TripAdvisor honors three Bradenton area businesses with Travelers’ Choice Best awards
Three Bradenton-area businesses have been named 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Award recipients.
The Anna Maria Oyster Bar at 6696 Cortez Road W. was recognized as ranking in the top 10 percent of restaurants worldwide, based on a full year of Tripadvisor reviews, prior to any changes caused by the pandemic. Award winners exemplify travelers’/diners’ ultimate favorites.
Also recognized were two Mainsail properties on Anna Maria Island: Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club, 5325 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, and Mainsail Beach Inn, 101 66th St., Holmes Beach.
The Tampa-based Mainsail company had three other properties recognized as well, including Epicurean Hotel in Tampa, Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, and Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands,
“We are beyond proud to receive the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Award from Tripadvisor,” John Horne, owner of Anna Maria Oyster Bar, said in a press release. “Being recognized by our guests is an honor that means more than anything to us. We are proud to be a place where our guests are comfortable recommending to their friends and fellow Tripadvisor travelers.”
Anna Maria Oyster Bar started more than 20 years ago as a casual family seafood restaurant. Other Anna Maria Oyster Bars include Landside, 6906 14th St. W.; Ellenton, 1525 51st Ave. E.,; and the Pier, 200 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach.
Horne and his restaurants have a strong commitment to educational initiatives such as Dive into Reading, a national award-winning summer reading program for grade-schoolers in partnership with the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading; the Horne & Moon Scholarship Fund for adults looking to further their schooling, and annual support for PACE Center for Girls, among other projects. Horne is a trustee on the State College of Florida Board and also received SCF’s first honorary degree in philanthropy.
The annual Travelers’ Choice award program honors 4,817 unique businesses comprising the top 10 percent of all listings on Tripadvisor. Winners were calculated based on the quality and quantity of the millions of reviews, opinions and ratings collected on Tripadvisor in 2019.
“There are nearly 9 million businesses listed on Tripadvisor, which makes these awards a true testament to the kind of outstanding service and quality Mainsail provides guests throughout our diverse portfolio of hotels and resorts,” Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Lodging & Development, said in a press release. “This recognition brings some much needed good news to the hardworking teams who continue to give their all to deliver extraordinary guest experiences during these extraordinarily difficult times.”
Mainsail Lodging & Development invested more than $30 million in the property at 5325 Marina Drive to develop Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club on a site that was previously home to Pete Reynard’s restaurant. Waterline opened in 2017.
Winners of the 2020 Travelers’ Choice Awards should be proud of this recognition, said Kanika Soni, chief commercial officer at Tripadvisor.
“Although it’s been a challenging year for travel and hospitality, we want to celebrate our partners’ achievements. Award winners are beloved for their exceptional service and quality. Not only are these winners well-deserving, they are also a great source of inspiration for travelers/diners as the world begins to venture out again,” Soni said in a press release.
