believes the project could be especially helpful for families navigating extended hospital stays.

“I think to serve the hospital, especially, and the people that have long-term patients and things like that, I think it’s awesome. I think it’s incredibly, incredibly good,” Stone said.

Baptist Health would own the hotel, but operations would be handled by the same company that manages the new Hilton Hotel at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Hospital representatives emphasize that, while the hotel would be on Baptist’s campus, it would not be branded as a hospital facility.

“This is not a hospital hotel,” said Steve Diebenow, a representative of Baptist Health, while speaking before the city council’s committee on the future of downtown. “This is a hotel that’s available for anyone. It’s got an extended stay component as well as a four-star component. But it will not be branded anything to do with Baptist.”

In a statement, Baptist Health said the building would house two hotels: an Element by Westin extended-stay hotel and a boutique hotel within the Marriott family.

The health system estimates the project would cost about $109 million, with most of the funding coming from Baptist Health itself. However, the organization is also requesting $20.9 million in city incentives, which would require approval from the Downtown Investment Authority and the Jacksonville City Council.

“We have a long way to go in order to get there. We need to get through the DIA process and obviously city council, and then ultimately Baptist Investment Committee has to approve this as well,” Diebenow told city council members.

If the project moves forward, the hotel would operate as a for-profit business, meaning property taxes would be paid on the hotel site. 

Baptist Health leaders say they hope to break ground by the end of 2026. They say the project should be completed within 24 to 30 months.