The Dan Is Bringing 1940s Glamour Back to Tampa Every Friday in October

The Dan at Hotel Flor is inviting guests to step back in time and party like it’s the 1940s every Friday in October. This is part of the hotel’s countdown series to its 100th anniversary through historic happy hours.

October’s theme is called “The Society Pages,” which is the fourth installment of the centennial countdown celebration.

Before the room was named The Dan, the floor’s bar was known as The Surefire Room. The hotel said this nickname came from the World War II period, when B-17 pilots stationed nearby would try to meet bachelorettes before deployment.

Every Friday in October, The Dan will bring this period back to life from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with servicemen-inspired cocktails and decor inspired by the bar’s archival Sapphire Room.

The themed cocktails include classic champagne to highlight the sophistication of the time period, Manhattans to highlight a timeless whiskey flavor and the Gold Rush Daiquiri to spotlight the wartime era.

Featured food includes Deviled Crab Cakes, highlighting the era’s rationing and Tampa’s Gulf Coast roots.

The hotel said guests are encouraged to dress in period attire for a chance to win a free dessert.

Hotel Flor first opened in 1927 as the Hotel Floridan and was the tallest building in Downtown Tampa until 1996. During the Florida land boom, the hotel became a gathering place for the city’s social elite, with its street-level lounge then called the Sapphire Room. The hotel said it later welcomed everyone from World War II airmen from nearby Drew Field to stars like Elvis Presley.