Mina Tocalini, 360 Magazine, Dolphin

Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club

Sitting on America’s number one beach, this dolphin and marine life themed hotel features the inspiring dolphin made famous by the Dolphin Tale movies – Winter. Part of the Ascend Hotel Collection portfolio by Choice Hotels, Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club comes to life after an extensive renovation and rehaul of an existing Choice hotel with a focus on sustainability and conservation.

“We are beyond excited to open this hotel to guests and offer them a very special experience that ties in with the mission of Clearwater Marine Aquarium,” said Page Development Group President Steve Page.

The 91-room beachfront hotel boasts an outdoor pool with beach cabana rentals, as well as two on-site restaurants, Cabanas Coastal Grill and Cabanas Beachside, serving up fresh seafood, American fare and specialty cocktails, providing ample opportunities for guests to relax and connect. After a long day in the warm Florida sunshine, guests can retreat to their room and enjoy all the comforts of home, including complimentary WiFi, a refrigerator and microwave, as well as a Keurig coffee maker and in-room coffee.

As part of Page Development’s Group passion for environmental protection and commitment to sustainable practices, Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club is CMA-certified with measures to protect marine life including sea turtle safe lighting, the elimination of single-use plastics, and special window treatments to reduce energy use while minimizing the harmful effects of sun glare off of the Gulf.

“We’re so excited to invite guests to see Winter at our facility and then have them stay in this fabulous and environmentally friendly, Winter and marine life themed hotel,” said CEO, Frank Dame. “We’re confident that families will be attracted by the newness of the hotel, its commitment to sustainability, and the unique learning opportunities of immersive marine life education.”

Not only will guests feel good about the sustainability of their stay at Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club, they will be contributing to Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s non-profit mission. Proceeds from each room night will go directly to the care, education, research and conservation of marine mammals through the work of CMA.

Winter the Dolphin’s Beach Club is managed by Tampa-based McKibbon Hospitality, with hospitality veteran Adam Winning recently appointed as the hotel’s General Manager. Adam brings more than a decade of hospitality and leadership experience to the role, having most recently served as the General Manager of Aloft Jacksonville Airport.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. CMA is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, nurse sharks and more. Winter the dolphin’s story of survival, after an injury that caused her to lose her tail, has impacted millions of people around the world. Major motion picture Dolphin Tale (2011) features Winter’s story and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) features the incredible story of Hope, a young resident dolphin of CMA. Through Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, CMA conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, right whales and sea turtles. The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world.

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