St. Pete Branded Residences Compared: Waldorf Astoria vs Roche Bobois

Last Updated: September 26, 2026

Downtown St. Petersburg has two branded towers in pre-construction that I track: Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg, priced $3,050,000 to $5,575,000 with delivery planned for early 2030, and Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, priced $544,500 to $2,231,500 with completion in 2028. One brand is a hotel service model. The other is a design brand.

Both use a famous name, and both sit in the same downtown, but they are not competing for the same buyer. The price ranges barely touch, the residences are different sizes, and the brands deliver completely different things. This comparison lays out the numbers side by side and explains how I decide which of the two, if either, fits a buyer. For the Waldorf numbers in more depth, see the residences section of this site.

How do Waldorf Astoria St. Pete and Roche Bobois St. Pete compare at a glance?

Waldorf Astoria St. Pete is a 50-story tower with 163 fully finished residences, 2 and 3 bedrooms of 1,943 to 3,408 SF, priced $3,050,000 to $5,575,000, delivering early 2030. Roche Bobois St. Pete offers studios to 3 bedrooms of 431 to 1,497 SF, priced $544,500 to $2,231,500, pre-furnished, completing in 2028.

Side by side, from the project records I keep on each tower:

• Price range: Waldorf Astoria, $3,050,000 to $5,575,000 (featured residences sheet, September 15, 2026). Roche Bobois, $544,500 to $2,231,500.
• Residence types: Waldorf Astoria, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath and 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath on the featured sheet. Roche Bobois, studios to 3 bedrooms.
• Interior sizes: Waldorf Astoria, 1,943 to 3,408 SF across the featured residences. Roche Bobois, 431 to 1,497 SF.
• Delivery: Waldorf Astoria, early 2030. Roche Bobois, 2028.
• Developer: Waldorf Astoria, Property Markets Group (PMG) and Feldman Equities. Roche Bobois, 4th South Valor Capital LLC.
• Design: Waldorf Astoria, architecture by Cube 3 and interiors by BAMO. Roche Bobois, architecture by Gómez Vázquez International (GVI) and interiors by Niz + Chauvet Arquitectos.
• What the brand delivers: Waldorf Astoria, residential service and Hilton Honors Diamond status. Roche Bobois, residences pre-furnished with Roche Bobois pieces.

What does each brand deliver to owners?

Waldorf Astoria is a hotel brand, so owners get a service model: a personal concierge, 24-hour reception and security, doorman and bellman, valet and Hilton Honors Diamond status for up to two accounts. Roche Bobois is a furniture and design house, so its name shows up in the interiors: every residence comes pre-furnished with Roche Bobois pieces.

This is the most important distinction, and buyers often miss it. A hotel-branded residence sells an operating standard: who greets you, who handles the car and the packages, how maintenance responds at 2 AM. A design-branded residence sells an aesthetic: the furniture, the finishes and the look of the building. Neither is better. They answer different questions.

At Waldorf Astoria St. Pete, the service list includes 24-hour emergency maintenance and parcel receiving, with a la carte housekeeping, laundry, automotive detailing and pet services. The Hilton Honors Diamond status for the duration of ownership, usable at more than 8,300 Hilton properties, is a benefit I see frequent travelers value more than almost anything else on the list. At Roche Bobois St. Pete, the amenity program lists a 24/7 concierge among its features, and the furnished delivery saves a buyer the time and cost of furnishing from scratch, which for a studio or 1 bedroom investment can be a meaningful share of the purchase.

How do the amenity programs compare?

Both towers list roughly 20,000 SF of amenities. Waldorf Astoria St. Pete has a 160-foot east pool over Tampa Bay, a west pool, the Peacock Alley inspired Sky Lounge and a full wellness spa. Roche Bobois St. Pete has an infinity pool with a cantilevered hot tub, a spa with sauna and aquatic therapy, and poolside cabanas with summer kitchens.

The Waldorf program adds a rooftop swim deck and sun lounge, a fitness center with a movement studio, steam room, cold plunge and treatment rooms, a golf simulator, a kids and teen entertainment center, a pet spa and EV charging. It is built for families and for owners who use the building as a resort. The full list is in the amenities section.

Roche Bobois St. Pete adds a private fitness studio, an owner's lounge and a fireside lounge, a pet park and salon, fine dining and a café, and EV charging stations. It reads as a social building designed around smaller residences, where the shared spaces extend a compact home.

