Spotlight On: Jill Manthey, Vice President of Sales & Community Relations, Manthey Hospitality
February 2025 — The River Walk is part of what makes Tampa an attractive location, Jill Manthey, vice president of sales and community relations for Manthey Hospitality, told Invest:. “It’s the key. It links everything together. I believe that is what is helping us get Super Bowls, college championships, and just tourism as a whole,” she said.
What lessons did you learn from this year’s hurricane impact? What changes are necessary going forward?
It seems like every year there’s something that is thrown at us. We did have to cancel cruises when the port closed for 3 storms this year. I do believe that what we learned is that everybody works together in Tampa Bay – the hotels, all of the attractions. We all work together in times of trouble and adversity. We’re all here to help each other. Tampa works together very closely and very well.
What were some highlights for Yacht Starship over this past year?
We launched a new concept called Craft Tampa. It is one-of-a-kind in the United States. It’s a European-style river cruiser similar to what everyone saw at the Olympics in Paris. It is a low-profile vessel that we specifically built to go under all the low bridges on the Hillsborough River, Tampa’s most scenic cruising grounds. We also have an open kitchen concept, a first of its kind with gas cooking. We take you on a culinary and cocktail river journey. We launched Craft in March and it has exceeded our expectations.
We also brought back the Lost Pearl, Tampa’s only pirate ship. That has been very exciting. It’s a wooden boat that required an extensive rebuild over two years. We’re excited to have her back.
What makes Tampa Bay an ideal location for a company like Manthey Hospitality?
Everybody wants to be here. One of the biggest draws for Tampa is the River Walk. I’m a firm believer that the River Walk and its growth are significant to our growth as a company as well as for that of the city itself. It’s the key. It links everything together. I believe that is what is helping us get Super Bowls, college championships, and just tourism as a whole. I think we have the best riverwalk in the United States. I do think it’s the key to making Tampa what it is today.
What are the major trends in the tourism sector now?
We’ve seen a huge increase in what some call leisure, but we call it a social market. The convention market for us is always going to be No. 1, followed by corporate. But it used to always be that weddings came next in that line, and then the social market was the lesser of all markets in terms of revenue. Right now, it has gone convention, corporate, and social, ahead of weddings. Some say that’s because everybody went from nothing during COVID to 2022 being the biggest wedding year of all time. That has since slowed down. The social market, on the other hand, is enjoying the largest revenue we’ve ever had as far as groups go.
How are you adapting services to meet that growing interest?
We adapt by meeting our customers where they are—through digital marketing, engaging social media, and improved websites—while staying true to what we’ve done for over two decades: putting our customers first and delivering excellent hospitality.
Are there any new collaborations with local businesses or organizations that have been impactful for your company?
We have such great relationships with the hotels, and with the attractions. I spearheaded a Tampa venue working group years ago, and we are constantly leaning on each other. That’s what I truly love: During times like the hurricane or COVID or whatever the latest and greatest challenge is, we all try to work together as best we can. We don’t see it as a competition, but more as a collaboration.
What are your long-term goals for the company?
We’re looking forward to having Craft on board for a full year. We’re looking forward to getting the Lost Pearl back in operation. Our Clearwater operation is facing some challenges as the marina there is undergoing huge construction work.
We are just trying to move forward with all our boats, trying to increase utilization, and also to be more involved in the community, which is really about just making sure everyone’s aware of what we do in Tampa as a whole. It’s important for our company to give back. One of our goals is to always give back to the community and just have a positive impact on the place where we live.
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