Apartments, Learning Experience Under Construction

A new luxury apartment community has broken ground on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. across from the Muvico Starlight 20 movie theaters, and could be a boon for those seeking corporate lodging in the future.

The Oasis at Highwoods Preserve will offer 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartment homes, and “the amenities are incredible,’’ says Anna Hoang, a spokesperson for Picerne Real Estate Group, which is one of the largest diversified real estate management and development firms in the country.

Some of those amenities include a clubhouse with computers with free WiFi, faux wood flooring, a dog park, a theater room, cabanas and outdoor grills and a beach entry, saltwater pool.

Hoang says special added touches, like soft-closing drawers, granite countertops, crown molding and distinct archways will “make it feel more like a home than an apartment.”

The Oasis at Highwoods Preserve will have 302 units, and will be four stories tall, with elevators.

Construction began earlier this month, and the first building is expected to be completed by September, with a grand opening of the entire community in spring of 2018.

For more info, visit Picerne.com.

A New Learning Experience

New Tampa and Wesley Chapel continue to be fertile ground for companies offering a mixture of childcare and early education, and the latest entry into the local market is The Learning Experience.

Work has begun on the physical structure of the new facility, which will be  located at 20780 Trout Creek Rd. The Learning Experience will be almost directly across from the Wesley Chapel Super Target, but on the New Tampa side of County Line Rd.

The facility will be large. According to site plans on the City of Tampa website, The Learning Experience is being built on 1.39 acres and will be a 10,000-sq.-ft. facility, with a 9,310-sq.-ft. playground.

A similar venture, the Goddard School in Wesley Chapel, is opening a mile or so to the north off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

The Learning Experience offers childcare and early education for kids ages six months to six years old.

According to the company’s website, the curriculum includes sign language for infants and toddlers, a phonics program, foreign language programs (like Chinese), manners and etiquette, physical fitness and a philanthropy program that teaches children the value of selflessness and giving.

Boca Raton-based The Learning Experience was founded in 1979 by Michael and Lina Weissman, and is currently run by their son Richard. It began franchising in 2003. Forbes.com picked it as one of the top franchises to own in 2015, with $42.6-million in revenue that year from its 200-plus locations, as well a 73-percent growth rate over the three preceding years.

The Learning Experience uses its proprietary L.E.A.P.Âź (Learning Experience Academic Program) that is guarantees will provide children with exceptional core academic skills. For more info, visit TheLearningExperience.com.

Dr. Duga & Dr. Feeney Can Help Your Child’s Smile Last A Lifetime

Pediatric dentists Dr. Paul Duga, DDS (left), and Dr. Shawna Adams-Feeney, DMD, have been brightening smiles in New Tampa for nearly two decades, and their caring, professional staff and child-friendly office are as well known as any in this area.

Your child’s wide and toothy smile may easily brighten a room, but ensuring that his or her teeth are healthy requires good dental hygiene at home and the kind of care that professionals like those at Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates Pediatric Dentistry has been providing in our area for 19 years.

The colorfully decorated office in the Somerset Professional Park in Tampa Palms (located off Bruce B. Downs [BBD] Blvd. and Amberly Dr.) has more video game consoles than X-ray machines and the approach to dentistry is child-friendly as well, for a practical reason.

“Doctor Feeney and I feel it is most important to provide one-on-one personalized care,” says Paul Duga, DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery). “Kids are not little adults. They need that familiarity, so it’s not a clinic where they see a different dentist every time.”

Shawna Adams-Feeney, DMD (Doctor of Medical Dentistry) says that part of the attraction of pediatric dentistry for her is the chance to make a difference in a young person’s life.

“I like working with kids because we have the ability to help them establish good habits early,” she says.

Although Dr. Duga and Dr. Adams-Feeney (who are both Board-certified pediatric dentists) share the goal of providing a welcoming dental home for New Tampa’s children, they say they reached it in different ways.

