How to Spend the Day at Sarasota’s Best Hotels—Without Spending the Night

My friend Ryan and I lazily soaked up the sun as we gazed at the bay in the distance. Around us, people chatted about their vacation plans. The Ritz-Carlton, one of Sarasota’s finest hotels, was ours for the day.

I nibbled on a piece of pineapple from an elaborate fruit display brought to us by our personal attendant and watched Ryan’s son, Aiden, splash in the pool.

This is the life, I thought.

Here’s the best part: We weren’t staying at the Ritz-Carlton.

We’d booked a cabana through ResortPass, a service that lets you enjoy the pools, spas and other amenities at some pretty fabulous hotels—without paying the considerable cost of an overnight stay.

A different afternoon took me to the rooftop pool at Art Ovation Hotel. We relaxed in a beautiful cabana while a DJ played nearby. The music, the people and the Sarasota skyline gave the entire afternoon the energy of a real getaway.

A few hours later, I drove home.

This is why I love ResortPass. It lets you borrow the best part of a vacation for the day.

Pick Your Version of Vacation

Whether you live here or you’re staying at an Airbnb that looked much more luxurious in the pictures, ResortPass is your ticket to hotel life—without paying for an actual room.

The app lets you search for hotels offering daytime access to their pools, spas and other amenities. Pick a date, see what’s available and decide exactly how vacation-like you want your day to be.

You can keep it simple with a pool pass. Show up, grab a chair and spend the afternoon swimming and ordering drinks.

Want to feel a little more pampered? Reserve a cabana or daybed and your own spot will be waiting. No circling the pool with towels and bags, hoping several chairs miraculously open up together. You arrive. You settle in. Someone brings you a cocktail. Life improves.

Some hotels offer spa experiences, too. The Westin Sarasota is always a fun one to check. Depending on what is available, you may be able to schedule a massage and spend the rest of the day at its rooftop pool.

And then there are day rooms.

Yes, you can get an actual hotel room for the day. Take a nap. Have a shower. Change for dinner. Spread out on a bed in a fluffy robe and pretend you’re staying there until it’s time to leave.

A day room could also save you from that awkward stretch before your Airbnb is ready. Instead of driving around Sarasota with a car full of luggage, you could be floating in a pool.

I know which one I’d choose.

Sarasota Has Some Great Options

The Ritz-Carlton and Art Ovation are the two ResortPass experiences I’ve personally tried, and I loved both of them.

The Sarasota Modern is another fun choice, and The Westin is worth checking when you want a rooftop pool or spa experience. You may also find options on Anna Maria Island and Siesta Key.

During season, a pass at a Siesta Key property may even remove some of the stress that comes with finding beach parking—if the ResortPass listing specifically says parking is included.

I wouldn’t use a hotel merely as a parking trick. But if you genuinely book a day at the property, use the amenities and follow its parking rules, included parking can certainly make the day easier.

The selection changes constantly. Some of the most popular places need to be reserved well in advance. Other times, you can look in the morning and be beside a pool that afternoon.

Season makes a difference, too. Certain hotels may stop offering passes when they’re busy with overnight guests. Others may limit their availability to weekdays or offer fewer choices during the most popular months.

In other words, if your heart’s set on a particular pool or cabana, plan ahead. If you’re flexible, take a look and see where the day leads you.

Before You Reserve That Cabana

Read every detail before booking.

Sometimes a cabana comes with a food-and-beverage minimum—and that minimum can represent a lot of food. The amount you pay to reserve the cabana may not be the total amount you’re committing to spend.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t book it. A table covered with salads, fruit and cocktails beside the pool sounds like an excellent problem to have.

Just come hungry.

You should also check how many people the reservation covers, whether parking is included, which amenities you may use and the exact hours of your pass. Look for service charges, taxes, cancellation rules, age restrictions and policies about bringing in outside food.

The beautiful photographs will sell you on the fantasy. The fine print tells you what the fantasy actually costs.

Take Your Daycation on the Road

ResortPass is also a fun way to explore more of Florida without committing to an overnight trip.

Look at St. Pete, Punta Gorda or Fort Myers. You can drive there in the morning, spend the day at a resort and have dinner before heading home to Sarasota.

If you book a day room, you can shower and change before dinner. Nobody has to sit through the drive home wearing a damp swimsuit under a cover-up—which may be reason enough to consider it.

It’s also a relatively easy way to try a hotel before booking a longer stay. Spend a day there, see how the staff treats you and decide whether you’d want to return for an entire weekend.

Why Wait for a Vacation?

There are plenty of reasons to use ResortPass. Maybe you live in Sarasota and want to escape your usual routine. Maybe you’re staying in a vacation rental without a pool. Maybe you want a spa day, a birthday cabana or somewhere comfortable to go before check-in.

Or perhaps it’s Tuesday, the sun is shining and you’d rather be holding a cocktail beside a rooftop pool.

You don’t always need a plane ticket, a packed suitcase or even a hotel reservation to feel as though you’ve gone somewhere.

Sometimes, you just need the hotel for the day.

Availability, prices, amenities and hotel policies change frequently. Confirm all details through ResortPass and directly with the hotel before booking.