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In this video you’ll hear from Peter Gregory, senior PR and marketing executive at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.

Further information

Learn more about St. Pete-Clearwater at visitstpeteclearwater.com.

Video transcript

With Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s senior PR and marketing executive, Peter Gregory, and TTG Media’s Madeleine Barber. 

Madeleine: Hello and welcome to our In the Spotlight video with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater! Hi Peter.

Peter: Hi, how are you doing?

Madeleine: Good, thanks, all good. So I know that St. Pete-Clearwater is home to 35 miles of beaches, tell us a bit about these and what visitors can expect from them...

Peter: Yeah, they can expect some of the best beaches in America and beyond. So all along our 35 miles of white, sugar-sand beaches you can expect some of the powdery-est most soft white sand you’ll get around. So this means in the summer months it doesn’t get too hot in the summer sun, so you’re never burning your toes running into the water. Also because we’re tucked on the Gulf of Florida right up just outside Tampa and the Tampa Bay area, we don’t have any of the Atlantic drift coming over, so we have really calm waters, still, crystal clear and also it gets to 30° in the water in summer. So it’s super, super warm and very comforting. But whether you’re wanting the classic Floridian kind of chill escape of St. Pete Beach or the real kind of high-octane watersports of Clearwater Beach, which is just 45 minutes north, you can get out and see what you want along our beaches for sure.

Madeleine: Sounds absolutely beautiful! Now I know the Opal Sol is a brand-new hotel on Clearwater Beach, can you tell us a bit about its unique selling points and in particular what type of clients will love this property?

Peter: Yeah absolutely. So the Opal Sol opened last month in February, so it’s a 248 all-suite all-Gulf view property, so no matter where you book in that hotel you’re getting the prime real estate to look at that kind of beautiful Clearwater Beach sunset where it melts into the water. So being the sister property of the already popular Opal Sands it’s another high-end property and they’re both connected via a skybridge, so if you book into the Opal Sol your clients get a stay basically at the Opal Sands as well. They get access to numerous pools, extra bars and restaurants, and direct access to Clearwater Beach. So what kind of client? You know families in particular, you know you can get those kind of connecting rooms, the suites, but also those looking for a bit more of an elevated beach experience Opal Sol is absolutely perfect for that more high-end client looking for that really good beach escape. For sure that’s one of their targets.

Madeleine: Fantastic, thank you, now at the recent Florida Huddle trade show it was announced that St. Pete-Clearwater is being added to the Michelin Guide, which is fantastic news. Why do you think the destination has been selected?

Peter: Yeah, first off it is incredible news – we’re so so happy that we can now talk about it. Why? I think there are numerous reasons. You know Downtown St. Pete has a bustling independent foodie scene all the way from Central Avenue. It’s about 30 blocks of purely independent restaurant bars and cafes that you can taste local, incredible fresh seafood. You can try international cuisines from absolutely all four corners of the globe, but it’s kind of the mixture between that real delicate foodie scene mixed with our beach scene as well. So we have that real elevated beach cuisine and farm-to-table experience. Everything’s fresh, everything’s local and yeah we take everything a step above. So I think we’re being recognised for the true culinary prowess of the destination.

Madeleine: Amazing! Now I hear one of the destination’s historic hotels has a Michelin tie-in as well. Can you tell us about this and why it’s a great place to stay and obviously a great place to eat too?

Peter: Yeah, indeed, so that’s the Vinoy in Downtown St. Pete. It’s right in the bay opposite the St. Pete pier. It celebrated its 100th year of operations, it’s 100th birthday. It is a gorgeous light pink property, it has been fully renovated in 2023, so top to bottom it is the highest spec that you can probably get in Downtown St. Pete, let alone the entirety of the St. Pete area. And its Michelin tie-in, so in May we’re opening the Elliott Aster restaurant. I say we, the Vinoy team themselves! That is in the grand ballroom dining room of The Vinoy. It’s the last part to be fully reopened from the renovations and it’s being opened by a Michelin star chef, so he’s back in the restaurant, he’s opening it with his vision, so that is expected to be one of the best restaurants in Downtown. So as soon as that opens get clients in to experience the grandeur of The Vinoy, you know there’s a Dale Chihuly sculpture in the ballroom, there are numerous pools, the spa, a golf course that you can get kind of taken to, there’s even like a yachting marina that’s private for the hotel itself. So it’s a truly standout property and Elliott Aster’s going to elevate that experience even more.

Madeleine: Yeah, it sounds wonderful! So there’s obviously plenty for foodies in St. Pete-Clearwater and I suspect there’s plenty for art lovers as well. I know you’re going to talk a bit about St. Pete’s art scene?

Peter: Yeah, absolutely, so we like to think of ourselves as the art and culture capital of Florida. We have over 600 commissioned murals in Downtown St. Pete alone, stretching all the way up to Clearwater Beach, so wherever you go, wherever you turn it’s very colourful and very beautiful. That kind of extends each year during the Shine Mural Festival, where local and international artists come to Downtown St. Pete and beyond to paint even more. Alongside that in Downtown we have some of the best museums in the state and and beyond, really all within a walkable area amongst Downtown, especially the Dali Museum, so that has the most prolific collection of Dali’s work outside of Spain – over two and a half thousand pieces and growing – which has garnered itself three stars in the Michelin Guide. So whether it’s you know glass art or fine art or western and wildlife art or the Dali you’ve really got some impeccable museums and artwork to see. So I highly recommend!

Madeleine: Incredible, thank you so much for sharing all of this news about St. Pete-Clearwater. That’s all we’ve got time for, so thank you to everyone else who’s tuned in to watch and take care.

Peter: Amazing, thank you everyone.