After earning his DDS degree from the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Dr. Duga says he worked as a general dentist in Milwaukee for a few years before becoming interested in pediatric dentistry.

He followed up by earning his Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry in New Orleans, an experience that, he says, validated his belief that children’s dental needs are best served by specialists.

“Every day, something came up that improved my knowledge base and skills to care for kids,” Dr. Duga says. He adds that there’s a good reason to choose a pediatric dentist over a general dentist to meet the oral health needs of your children.

“With kids, things are dynamic, always changing,” he says.

For Dr. Adams-Feeney, pediatric dentistry was always her professional goal and she earned her Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, after receiving her DMD degree from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston.

“I like working with kids,” Dr. Adams-Feeney says. “We have the ability to help them form good habits early and create good patients from the start.”

Getting Started Early

When it comes to pediatric dental health, Dr. Duga says that starting early means seeing a dentist by the time a child is between 12 to 18 months old, both to establish a clinical relationship and monitor oral development. Those early visits also are opportunities for parents to get information about caring for their child’s gums and teeth. Dr. Adams-Feeney stresses the importance of baby teeth in overall dental health.

“If you lose a baby tooth early, teeth can shift and that can cause problems when permanent teeth erupt, which can cause problems with bites,” she says, adding that dental health also can play a role in a child’s school performance.

“Dental issues are the number one reason children miss school,” she says.

Services available at the practice include examinations, cleanings, sealant placement, tooth repair such as fillings and crowns, as well as cosmetic whitening and orthodontic alignment.

Digital X-ray technology is used, which produces images with less radiation, and sedation dentistry with nitrous oxide is available if a young patient is particularly nervous about having a dental procedure.

Perhaps one of the best means of easing anxiety in young patients, however, is the overall ambiance of the dental practice. The walls at the office of Drs. Duga and Adams-Feeney are decorated with an aquatic-theme mural, video games and kid-friendly reading material, while overhead video monitors allow patients to enjoy some of their favorite shows while being treated.

There’s also an understanding that a pediatric appointment may require a little more flexibility on the part of the staff, says Dr. Adams-Feeney.

“We work on kid time,” she says. “Sometimes we really have to work with them to make it a positive experience.”

That flexibility means being available for families when dental emergencies come up outside of normal office hours.

“One of us is always on call, so if something happens on a weekend, we can still be reached,” Dr. Adams-Feeney says.

Another example of the practice’s commitment to its patients is that the two doctors continue seeing their patients through their college years, ensuring continuity of dental health at a time of great personal change.

“Otherwise, sometimes if they go away to college, they won’t see a dentist during those four years,” says Duga. “During winter break, we get a lot of our college kids coming back.”

A History Of Care & Caring

Dr. Duga established the practice in 1998 and he has been an active resource in the New Tampa community by participating in events such as the Hunter’s Green Health & Safety Expos, supporting local schools and sports teams and working with Christina’s Smiles, a national nonprofit organization that provides dental care to children whose families have trouble affording it.

With February marking National Children’s Dental Health Month, Dr. Duga says the practice’s dentists and staff will be out and about in New Tampa schools spreading the word about oral health and dispensing bags filled with dental treats such as toothbrushes.

“We want to be part of the community because (New Tampa is) like a small town in a big area,” says Dr. Duga, a longtime Tampa Palms resident.

The practice’s business coordinator Renee Mari says that meeting the dental needs of their young patients is the mission of the staff at the office, but accommodating the expectations of their parents also is an essential element of its success. Mari ensures that things go well on the administrative side of the relationship.

“We’ll work hard with you to determine how your insurance benefits work in our office,” says Mari, who also emphasizes the importance of first impressions. “We extend a friendly, caring approach to every patient that comes in the front door.”

Sometimes, the patients come in as a group, such as when Lori Simon brings her six children, whose ages range from three to 17, in for checkups, cleanings and treatments.

“I love the staff,” Simon says. “I actually moved from New Tampa to Dade City but we still go there because they’ve always been very responsive and willing to work with the kids.”

