Pictured: View from the roof of Art Ovation Hotel. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

It’s not every day that the arts community gets excited for a new hotel in town, but the Art Ovation Hotel may be the exception. Slated for opening in early February 2018, this newest addition to the Sarasota skyline looks to marry two of Sarasota’s top industries—arts and hospitality—for a major win.

Situated on Palm Avenue, between Louies Modern and Florida Studio Theatre, the latest enterprise from the Florida developers of Prime Hospitality Group and Shaner Hotels promises 162 rooms each with modern furnishings and amenities, such as floor-to-ceiling windows and state-of-the-art technology, as well as general amenities for all guests, including a fine dining restaurant, rooftop pool and bar, a lobby bar and fitness center.

Also in each room, in addition to individually selected art and perhaps as a hint of what’s to come: a ukulele.

Not only will the Art Ovation Hotel celebrate the arts with rotating art exhibitions within the lobby (arranged by a curator on staff) and VIP packages to encourage guests to explore the local arts scene surrounding the hotel, but the hotel itself will become a nexus for creative energy. In addition to hosting an Artist in Residence to utilize the artist studio situated off the ground floor lobby, Art Ovation will host origami classes, ukulele lessons on the roof, weekly international wine and guitar pairings (Spanish wines with Spanish guitar, etc.), regular artist conversations and more. Local art organizations from Sarasota Contemporary Dance and Art Center Sarasota to the Arts and Cultural Alliance and Bookstore1Sarasota have all gotten involved, with ongoing discussions continuing with other local theaters and musical groups. Florida Studio Theatre is already on board for Saturday brunches full of improv comedy.

“We have so much planned,” says Lisa DiFranza, cultural curator for Art Ovation Hotel. “We’re really eager to invite the local arts community into the hotel for anything and everything.”

Currently finishing construction, Art Ovation Hotel will be located at 1255 North Palm Ave., Sarasota. The opening is scheduled for early February.

Pictured: View from the roof of Art Ovation Hotel. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.