On the corner of Main Street and North Beach Boulevard, The Pearl Hotel has only amplified its iridescence with a few new amenities since opening in late 2020.
– By Kim Ranjbar, photos by McKenzey Northington 
Photo courtesy Pearl Hotel
Ideally situated across from the Municipal Harbor with a commanding view of the Gulf, one would think the hotel’s location could not get any better. But over the past few years, things have only been looking shinier for the Pearl, its guests, and residents of the surrounding community.
While not the most glamorous amenity, the recent addition of a parking lot reserved for hotel patrons has elicited much ado from denizens in the area. “The parking lot has been our latest revelation,” laughs Sarah Cure Clark, the Pearl’s co-owner and sales manager. “It was a much-needed addition for the hotel and the community.” As one might imagine, a hotel with the Pearl’s luster attracts business travelers and tourists seeking to stay the weekend (or longer) in BSL. The new lot considerably eased demand for the limited commercial and residential on-street parking in the area. 
A next-door gift, apparel, and sundries shop dubbed The Reef at Pearl Hotel is another exciting new addition that launched just last year. Along with clothing and hats sporting the hotel’s logo, the Main Street shop also features prints of Billy Solitario’s paintings, which decorate the lobby, halls, and rooms of the Pearl. “We have beautiful prints of Solitario’s paintings available,” says Clark. “We just recently added them to The Reef’s online store.” 
The Reef gift shop was originally situated in the hotel’s intimate lobby in an attempt to meet the needs of guests. “Our visitors kept asking for travel items like sunscreen and toothpaste,” says Clark. “The shop was just a natural progression.” Instead of sending guests several miles away to convenience stores, they now only need to visit The Reef around the corner for stylish solutions such as sun-blocking lifeguard hats from Hemlock Hat Co., flip flops and totes by Havaianas, and sun screen and lip balm by Sun Bum. Items like custom-made oyster knives, hand-painted oyster shell ornaments, local oyster-shell art and jewelry made by Genevieve Henggeler make the perfect BSL souvenirs. 
Finally, the Pearl’s immediate food scene has changed gears a bit with the closure of Smoke (a BBQ joint), which reopened as breakfast spot Cosmos late last year. Waveland-native Jeff Hansell, chef and owner of the Pearl’s premier seafood restaurant Thorny Oyster, decided to make the change, as it seemed there was a greater demand. The space-themed cafe decorated with a cartoon-y UFO mural and other celestially-inspired ephemera delights diners with dishes of grilled shrimp and house-made kimchi, powdered sugar-laden beignets with fruity dipping sauces, grilled veggie-topped foccacia, and Bananas Foster pancakes. Cosmos also serves specialty coffee drinks – whether you like them hot, cold or frozen – a stellar morning lift valued by locals and tourists alike. 
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