New Tampa resident Rebecca Berton says her two children, ages five and seven, also have found a welcoming dental home with Drs. Duga and Adams-Feeney.

“Even when they’re little (the doctors) tell them what they’re doing, and they’re always very friendly,” Berton says, adding that she has received a lot of knowledge and support from the staff regarding the daily dental care needs of her children.

“They’ve been coaching me how to take care of their teeth and what kind of toothpaste is best for different stages of their lives,” Berton says. “They also come in and support what we’re trying to instill in them — to have good habits for healthy teeth —so it’s not just mom saying sugar’s not good for them.”

“Dr. Feeney and I really want the parents involved,” Dr. Duga says. “It’s not a situation where a parent can’t come back and ask questions.”

He adds that the goal is to achieve a positive outcome for the practice’s young patients by the time they’re ready to go out on their own.

“We practice conservative dentistry and try to establish lifelong healthy habits so our patients can become adults with virtually no dental concerns,” he says.

Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates Pediatric Dentistry is located at 15293 Amberly Dr. You can learn more about their services by visiting DrDugaDrFeeney.com or by calling 631-1100. 

Editorial: Stay Tuned Right Here For WCNT-tv & Taste Of New Tampa Updates!

Less than two months before the 2017 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel — which will be held on Saturday, March 18, noon-4 p.m., at the new Florida Hospital Center Ice (which now has ice!) — I’m ecstatic to say that my restaurant committee is already surpassing my expectations.

As of our press date — January 19 — we already have 30 restaurants that have verbally committed to participate in the Taste! The truly amazing thing to me, however, is that when we recorded Episode 15 of WCNT-tv (Wesley Chapel & New Tampa television) just four days earlier, we only had 23 restaurant commitments and two maybes (see below).

In other words, virtually every restaurant we’ve spoken with has jumped at the opportunity to give away samples of their cuisine to what we expect will be at least 3,000-5,000 attendees. Everybody seems to want to have a chance to be inside the largest ice skating and hockey facility in the southern U.S. for what was the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area’s signature event for 20 years, even though it’s now been four years since the Taste was held.

George Stella

The Taste, which is being put on for the first time by the Rotary Club of New Tampa (which meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club), will also feature a live cooking demonstration by formerly 465-lb. celebrity chef and author George Stella, whose popular show on the Food Network is called “Low Carb & Lovin’ It.”

There also will be beer and wine available at the Taste, plus great musical entertainment and emcee/Rotarian Bob Thompson will make the rounds to every restaurant and sponsor booth at the event to help our food and beverage providers and sponsors give away some great prizes throughout the day.

And more great news is that the website TasteofNewTampa.org is now live and will provide regular updates about the event’s sponsors and all of the participating restaurants as they commit to participating. You’ll also be able to purchase Taste tickets on the site shortly and, since Taste proceeds will benefit the Rotary Club of New Tampa Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your Taste ticket purchases may be tax deductible!

Here is the list of restaurants that had committed to participate in the Taste, whether verbally or in writing, at our press time:

‱Stonewood Grill & Tavern
‱Ciccio Cali
‱Vuelo Mexican Grill
‱The Private Chef of Tampa
‱Paramount Lebanese Kitchen
‱GrillSmith
‱Dempsey’s Steak House (Saddlebrook)
‱Little Italy’s
‱Old Heights Bistro
‱7 Layers Bakery
‱Top Shelf Sports Lounge (FHCI)
‱McDonald’s
‱PDQ
‱Union 72 BBQ
‱Sonny’s BBQ
‱Cantina Laredo
‱Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt
‱Charley’s Cheesesteaks
‱Tijuana Flats
‱Culver’s
*Pepe’s Cuban Cafe
‱Buttermilk Provisions
‱Arroy Thai
‱The Cake Girl
‱BJ’s Brewhouse
‱OTB Delights CafĂ©
‱Nothing Bundt Cakes
‱Jimmy John’s
‱Buffalo Wild Wings (probable)
*Cheddars Scratch Kitchen (probable)

Look for more updates in these pages, on WCNT-tv and at TasteofNewTampa.org!

