- October 19, 2022
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The rooftop bar is one of three located in The Westin Sarasota.
The 18-story, 255-room Westin will have a grand opening in September.
The Roof Bar and Eats is located on the 19th floor of the hotel.
The rooftop amenities also include a pool.
The rooftop seating areas offer a view of the city and the bay.
Ron and Dee Cashman, left and right, were the first two customers at The Roof. Bartender Julie Asher, center, said both patrons and staff were excited for the business to open.
Couches and chairs dot the rooftop bar area at The Westin Sarasota.
The waterfront development is located next to other high-rise buildings in the area.
The second-floor restaurant, EVOQ, features the same aquatic imagery used throughout the hotel.
Residents have criticized The Westin project for its design and the building's proximity to the street.
The public now has access to a portion of one of downtown’s biggest developments following the opening of The Westin Sarasota today.
The 18-story, 255-room hotel is located at 1175 N. Gulfstream Ave. The hotel is part of the Vue Sarasota Bay project, which also includes a 141-room condominium building still under construction.
Although a grand opening isn’t scheduled until September, staff said the hotel is fully operational and accepted its first guests today. Hotel amenities include a restaurant, a ballroom and additional conference space and a rooftop bar that offers views of the bay.
Lakewood Ranch residents Ron and Dee Cashman were the first two customers at The Roof Bar and Eats after the hotel’s 1 p.m. opening. The couple said they were excited as soon as they heard the business planned to open today.
“We were just dying for a place like this — because there’s nothing like this here,” Ron Cashman said.
The project has drawn criticism from other residents, who have critiqued the building’s design, proximity to the street and the amount of traffic it will generate at the corner of Gulfstream and U.S. 41.
