If you’re searching for a hotel in Sarasota you’ve got choices all up and down the scale of quality. But if you’re coming for Spring Training and trying to keep the costs even a little within reason you’ll unfortunately be near the bottom of that scale, which is where we find ourselves at the Days Inn Sarasota Bay. Is it good enough? is that good enough for you? Let’s take a look.
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I booked this hotel for three nights from March 4-7 which was Wed-Sat.
Two of those nights totaled an average of $156.26 each after tax and all charges. The third was 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points. The Days Inn Sarasota Bay has an Expedia rating of 5.8 from 1005 reviews. Check the Expedia rates for your dates.
I chose this hotel because the Spring Training baseball season is a very expensive time to book in Sarasota and these rates along with the free night were part of a strategy to save $1000 a week on peak hotel rates.
Days Inn Sarasota Location
The Days Inn Sarasota is a bit north of downtown. It’s on a strip of Old Florida style motels with a few family attractions thrown in. You’ll definitely want a car if you’re staying here.
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With a car, it’s pretty convenient. It’s also close to the Ringling Art Museum if you’re making that a part of your visit, and very convenient to the airport if you’re flying.
Days Inn Sarasota Property
The hotel is old but the property is pretty well kept. It’s apparent that major capital intensive updates aren’t being put off and overall it looks great from the outside. The lobby is recently renovated as well.
The pool here is very nice for an airport motel. It’s clean and maintained and long on Florida sunshine vibes. It is surrounded by the parking lot but it’s kind of the overflow section of the lot. So the pool isn’t surrounded by cars.
I didn’t have breakfast any of the days I was there but it is available free in the lobby and a coin op washer dryer is present as well. Unfortunately a fitness center is missing.
Days Inn Sarasota Guest Rooms
The updates and renovations continue into the rooms, but not all the way. In my room the walls were recently repainted and the flooring was modern and in good shape. But as you can see in the photos the furniture and finishings have been hanging around for quite a while.
There was a good deal of wear and tear on the furnishings, which is to be expected at any Days Inn location. The loveseat in particular was worn and near the end of its life.
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The bathroom sink is outside the water closet and part of the main room, meaning you’ve got less privacy if you’re not traveling alone. You’ve also got to keep the curtains closed against people passing by on the efficiency catwalk. Room was overall fine but definitely not my favorite.
About Sarasota
Sarasota is really nice. Like, you walk down Main Street and see sales offices for the Ritz Carlton Residences, St. Regis Residences, etc. There’s a lot of money here and a lot of people who retired rich. The Ringling family of circus fame endowed their fortune towards arts and education in Sarasota and that influence and benefit is all over the city.
Main Street is a collection of boutiques, galleries and restaurants that can rival Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale. Beaches here have a bit of an off-the-beaten-path feel without being too naturalistic or undeveloped. The city is also the spring home of the Baltimore Orioles and a good base location for fans of any team who want to drive the coast and see multiple spring games.
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If Sarasota were in Brazil or Spain influencers would be flocking to it from all over the world. As it is it retains hidden gem status being overshadowed by Florida’s larger cities. But you could spend a week here with plenty to do. If you’re considering a trip to Charleston or Nashville you might be better served by looking here instead.
Bottom Line
The Days Inn Sarasota is a pretty average Days Inn. Which is to say not very good. But it’s always going to be one of your more economical choices.
This hotel was fine and I would stay here again but I can’t exactly recommend it. I can’t say if it’s better than any of the neighboring motels which include a lot of independents, a Quality Inn, a La Quinta and a Best Western.
If you’re a Wyndham person or this property stands out to you for some other reason go ahead and book it. It’s fine.