And, Speaking of WCNT-tv…

The full-age ad in our latest issue touts the accomplishments and viewership to date of WCNT-tv. Episode 15 of WCNT-tv debuted on YouTube the same day we went to press with current issue, but we are pulling some fairly impressive numbers, at least in my opinion, through the first 14 full-length episodes and special reports that have aired to date.

Our Facebook reach is now at more than 334,000 people, up nearly 100,000 people since our last update in these pages.

We’ve also now had nearly 64,000 views on YouTube (which, we’ve been told, are usually much harder to come by than Facebook views) and nearly 83,000 views on Facebook itself for all of the segments combined.

Those may not be local TV station numbers…at least not yet…but with some episodes garnering as many as 10,000 views and with all of the big news coming up over the next several months, my partner Craig Miller (of Full Throttle Intermedia) and I are confident that we’ll soon pass a reach of half a million people and more than 100,000 views each on Facebook and YouTube.

Craig and I again thank our exclusive webcast partner, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, and our Studio Sponsor, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, for believing in this project and trying a different way to bring attention to local businesses. Subscribe to the WCNT-tv YouTube channel today!

Florida Pain Medicine — When You Want Your Pain Managed Responsibly

Maulik Bhalani, M.D., knows that when some people hear of pain clinics, they think of the so-called “pill mills.” He understands that, after years of headlines about the abuse of certain pain medications, particularly in Florida, the reputation is tough to shake.

But, at Florida Pain Medicine on Windguard Cir. (across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), Dr. Bhalani says the perceptions are not even close to reality.

“The typical working class person doesn’t want to see a pain management doctor because they think that doctor is going to get them hooked on medication,’’ says Dr. Bhalani. “Little old ladies, grandmothers, will come in and tell us…I know those stories that are out there on the news. But, when they come in here, from minute one, it’s a totally difference experience.”

The Florida Pain Medicine offices are clean and lively, the doctors are open and friendly and the approach to managing your pain, which employs the latest technological advances, is always, they say, measured and restrained, yet effective.

“There’s not a bunch of guys outside in the parking lot smoking, looking disheveled, seeking pain meds,’’ Dr. Bhalani says. “That’s not the kind of practice we are.”

The kind of practice Florida Pain Medicine is, Dr. Bhalani says, is one that focuses on interventional pain management. “Start-to-finish pain care,’’ he says.

Sometimes, in the best cases, that means opioid management, ice and injections until the patient can complete physical therapy.

“Then, we wean them off pain meds, hopefully with the goal of we never see them again, which means they are doing great and back to living their lives,’’ Dr. Bhalani says.

In other cases, like patients with terminal cancer, Dr. Bhalani says his goal is not to let them live out their final days in misery.

Whatever the malady, “We never force anything on anyone,’’ Dr. Bhalani says.

Pain management means different treatments for different people. Every patient is unique, but the main goal for Dr. Bhalani and his associates at Florida Pain Medicine — Navdeep Jassal, MD, Arpit Patel, DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), and Stephanie Epting, DO — is to help their patients return to a normal way of life. Their motto is, “Restore Function, Relive Life.”

“We want to get you back to where you can live your life the way you like living it,” Dr. Bhalani says.

A Little Information About The Doctors

Dr. Bhalani, a huge local sports fan and 11-year Tampa Bay Buccaneers season ticket holder who dons a Jameis Winston jersey for home games, has followed in the footsteps of his father, who is a pain medicine physician in the Ormond Beach area of Florida, as well as several of his uncles and aunts.

In fact, Dr. Bhalani is one of 13 cousins in his family — and all are physicians.

“We don’t know how to do anything else,’’ he says, chuckling and joking that he might raise his kids, who are ages 4, 2 and 1, to be NFL punters instead.