How do the prices and deposits compare?

The two towers barely overlap on price: Roche Bobois tops out at $2,231,500 and Waldorf Astoria's lowest featured residence is $3,050,000. Roche Bobois asks for 50% before closing across five 10% payments, with 50% at closing. The Waldorf Astoria deposit schedule is available on request with the current price sheet.

The Roche Bobois schedule, from the project record: 10% at contract, 10% at 120 days, 10% at groundbreaking, 10% at one year, 10% at top-off and 50% at closing. On a $544,500 studio, each 10% is $54,450, so $272,250 goes in before closing. On a $2,231,500 residence at the top of the range, each 10% is $223,150, so $1,115,750 goes in before closing. Two of the payments, at 120 days and one year, run on the calendar rather than on construction progress, which matters if your capital arrives over time.

For Waldorf Astoria, I send the deposit schedule together with the price sheet so the two are read together. On a residence that delivers in early 2030, the split between what is due before groundbreaking and what is left for closing decides how long your capital is committed. I work that out in dollars on the exact residence before a buyer signs. Request both schedules and I will lay them out side by side.

Which tower delivers first, and does it matter?

Roche Bobois St. Pete lists completion in 2028. Waldorf Astoria St. Pete plans delivery in early 2030, per the developer's sales team on September 24, 2026. Neither had broken ground in the records I have. The two-year gap matters for anyone who wants to use or rent the residence sooner.

Both are early-stage projects, and I treat both dates as plans that depend on construction starting and progressing. Early 2030 at Waldorf is a long runway, roughly three and a half years from today. That is fine for a buyer planning a future move or a long hold, and a real cost for anyone who needs the capital or the residence sooner. Pre-construction purchases at both towers are holds through closing.

What are the downsides of each?

At Waldorf Astoria St. Pete, the main downside is the early 2030 delivery and a luxury market in St. Petersburg that is less proven at $3 million and above than Miami. At Roche Bobois St. Pete, the published residence count still needs confirmation from the developer, and the brand shapes the interiors rather than a hotel-style service model.

I name these before anything else because they decide fit. St. Petersburg is an emerging luxury market: resale activity and rental demand at the top price levels are less proven than in Miami. That does not make it a bad place to buy. It means the purchase should work as a long-term hold, and the premium you pay for a brand should be something you value personally, not only a resale assumption.

At Roche Bobois, the tower's materials describe 191 residences, but the project record flags that count as unverified, so I confirm it with the developer before a buyer relies on it. Also keep in mind that a furniture brand does not operate the building the way a hotel company does. Ask who will manage the building and how services are delivered day to day.

How does St. Pete compare with Waldorf Astoria in Miami?

The Miami tower of the same brand, Waldorf Astoria Residences Miami, is priced $3,150,900 to $24,350,000 in a 100-story, 360-residence tower in Downtown Miami, with completion in 2028. Its entry price is within about $101,000 of the St. Pete entry. The markets behind the two are very different.

PMG is part of the development team on both towers, so the brand and the developer are shared. What differs is the market. Miami offers deeper resale and rental demand at the top of the range, and a much wider price ladder. St. Petersburg offers a quieter, walkable downtown on Tampa Bay, with the Salvador Dalí Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts and waterfront parks close by, and airports within 3 to 26 minutes. The neighborhood section covers downtown St. Pete in more detail.

How I decide between them with a buyer

I start with the budget and the purpose. Under about $2.3M, and especially for a studio or 1 bedroom, Roche Bobois St. Pete is the tower to study. Above $3M, for a 2 or 3 bedroom with hotel-style service and Hilton benefits, Waldorf Astoria St. Pete is the one. The overlap is small, so the decision usually makes itself once the budget is clear.

From there, I compare the deposit schedules in dollars, the delivery dates against the buyer's plans, and the association budgets in the condominium documents. Developers raise prices as a building sells, with the most popular lines and floors repriced first, so selection is widest early. I track both towers and I am in regular contact with both sales teams. Call me at 786-477-6955 and I will send the current Waldorf Astoria sheet, the Roche Bobois price list and both deposit schedules.

Adrian Sanchez, Founder & Managing Broker, WIRE Miami Over 20 years specializing in Miami’s luxury pre-construction market. Direct developer relationships for preferred pricing and priority access. wiremiami.com • 786-477-6955 • info@wiremiami.com