Where to Stay in New Port Richey, FL: Hotels & Rentals

The Town That Meant It

New Port Richey incorporated on 24 October 1924, the younger, upriver twin of Port Richey, which had been named for the settler Aaron M. Richey. Its first council act, on 2 December that year, was to accept a park donated by George Sims. That is the whole character of the place in one motion: incorporate, then take the land and make something of it.

For a few years New Port Richey meant to be a Hollywood colony. The silent-film star Thomas Meighan built a house on the river in 1928 and wintered here, and a theatre named for him opened in 1926. The Meighan Theatre opened on 1 July 1926 with a screening of Thomas Meighan's film The New Klondike; Meighan sent a congratulatory telegram rather than attending. In its boom years the town drew Thomas Meighan, Charlie Chaplin, Lupe Velez and Ann Harding, and was promoted as Hollywood East. The Hacienda Hotel opened on 5 February 1927 with the comedian Ed Wynn as master of ceremonies. Meighan's brother James, a real estate developer, donated the land for it.

Then the 1920s Florida land boom collapsed, and the ambition ended. What is left is a small city on the water with a population of 17,057, a median age of 53.5 years, and a housing stock of 9,423 units, of which 718 are held for seasonal or recreational use. The dream did not fail so much as stop. The ambition is the charm.

Where to Sleep

The lodging here splits cleanly: a historic building downtown, a cluster of chain hotels along US-19, and long-stay rentals for people who intend to be around a while.

The Hacienda, a Historic 1927 Boutique Hotel at 5621 Main St is the one address in town with a direct line to the boom years — the hotel whose opening night in February 1927 drew Ed Wynn as master of ceremonies. It is rated 4.6 from 630 reviews, the strongest rating of any property on this list.

Downtown-adjacent and also on US-19 is Comfort Inn & Suites New Port Richey Downtown District, 6206 US-19, rated 4.4 from 402 reviews. Further north on the same corridor, Quality Inn & Suites Conference Center at 5316 US-19 Building A is rated 3.8 from 1,942 reviews — by a wide margin the most-reviewed property here, and the one to consider if you want meeting space attached to your room.

The rest of the US-19 cluster, in descending order of guest rating:

If You're Staying Longer

The rental stock here is built for seasons, not weekends — which tracks with a city where 718 homes sit held for seasonal or recreational use.

Carlton Arms of Magnolia Valley, 7212 Carlton Arms Dr, is rated 4.5 from 479 reviews. Promenade at Summer Trace Apartments, 7425 Trouble Creek Rd, is rated 4.3 from 289 reviews. Sawgrass Creek Apartments, 8930 Lazy River Loop, is rated 4.1 from 179 reviews, and Summer Lake Villas, 4331 Fiji Dr, is rated 4.0 from 247 reviews.

Sentry Management, Inc., 7615 Little Rd, is rated 4.6 from 220 reviews — the highest-rated entry on this entire list, and a management company rather than a single building, so approach it as a route to inventory rather than a place to book by name.

What You're Actually Here For

Come in spring and you get the Chasco Fiesta: ten days, founded in 1922 and a century old in 2022. Live music every night from Sims Park — the same park the council accepted on 2 December 1924 — plus a Native American festival, a car and bike show, the crowning of King Pithla and Queen Chasco, and a parade that closes the main street. Proceeds go to local non-profits.

Sims Park sits downtown, which makes The Hacienda and Comfort Inn & Suites New Port Richey Downtown District the two practical bases if the fiesta is your reason for coming. Everything on US-19 puts you in a car.

If you want the day-trip math: Dade City is 37 miles and holds the Kumquat Festival. Cedar Key is 66 miles and holds the Cedar Key Seafood Festival. Clermont is 71 miles and holds Pig on the Pond. Mount Dora is 84 miles and holds both the Mount Dora Arts Festival and the Mount Dora Craft Fair. Arcadia is 92 miles and holds the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo.

The Short Version

For the historic building and the downtown walk, The Hacienda, a Historic 1927 Boutique Hotel. For a modern downtown-adjacent stay, Comfort Inn & Suites New Port Richey Downtown District. For volume of reviews and conference space, Quality Inn & Suites Conference Center. For a month rather than a night, start with Carlton Arms of Magnolia Valley or Sentry Management, Inc. And if you are here in spring, book early — ten days of Chasco Fiesta fills a small city's rooms quickly.