Dr. Bhalani received his M.D. degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, NE. He also spent two years as a resident at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore in 2005; was the chief resident at the University of South Florida (USF)’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program; and completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Pain Medicine Fellowship in Interventional Pain Medicine at USF in 2010.

He is Board-certified in Interventional Pain Medicine and in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Dr. Bhalani’s credentials also include sitting on the Board of the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (FSIPP) as a Director-at-Large, and he says he is proud of the work the FSIPP did in helping craft Florida’s so-called “Pill Mill Bill” in 2011.

The bill forced clinics to register with the state and banned doctors from dispensing opioid prescription painkillers like Vicodin and Oxycodone from their offices. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program also was implemented, which Drs. Bhalani and Jassal reference to look at a patient’s prescription drug history.

Dr. Jassal says he heard about all the “wild, wild west stories” about Florida’s pill mills when he was studying in New York.

“I didn’t believe it until I came down here,’’ he says. “But, it’s improved dramatically (since 2011), thanks to the efforts of Dr. Bhalani and others.”

A car enthusiast and avid runner who sometimes puts in 15 miles on a weekend as a way to relax, Dr. Jassal joined Dr. Bhalani in July 2015 after completing a Pain Medicine Fellowship at USF, where he was one of Dr. Bhalani’s students.

Before that, Dr. Jassal was a resident at North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health Systems and Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine in Great Neck, NY.

Dr. Patel, who joined Florida Pain Medicine seven months ago, has known Drs. Bhalani and Jassal for years. A University of Maryland graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Neurobiology and Physiology, Dr. Patel has worked with his fellow physicians at the University of South Florida, where he completed his Interventional Pain Medicine Fellowship.

In between his B.A. and fellowship, Dr. Patel graduated with honors from Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, and completed residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, NY, where he was selected as Chief Resident. He also served as a Clinical Instructor for spine anatomy at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

A recreational tennis and basketball player, much of Dr. Patel’s work involves sports-related injuries, and he says he also has an interest in helping cancer patients with their pain.

Most patients the physicians at Florida Pain Medicine see are what you might expect — those suffering from back, neck and joint pain. Others have more serious conditions, like poor recovery from back surgery, painful diabetes and even cancer. Each treatment plan varies with that patient’s particular needs.

The doctors at the practice say they prefer a conservative approach. Patients generally will not be prescribed any controlled pain medications on the first visit. The doctors are careful to give a full exam — surprising to some patients who have been to other pain medicine doctors — and look over X-rays and other images and notes from the referring doctor, as well as run a urine drug screen, before determining a course of treatment.

The physicians will sometimes suggest a smaller dose of medicine than the patient is currently taking. Others are often offered alternatives to stronger prescription drugs, like local anaesthetic injections (epidurals, for example), anti-inflammatory meds, physical therapy and even weight loss to help relieve their pain.

Sometimes, an injection, which can relieve pain for months, is suggested instead of a prescription. “Sometimes, they are like wow, I wish someone had recommended this 4-5 years ago,” Dr. Bhalani says.

And if that doesn’t work, he adds, “we’ll use more aggressive measures. We really try to be kind of conservative initially.”

Dr. Bhalani says he recently treated a 90-year-old patient who told him, “Well, Doc, if this works as good as the last one, that’d be great,” to which Dr. Bhalani replied, “Oh, the last one helped you?,” and the patient told him that was the reason he hadn’t been back to see him for seven months.

“And I’ve been golfing the whole time!,” the patient said.

That approach, by younger, Board-certified physicians willing to look at alternative treatments, was one of the things that Dr. Patel says originally attracted him to Florida Pain Medicine.

“We bring a new ‘taste’ of interventional pain medicine to the community,” Dr. Patel says. “I think a lot of (older physicians) around here thought opiates were the best way to go. We just have a different mindset. Today, I had a patient who literally had been seeing every surgeon in town, and finally we did a procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) on a very special nerve, and for the first time in his life he doesn’t have the (same) pain. He has been able to return to what he loves, flying kites. He’s never been able to do that (after previous treatments). The satisfaction of seeing how patients do right after the procedure, and the fact that they are able to travel and spend time with their families, is the best part of my job.”

