Our stay was simply ok. We won't go back. Not terrible, not the worst I've seen, just ho-hum. And not the feeling I wanted for a vacation. For what it offered, it was expensive. Lots of nickel-and-dime stuff that I'd rather not have to deal with. At the end of the trip, we felt squeezed. Don't get me wrong, the amount wasn't the issue. We've stayed at nicer places and have spent much more on a holiday. Poor value was more the issue.

We stayed in this property to attend a medical conference. The seminar company is located on the property, and we were offered a rate for the room.

This was the first time we had been to Sarasota. I brought my wife and 2-year-old.

The hotel has been newly remodeled, and they did a nice job with it. The decor was clean, coastal and modern. The room had new furniture, fixtures, a flat-screen TV. Nice quality stuff. The bed linens were fantastic. We had a deluxe king room with a view of the water. While nice looking, the room and the hotel had a musty, not-quite moldy smell to it. Damp, something, I'm not sure. Not fresh and new.

The hotel offered wi-fi through the pay service from t-mobile. Rather than have us pay $9.99 per day for access, the check-in clerk gave us $9.99 gift cards for as many days as we needed. The account covered one computer for access at one time. Multiple computers, a computer and an iphone, etc. couldn't work. The connection quality was spotty across the complex. Interestingly, it was easier to get a signal from the nearby Ritz Carlton than it was to get the t-mobile signal. My wife and I couldn't connect at the same time. When finished, we had to click a "logoff" window from t-mobile. We kept getting locked out because my iphone didn't allow for a popup "logoff" window. This was a working trip for us, and the lack of access was frustrating in this digital age.

The hotel is not kid friendly. It's not located in walking distance to anything but a kid's science museum across the street. To go to the beach, downtown for dinner, shopping, the movies, etc., you have to arrange transport. There is a hotel shuttle, but they charge $8 per person each way. They wanted to charge us $48 roundtrip to go to the beach for a few hours, etc. Local cabs are available, but the fee was $15 each way to town/beach. One trip to the beach and another to dinner, a normal day on vacation, added $60/day for transport. We had to negotiate with the hotel drivers to drop the shuttle fee to something more agreeable. It was a hassle. After one day of this, we rented a car. The hotel doesn't charge for parking.

The hotel has a nice pool, with a waterfall. This is a nice compensation to a view than encompasses the Ritz Carlton pool, a marina, some canal and a huge vacant lot. I ordered a mohito at poolside. $10, 8oz, 1/2 ice, weak. Not worth it to me.

We ordered room service the first night. A salad, portobello burger, some spring rolls, some pasta, 2 beers, chocolate cake. The food was simple, bland, unimaginative. The place is supposed to have a special new chef with a new menu. I think they should probably keep looking. We also spent about $100 for it. I should've learned my lesson with the $10 mohito.

We considered changing hotels. The location, quality and services were 2 or 3-star, and the prices and hidden charges weren't appropriate. Had I been enjoying the hotel, I don't think I would've noticed. I just got tired of sticker shock and the number of little places that the charges kept popping up. For what they charged, I felt the food, decor, service, location, view, etc. should've been much better than it was.

After the initial experience had passed, aided by the promise of freedom with a rented car and some dining and fun outside of the hotel, we really began to enjoy the trip. Ultimately our trip was nice, but it was despite the hotel, not because of it. The more we stayed away from the hotel, the better the experience became.

My recommendation would be to find a hotel closer to the beaches, restaraunts, etc. Even if you're someone coming to this hotel for the conferences, rent a car from the airport and drive over.

Just been refurbished – amazing job – clean – comfortable and a hotel room that you really won’t want to leave. Would certainly visit again if in the area

This hotel is in the middle of a major revamp. Be advised that they are not done yet, so there is some construction going on in the hotel as of this writing. I recommend calling first about this. They also seem to cater to wedding parties, so you might encounter gaggles of drunken twenty-somethings in evening gowns and tuxes staggering around the place from time to time.

The quality of the staff varied greatly from extremely personable to downright testy. The restaurant appeared to be seriously understaffed, although Sheila, the woman who served us dinner, was very good. The menu at the restaurant was limited, but the burgers (both the Hamburger and the Portobello Burger) were excellent. Others reported that the Entrees were merely adequate, but I can't speak to that. I did notice that, for a place on the Gulf of Mexico, the choices for seafood entrees were surprisingly weak (which is why I ended up eating the burger). It didn't appear that any of the fish on the menu was caught locally. The breakfast buffet is adequate, but nothing special. One breakfast specialty is the Sticky Bun French Toast, which was good, but certainly not a good choice for the health-conscious.

I don't sunbathe, so I can't report on the pool, but it seemed popular, so maybe this is a good hotel for sun worshippers. There is a pier in back of the hotel and you can board yacht tours directly there.

Pro: The rooms are very nice, and the staff does a good job keeping it clean. The area around the hotel is quite beautiful, and there are even a few interesting things within walking distance. Directly across the street is the G. Wiz science center, which is a perfect place to take kids.

Cons: The construction in the lobby is extremely LOUD. Table saws, hammering, the whole nine yards. The acoustics of the place make it even worse. The first night I was there, there was a wedding party going on in the lobby, and it was even louder than the construction, so don't expect to be able to go down to the lobby and sit at the bar and relax. I guess they figure everyone will want to lounge around the pool anyway.

We stayed April 25 - 27, 2008. We got a balcony view which was absolutely beautiful with city and bay views. Our room was very clean with a new contemporary look, the mattress and pillows were wonderful.

The pool was delighful with the resort type waterful and tiki bar. The atmosphere in the pool area made it worth while to hang out there.

The hotel staff were all very friendly and pleasant. I can only give this hotel the neutral/average rating at this time because of the construction. We were on the 5th floor which was a good thing since we could barely hear the noise. However, Sunday morning at breakfast in the lobby restaurant, the drilling continued which was more than annoying. It just made you want to get out of there. The management should cease construction on Sunday! I actually feel sorry for the staff there having to hear this all the time.

Besides the construction, I would highly recommend this hotel and I would definitely stay there again.