CLEARWATER, Fla. — The newest resort on Clearwater Beach, Opal Sol, offers the most meeting space in Pinellas County. It opens the county to mid-size hotel groups for the first time, according to Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.

What You Need To Know

  • Opal Sol opened on Feb. 14 at Clearwater Beach

  • Opal Sol has an 8,800 square foot ballroom 

  • When combined with its sister property, Opal Sand, the hotels offer 106,000 square feet of meeting space

  • Visit St. Pete-Clearwater says Opal Sol has enough space to attract mid-sized groups to Pinellas County for the first time

“Groups who have not been able to come here in the past will now be able to consider Clearwater Beach as a destination,” said VSPC CEO and Pres. Brian Lowack. “That’s going to open up the opportunity for us.”

Opal Sol, with 248 Gulf front suites, opened on Feb. 14, next to its sister resort Opal Sand. A skyway bridge connects the hotels, giving it a combined 106,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Opal Collection Florida Regional Director of Sales and Marketing Nancy Cimney.

“They (Ocean Properties) saw that there was a demand in the market to expand,” she said. “I mean, we do some amazing leisure business, but there’s a market here for larger groups and it’s really been welcomed.”

At Opal Sol, the pre-function meeting space is 6,600 square feet, which leads into four Solstice ballrooms, with a combined 8,800 square feet of space, according to Cimney. An air wall can retract into the ceiling, making it one large room with an unbeatable view of Clearwater Beach.

“You get this absolutely spectacular view,” said Cimney. “There isn’t a meeting space in Pinellas County that has this amazing feature.”

Cimney said so far they’ve hosted 10 mid-sized groups, mostly corporate, averaging at least one per week.  

“You can have a corporate group here that is very focused on a message, but you can also have an incentive group that is here just to enjoy the area,” she said. “We’re not a convention center by any stretch of the imagination, but that mid-sized group, it does expand into that market. And that has been kind of missing for Pinellas County up until now.”

Having groups book at local resorts is especially important to the hotel during the off season, according to Cimney. She said Opal Sol has met expectations for its first year open.

“Many of the groups that we had were on the verge of having to leave because they had gotten too big,” said Cimney. “They love coming to this destination. They love our hotels, and now this gives them another option to expand their meetings as well.”