Dr. Jassal says that since joining Florida Pain Medicine, he has seen as many patients in six months as he expected to see in nine months or a year. On average, each physician sees 25-27 patients a day, a number they think is perfect to give them time to give each patient the individualized care they require.

“That’s what makes our practice very different,’’ Dr. Patel said. “There are other practices where you will be waiting for 4-5 hours at a time. Our goal, and really my biggest thing, is examining every patient and having a hands-on approach. That’s very important to me and (helps) me make the proper diagnosis, rather than just looking at an MRI.”

Business has been so brisk that Dr. Bhalani, who opened his second Florida Pain Medicine on Arbor Ridge Dr. in Zephyrhills in 2015, has since opened another office in the Brandon area and has been serving patients there since June 2016.

“We seek to expand to underserved areas of the state to provide quality pain management care to those who need it most,” says Dr. Bhalani. “We’re hopeful that 2017 takes us to additional markets where patients can benefit from our services.”

Dr. Jassal thinks the office’s reputation, which includes strong relationships with local pharmacists and doctors, comes from the way the patients are cared for at Florida Pain Medicine. Dr. Bhalani adds that he recommends for his patients the same things he would for his own parents: “Literally, that is how we treat every single patient,” he says proudly.

A soft, personal touch and firm recommendations are something Dr. Jassal thinks patients appreciate, as well as the physicians’ desire to help patients return to the things they love.

He has a 97-year old patient who receives periodic injections, which he says, “keeps her happiness, and her happiness is dancing with her son.’’

Most of the office’s business, Dr. Bhalani says, comes from referrals. He believes that the practice treats as many local physicians and their family members as anyone in the area.

Dr. Bhalani can do procedures at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, where he is the director of the Intervention & Pain Program, Tampa Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Brandon Surgery Center and at the Advanced Surgery Center of Tampa.

However, state-of-the-art pain management procedures are often performed in the Wesley Chapel office, as opposed to a hospital or at ambulatory surgery centers, which helps save patients money.

“The whole spectrum of care gives us flexibility,’’ says Dr. Bhalani.

For more information, visit FloridaPainMedicine.com. To reach the Wesley Chapel Florida Pain Medicine office (2553 Windguard Cir.), the Zephyrhills’ location (38011 Arbor Ridge Dr.), or the Brandon office (426 W Brandon Blvd), call 388-2948.

College Football Championship Game Fans Helped Fill New Tampa’s Hotels

Clemson fans were in the majority in our area for the National Championship game, which helped fill our local hotels, including the Holiday Inn Express in New Tampa.

The total economic impact of the recent College Football Playoff National Championship game between Clemson and Alabama at Raymond James Stadium is debatable, but there is no disputing that even though the game was held nearly 20 miles away, New Tampa felt some of the effect.

While certainly no Super Bowl, whose impact is larger and usually stretches more than a week in areas where it is held, Holiday Inn Express & Suites general manager George Sandona said the Tigers’ thrilling victory over the defending national champion Crimson Tide on Jan. 9 helped fill all of the rooms the day before and night of the game at his hotel, located on Galbraith Rd. off Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in New Tampa.

“It was particularly good that it was a Sunday and Monday night, because, in the world of hotels, those do not typically sell out,’’ he said.

Sandona said that all 100 rooms at his Holiday Inn Express & Suites were booked Sunday and Monday, and he estimates that at least 60-70 of those rooms were occupied by Clemson and Alabama football fans.

And, at the Spring Hill Suites on Primrose Lake Cir. in Tampa Palms, rooms also were packed with football fans, but not the ones general manager Barbara Scott says she initially anticipated.

