- January 20, 2026
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A new hotel is coming to a master-planned community in south Sarasota County. Wellmar, a Tribute Portfolio hotel by Marriott, broke ground Tuesday in the downtown district of Wellen Park.
When it opens, the five-story hotel will feature a lobby with a bar that opens to a resort-style pool deck and cafe bar for both guests and the community. The 149-room property will also have a rooftop restaurant and 3,500 square feet of meeting space.
Allyson Group Inc., a real estate development and hotel management company based in Illinois, will own and manage Wellmar. The company's portfolio includes Marriott and Choice hotels in Florida, Illinois and Montana.
Allyson Group also owns two properties in Venice — TownePlace Suites by Marriott and Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott — according to Allyson Group Director of Sales Michelle Seamon. Wellmar near North Port will “feel like a destination,” Seamon says, with its banquet venue and queen and king rooms.
“This is going to be a product that we're going to be proud of, and the service level is going to be extraordinary,” Allyson Group CEO Brad McMillin said at the Wellmar groundbreaking. The 3,500-square-foot meeting space will be able to accommodate everything from weddings to business gatherings, McMillin says, with the hotel providing a bridal suite, banquet kitchen and pre-function space. In addition to having a restaurant and bar, the full-service hotel will offer room service.
“This project represents continued investment in Wellen Park's growth as a premier destination for residents, visitors and businesses alike,” North Port City Manager Jerome Fletcher said at the groundbreaking. “Wellmar will create new jobs, support local vendors and attract visitors who contribute to our local economy. The hotel also enhances North Port's ability to host meetings, weddings and special events — something our city truly has needed.”
Tribute Portfolio hotels by Marriott are independent boutique hotels that “connect people and places,” according to Marriott. Other Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotels in the region include The Sarasota Modern; The Luce in St. Pete Beach; The Karol Hotel in Clearwater; and The Westshore Grand in Tampa.
“Wellen Park is made of connections,” Wellen Park Vice President of Marketing Christine Masney said at the groundbreaking.
The downtown district where the Wellmar hotel will be located is known as Downtown Wellen. It was designed to be a social hub and is filled with shops, restaurants and other businesses as well as a great lawn, splash pad and pedestrian trails centered around an 80-acre lake.
Last fall, Downtown Wellen broke ground on its second phase of development, with 44,000 square feet of commercial space, a two-acre dog park and luxury apartments underway.
Wellmar will be the “cherry on top” for Downtown Wellen, Masney says.
The new hotel could attract future residents, according to Visit Sarasota President and CEO Erin Duggan.
“Tourism is the front door of economic development,” Duggan said at the Wellmar groundbreaking. “The visitor that is coming here today is going to be the resident of tomorrow.”
Wellen Park, which recently ranked No. 8 on a list of the top 50 master-planned communities nationwide by sales, is home to more than 10,000 residents in over a dozen neighborhoods. It will have more than 50,000 residents and 22,500 homes when it is built out.
West Palm Beach-based BlueWater Builders will handle the construction of Wellmar, located off Wellen Park Boulevard. Other members of the project team include DLW Architects of Dunedin, St. Pete branding agency Hype Group and Oregon interior design firm The Society.
Wellmar is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2027.
