Vintage charm of Las Novedades restored in new event space at Hotel Haya in Ybor City

TAMPA, Fla. - A new event venue is coming to Hotel Haya, and it’s tapping into Ybor City’s rich Hispanic heritage.

For Tampa natives who grew up going to Las Novedades, it may bring back some fond memories too.

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The Spanish restaurant founded in 1980 would survive through the early 1970s, before officially shutting its doors. However, not before becoming an institution for authentic cuisine and inspiring the cultural influence that exists to this day in Ybor City.

Now, Hotel Haya has worked to restore what once was into a place where people can make new memories.

General Manager Peter Wright says they preserved the brick, stained-glass windows and hand-painted wall tiles in an effort to keep it as original as possible.

The first public event there will be a collaboration between the hotel and artist Michael Vahl - an art exhibit called ‘Portraits of the Bay’. It will take place Saturday November 11th from 7-11pm. Tickets are $10 and part of the proceeds will benefit Children’s Cancer Center.

For more information, click here.