Clearwater’s New Karol Hotel To Open In Fall

CLEARWATER, FL -- Tampa-based Mainsail Lodging & Development has announced The Karol Hotel will be ready for its first guests this fall.

The hotel at 2675 Ulmerton Road is the first Tribute Portfolio hotel to open at the end of this year in Pinellas County.

Centrally located in Feather Sound between Clearwater, St. Pete and Tampa, the new boutique hotel will feature 123 guest rooms and suites; a signature lobby bar and restaurant; a rooftop bar overlooking Tampa Bay; a combined 7,340 square feet of event space, including a ballroom and executive conference rooms; and a resort-style pool and fitness center.

Marketed by Mainsail Lodging & Development, the hotel is named for and inspired by Karol Kelly Bullard, “Miss Karol K,” wife of Fred Bullard, CEO of The Bullard Group, which is developing the property.

“The Karol Hotel is going to be a showcase property – in this market, in our collection and in the Tribute Portfolio,” said Joe Collier, Mainsail Lodging & Development’s president. “The Karol will be a hideaway of classic, refined comforts, with a personality built on charm, generosity, and tasteful indulgence of the finer things – the same spirit embodied by its namesake.”

Part of Marriott International Inc., the Tribute Portfolio is a family of independent boutique hotels, each with its own personality, but rooted in their local communities.

“That makes The Karol a perfect fit,” said Collier.

Fred and Karol Bullard are two of Feather Sound’s, and Florida’s, most notable duos, known for living lives full of adventure, philanthropy and dinners with presidents. When presented the opportunity to build a hotel, as chairman and CEO of The Bullard Group, Fred Bullard knew he wanted to pay homage to his wife.

“With her personality and drive, Karol was destined for greatness, whether as a radio DJ, finishing school founder or Florida’s first weather woman,” said Bullard. “Now she devotes herself to various charities and philanthropies, generously working to support the arts, families and children in need. It’s just who she is.”

The guest rooms and suites of the boutique hotel will be dressed in a palette of white marble, tawny beige, gray and bold accents of clear Florida sky blue carpet with an abstracted feather motif.

Guests of The Karol Hotel will also have ample culinary options, from the signature K Club Bar & Bistro to the Vantage Rooftop Bar overlooking Tampa Bay.