Photo taken from room 461 at the Le Meridien hotel in Tampa by Barb DeLollis.

Photo taken from room 461 at the Le Meridien hotel in Tampa by Barb DeLollis.

TAMPA – Here on Travel Update, we love to talk about downright ugly hotel-room views – or just lackluster views that some travelers will find more troublesome than others.

Today, I’d like to share with you the view I had from my fourth-floor room (No. 461) at the recently opened Le Meridien in Tampa’s River Arts District. As you can see, it’s not a view of a world-famous landmark in a world-famous location.

But this view of the top of one of the building’s three-story Corinthian columns caught me by surprise in a good way, especially when I entered my room at night.

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It drew me back in time and into the history of the building, which originally opened as a courthouse in 1905 and was later used as a post office. The view put the spotlight on craftsmanship, detail and classical beauty that we generally don’t see in modern buildings.

Disclosure: Starwood sponsored my trip as part of a media event. Opinions are my own.

Readers: Comments?