This hotel is my absolute favorite. The distant to the Amalie Arena is just perfect - right across the street. There are numerous activities around the hotel within walking distance. Every one of the staff are delightful in every way.
We can express enough how nice the commute to the Amalia Arena was from this hotel. Just a VERY short walk and you are at the front steps of the arena. It was nice to get to see our concert without having to find extra parking or get an Uber. I though the view was spectacular. The beds were big enough and oh so comfy. The pool was so nice and pleasant. We did not get to order room service but we did like that it was an option.
We would have liked to have seen less expensive breakfast options. Continental was $17 and Buffett breakfast was over $20. We ended up leaving the hotel to go to McDonalds. We just weren’t willing to spend that much.
We had a wonderful stay at the Marriott. Our only complaint is that the alarm in the room went off at 6:50 in the morning. We did not set it. We had stayed out late for a concert the night before and had an 8 hour drive ahead of us. We were not able to go back to sleep after the alarm surprised us. I think it’s important to check every room and make sure the alarms are not set from the previous guests. Driving that long distance with only a couple of hours of sleep was rough and it could have been prevented.
Other than that hiccup, we would have given this resort at 5 star! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The whole of Tampa, including this hotel, is undergoing a massive regeneration programme. I think in 5 years time this will be a venue that will be very impressive but for now it’s very much ‘work in progress’.
We wanted a hotel near the River Walk so we could walk out and explore. Didn’t realise the city had it’s own free trolley that takes you to the old Cuban style downtown area and we enjoyed riding that.
Hotel was fine. The updated areas were good. We especially enjoyed a late night swim on the roof top pool with underwater coloured lights.
The gym was great too. Lots of great equipment, good music, good a/c. The small room that let’s you choose your workout of choice on screen to follow was a nice touch.
Our room had a nice waterway view but there was a lot of noisy construction work going on down below so that meant sitting out on the balcony wasn’t an option (we were only on the 8th floor).
Beds were comfy and House Keeping were attentive to our extra needs.
Buffet breakfast was OK but not the best choice we’ve experienced.
The Concierge Level was nicely kept with comfortable seating and snacks available.
Unless you know Tampa very well I would recommend Valet parking.
Marriott have upped their game with launching ‘Bonvoy’ so hats off to them for trying to offer a better level of service in the crowded hotel market.
Exec Summary
Checkin was a breeze on the app. The hotel is under renovation, but lots has been done and it is quite nice. Seemed to be a good location with lots of stuff in walking distance.
Checkin
I never had to go to the desk. I did mobile checkin and used my phone as the key. That was perfect. I had someone email me ahead of time and I asked them to make sure I had a quiet room away from any renovations and that was a success as well.
Lobby/Bar
This was clearly just redone and very nice. It is quite large and open. The bar is at the back and provides a nice backdrop as you walk in. Great spot for a night cap.
Room
This was updated nicely. Some of the workmanship was lacking, but the design choices were nice. They went to a hard surface flow and an area rug. Felt like the AC Hotels brand a bit. The only down side was that I don't know if they mop the floors and mine was a bit sticky in the entry way. The vacuum isn't enough once you get rid of the traditional carpet. This and another issue knocked them out of Excellent for me. The bed was comfortable, but the pillow were awful. I have foam in my profile and if these were they were incredibly unsupportive. My neck was quite sore in the morning. I did have a nice water view. Room was very quiet and I was not disturbed by any noise even being next to the elevator.
Bathroom
This was also nicely updated. The caulk in areas was poorly done and some tile was chipped. As I said workmanship left a little to be desired on the remodel. Overall it was well lit and had good water pressure. They put in sliding doors for the shower and those did leak. I ended up using an extra towel to keep it from running everywhere.
Fitness Center
This we decent. I still prefer Westin Workout. They had a good number of treadmills a few bikes and ellipticals. It was busy. There were decent free weights and some pulley/cable stuff to do a fairly decent workout. Still not quite as good as Westin. The ceiling I found to be rather low.... not great if you are doing anything overhead with weights. It was also two levels so half of it required you to walk up steps that landed right at one of the pulley stations and a rowing machine. So hard to get around if someone was using those. If I stay again I would probably checkout the Westin for this reason.
Food
We walked down to the Jaskson Seafood & Sushi restaurant. It hit the spot. Some good rolls. Things seemed to close early around here though. We were the last ones there at 11.
Summary
Overall this is a nicely redone hotel in a good spot. I like the finishes. Fix the leak, sticky floor and get the rest of the construction done and I give it an Excellent. Not much can be done about the gym. Wifi was reasonably fast.
I asked to be on the concierge floor but nothing was available and so I ended up on the 15th floor - a new idea from Marriott called the stay well floor. Absolutely loved it! Super clean room, lighting options including one that wakes you up, air purifier in the room, and no cleaning solution or perfume smell. Room was large and I didn’t wake up stuffy. I hope Marriott roles this out to other locations! I will also say the front desk was super efficient and friendly. (The parking folks are aggressive though...wouldn’t let us leave the car parked for a few minutes to check in without giving us a ticket and having us pay for parking. So one of us had to wait in the car since we were returning it. Apparently it’s a third party company - I would not use them after that.)
