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Clearwater · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Ruth Eckerd Hall

Gerald Whitfield

Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

Updated 1 September 2026 · 13 Clearwater hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Clearwater, out of the 13 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.2.

All five are within 2.9 km of Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clearwater

Highest rated of the five

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clearwater

★★★★★4.5 from 1,338 reviews

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clearwater comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 1,338 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under poi and around $101 a night on the dates we checked.

13 hotels in Clearwater qualified for this list and five made it. Safety Harbor Motel is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clearwater1

    Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clearwater

    ★★★★★4.5 from 1,338 reviews

    1.7 km from Ruth Eckerd Hall, about a 21 minute walk

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    • Safety Harbor Motel2

      Safety Harbor Motel

      ★★★★★4.8 from 190 reviews

      1.7 km from Ruth Eckerd Hall, about a 21 minute walk

      • Parking
      • Kid friendly

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    • Safety Harbor Resort and Spa3

      Safety Harbor Resort and Spa

      ★★★★★4.2 from 4,872 reviews

      2.4 km from Ruth Eckerd Hall

      • Pool
      • Spa
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking

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    • La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Clearwater Central4

      La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Clearwater Central

      ★★★★★4.4 from 2,375 reviews

      2.8 km from Ruth Eckerd Hall

      • Pool
      • Spa
      • Restaurant
      • Parking
      • Pet friendly
      • Kid friendly

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    • TownePlace Suites by Marriott Tampa Clearwater5

      TownePlace Suites by Marriott Tampa Clearwater

      ★★★★★4.5 from 249 reviews

      2.9 km from Ruth Eckerd Hall

      • Pool
      • Gym
      • Parking
      • Pet friendly
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    How this list was put together

    13 Clearwater hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Ruth Eckerd Hall second, then took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Gerald Whitfield

    Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

    Volunteers three days a week and travels the rest. Maritime museums and working boatyards in 19 countries, mostly by ferry and train, talking to the shipwrights in every one.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.