We generally are very fond of the Holiday Inn brand (Express or Suites) and look to them first when traveling. Visiting Tampa for a cruise, it was our natural inclination to look to this chain first. This location was easy off the highway and within a short distance (15 minutes) of the Tampa Cruise Terminal. The hotel offers a shuttle service that runs to the port and also has a parking option (at a cost) to leave your vehicle on the premises while away on a cruise. Dining options for the area are limited to some fast food operations but Uber rides are plentiful and reasonable priced.||Our King Bed Suite was a nice size room with king bed and small sitting area with a sofa and coffee table. I wouldn't quite consider it a suite, but it was more than adequate for the limited time we were in the room. The bathroom and walk in shower were bright and well maintained. Overall the room was comfortable and (as we have come to expect) the linens and pillows were Holiday Inn luxurious - simply the best hotel sleep of any chain.||As good as the room and bed were at this location, the included breakfast was disappointing. We have dined at dozens of Holiday Inn Express locations and appreciate it for what it is. We don't expect exceptional quality, but we do expect consistency; and, this location failed. Half way through the breakfast service (on consecutive days) we experienced the following problems: coffee was empty, juice was empty, "signature" cinnamon buns were empty and the warmer turned off, garbage was overflowing (really overflowing), tables were littered and dirty, and the bread box contained one slice of white bread. When I approached the staff in the kitchen to ask about refilling the stations (particularly since there was still an hour left to the breakfast service), they were kind enough to look up from their phones, smile, and tell me that they would be out shortly. I guess, to the staff's credit, they did refill what they could (coffee, juice, bread) with 10 - 15 minutes, but it should not have been my place to interrupt them to do their job.||In summary, this location has some positive aspects that will bring us back should we return to Tampa. We only hope that the negative issues can be resolved so that this hotel can at least be consistent with the rest of the Holiday Inn Express family.