The former Palm Pavilion Inn could be replaced with a 144-room beachfront hotel under a proposal scheduled to go before the Clearwater City Council on Thursday.
To make the redevelopment possible, the developer is seeking 91 rooms from Clearwater Beach’s Hotel Density Reserve, which, combined with the 53 rooms already allowed on the 1.06-acre property, would permit the larger project.
The proposal would demolish the existing 30-room inn while preserving the nearly century-old Palm Pavilion restaurant, integrating it into the hotel through room service and food-and-beverage offerings, and keeping it open to the public.
Plans call for a nine-story, 75-foot-tall hotel above a four-level parking garage, increasing on-site parking from 32 spaces to 173. The fifth floor would house the lobby, pool deck and guest amenities, while guest rooms would occupy the upper floors.
The owners, who recently acquired both the inn and restaurant, say the project is intended to modernize the lodging component while preserving one of Clearwater Beach’s best-known landmarks. The hotel would feature Mediterranean-inspired architecture designed to complement the existing restaurant.
Tampa-based McKibbon Places, one of the Southeast’s largest hotel developers and operators, is part of the development team.
The request would draw from Clearwater Beach’s Hotel Density Reserve, a finite pool of hotel rooms established through Beach by Design to encourage redevelopment without increasing the overall permitted hotel density on the beach.
Thursday’s meeting will not authorize construction. Instead, council members will decide whether to move forward with a development agreement. If they do, the proposal will return for a public hearing Aug. 20 before advancing through site plan review and other development approvals.
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