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Sarasota · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Ed Smith Stadium

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 8 Sarasota hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Sarasota, out of the 8 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.3.

All five are within 3.0 km of Ed Smith Stadium.

Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection

Highest rated of the five

Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection

★★★★★4.5 from 1,636 reviews

Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 1,636 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 4 star property, found under poi and around $381 a night on the dates we checked.

8 hotels in Sarasota qualified for this list and five made it. voco Sarasota by IHG is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection1

    Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection

    ★★★★★4.5 from 1,636 reviews

    3.0 km from Ed Smith Stadium

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    • voco Sarasota by IHG2

      voco Sarasota by IHG

      ★★★★★4.4 from 1,002 reviews

      2.9 km from Ed Smith Stadium

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

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    • Aloft by Marriott Sarasota3

      Aloft by Marriott Sarasota

      ★★★★★4.3 from 1,332 reviews

      2.8 km from Ed Smith Stadium

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      • Burns Square Hotel4

        Burns Square Hotel

        ★★★★★4.7 from 128 reviews

        2.8 km from Ed Smith Stadium

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        • The Reserve Retreat5

          The Reserve Retreat

          ★★★★★4.5 from 583 reviews

          2.9 km from Ed Smith Stadium

          • Restaurant
          • Bar
          • Parking
          • Pet friendly
          • Kid friendly
          • Air conditioning

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        How this list was put together

        8 Sarasota hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Ed Smith Stadium 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.

        Daniel Kovac

        Daniel Kovac Central Europe

        Takes the same two weeks every August and drives somewhere far with his wife and daughter. Twelve countries, all by road, all in one battered estate car. Plans routes on paper maps.

        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.