According to Scott, as many as 25 rooms had been booked months in advance by Ohio State supporters. But, when the Buckeyes were beaten by Clemson 31-0 on New Year’s Eve, those rooms were cancelled.

Most of them, she says, were filled by Clemson fans, the rest by Alabama fans.

Scott said her hotel (which will be undergoing a transformation this summer) was nearly sold out on Sunday, the day before the game, but all 127 suites were filled Monday night, with 50 percent of those bookings by football visitors.

“Was it lucrative? Yes,’’ Scott says. “Was it as lucrative as we thought, with people booking six months out? No.”

The Clemson fans, Scott said, were a delight. She said the big group took it easy on the breakfast tables of Alabama fans, who had, “their heads in their plates” the morning after the Tigers’ 35-31 victory.

“They (Clemson) are a lovely travel team,’’ Scott says.

The college football championship game was a pleasant economic boost during what can be a slow time for area hotels. This year’s DICK’s Lacrosse Tournament in nearby Wesley Chapel (see pg. 54) had 20 fewer teams than last year, so the usual infusion of visitors for that event didn’t materialize in New Tampa.

But, the Tiger and Tide faithful made up for it.

“2017 is starting out well,’’ said Sandona, who anticipates the success to continue as the Florida Hospital Center Ice hockey facility opens, even though there is another Holiday Inn Express opening directly adjacent to the hotel off S.R. 56. FHCI already has booked almost half of its year with events that are sure to fill more local hotel rooms.

Jackie Ramos, who has been the general manager at the 84-room La Quinta Inn on Doña Michelle Dr. for three years, said that hotel didn’t sell out for the championship game, but hit definitely received a large increase in bookings due to the game.

“We certainly did,’’ she said. “Mostly Clemson fans.”

The Tampa Bay Business Journal said the number of out-of-town visitors for the game was estimated at 75,000-100,000, with more than half of those booking hotel rooms. Southern Hillsborough and Pinellas County, which are closer to the beaches, were expected to receive the lion’s share of that total.

Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins estimated that the economic impact to the Tampa Bay area was roughly $300 million.

Last year’s championship game — also played between Alabama and Clemson — was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium and, according to Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, generated $273.6-million from out-of-state visitors. That was the highest total ever reported for a national championship game.

Scott says Tampa came off great on television and seemed to be a hit with visitors, adding that measuring the success of the event by that standard reaps more benefits than the final financial figures. “The success can not be tethered to dollars,’’ said Scott, who has been with the SpringHill Suites since 2013. “We got some great press, and these things help put (Tampa) on the road to being the next great city.”

While final economic impact figures for Tampa Bay aren’t yet available, Sandona says these events definitely provide a boost to local businesses, and not just his own.

He said his staff fielded dozens of inquiries from fans looking for things to do locally, with the most common question being — where are the best restaurants?

“It was great for local restaurants, and it probably had a positive impact on Busch Gardens attendance,” Sandona said. “Most people had already done a lot of research about the events at the (downtown Tampa) RiverWalk near the stadium. And, everyone tries to include a beach day in their trip.”

Sandona has been the general manager at the Holiday Inn Express since 2010 (and before that, also held the position from 2003-07), and has worked through a few Super Bowls, which booked his hotel full for 4-5 days at a time.

Sandona only wishes the event had more staying power. Clemson and Alabama didn’t win their semifinal games until Dec. 31, so fans couldn’t plan too far ahead, creating some special booking process requirements.

And, because the game was held on a Monday night, that meant, at most, only a likely weekend stay.

However, Sandona said it was a friendly, festive crowd that filled his rooms over the weekend. He said even the Alabama fans remained upbeat after the loss, confident their team would return to the championship game next year.

But they don’t win the award for most faithful fan at the hotel.

“One of my favorite interactions was with a Clemson fan who booked his rooms on June 1, 2016,’’ Sandona says. “I spoke to him a week before the game and told him he gets my ‘Boatload of Faith’ award. He told me he just figured the best thing to do was stay positive.”