Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa — Hotel in Palmetto

The decor is absolutely stunning. The interior designer definitely made the over look of a Marriott. Except with the paper towel holders in the middle of sink area and seat cover dispenser near the ground didn’t seem that sanitary.

My wife does protocol coaching and stays at Marriott's because she feels there are no hotels that have the cleanliness of a Marriott.

“Today as we were on our way to water st Marriott in Tampa we stopped at this one. Exhausted from the drive and going straight to the bathroom, she was greeted outside by security. I barely five feet from bathroom before he asks are you checking in. I’m just waiting on my husband he would usually be out here waiting unless maybe he already went to get things ready but that’s not normally like him did you see someone walk this way. He made me feel so uncomfortable standing there staring at me I just walked outside to the car. Being it’s four in the morning.

(3amer it is normal for me to be up and about. Especially at a transit Marriott where people are usually in and out. I’ll usually have my tea and sit in the lobby wait for the guys to grab my car and things

I’m now standing by the car in the dark outside, while now two security guards are waiting outside on me to clearly keep it moving. My husband comes out, instead of staying and getting this well needed pampered session at what I was told was a beautiful spa; I’m now just all together not staying there. Membership for our business or not,

Was it my outfit ? Was it the color of our skin ?

I walked straight to my husband and held him whispering I don’t want to stay here. He asked why, they made me feel less then. Was it the house gown from sleeping on the drive up in the car?

He goes well not everyone is up like us maybe go talk to the front. The security guards were no longer around, they watched us pull off, my husband obviously not wanting to keep driving said well what if you talk to them. So he pulls back in.

So sure I walk in let them know I have a membership with Marriott and I felt uncomfortable by security. The guy up front says “ well I can’t explain for what the security does especially when you come in here at this time”

She is a protocol coach by definition. SMH what a terrible experience for such a beautiful place. Water street can get crowded I was hoping this would be our new regular being it had the roof top and that’s what my wife loves after the cleanliness of marriotts. Now why she always says it use to be the man in the shirt now it’s the shirt that even gives the man an opportunity. She won’t get out the car at any of her regular places unless being ready. I always thought she was being a little extra on this being we are from New York. She’d say sir they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care and they only judge on how your outside is cared for and that you pay their bills by being a consumer in some areas. “ can’t let them catch you slipping “ now I see why she says this

A shame because it took four years to find a hotel suitable for her level of clean and now the search again because she no longer cares to pay 500-700 a night usually at these different locations to feel like a criminal at first glance before they know you can afford to stay here. I get security but there is way to do this invasively. They purposely wanted to make sure we felt they didn’t think we could afford to stay there. Color, clothes, time, doesn’t matter.

I’ll now spend this somewhere else. Wife to uncomfortable to stay here to tired to make it to water st in Tampa. Now her exclusive devotion to marriotts has probably collapsed its reign. #worstserviceever #creativecontentcreatorwifewillprobablypostonthis #iftheyonlyknewshedoesfirsttakeofbusinesstobadthisoneshewasntfilming #prettywomenmomentfromthestorethatthoughtshecouldnt...

The Good: The property itself is beautiful. We had a great experience with the on-site staff — food was excellent, room service logistics were smooth, and the communication between the front desk and dining staff was outstanding. We also rented a cabana ($100/day), which was very reasonable, especially while traveling with a four-month-old. The pool staff treated us exceptionally well. The facility is new, clean, and immaculate.

The Bad: The real issue was the booking experience through Vacations by Marriott. Although marketed under the Marriott name, we later learned it functions like a third-party booking (similar to Expedia or Kayak), which was never disclosed at the time of booking. This created major confusion about our Marriott Bonvoy benefits and responsibilities around billing.

Despite prepaying for our stay, we were charged over $300 in undisclosed resort and parking fees at checkout. The $45 per night resort fee — unlike most Marriott resort fees — did not include any food or beverage credits. In addition, parking was $25 per day for self-parking, which is excessive for a resort of this scale. None of these fees were clearly disclosed at booking or reviewed with us at check-in. Very poor communication from both Vacations by Marriott and the property itself.

Update (4/22): Despite multiple polite attempts to resolve the situation through Marriott Bonvoy Customer Care, direct emails to the property’s General Manager, and a formal case submission to Marriott Corporate, no resolution has been provided. Each party continues to blame the other, leaving loyal Marriott Bonvoy members stuck in the middle.

Update (5/14/25): Following my formal complaint to Marriott’s Office of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau, I received a follow-up from both the corporate team and the hotel’s general manager. Marriott ultimately refunded the fees for the unused night of our stay and awarded 20,000 Bonvoy points as a goodwill gesture. While this resolution took considerable time and effort to reach, I appreciate that Marriott and the Palmetto property took accountability in the end.

I’m updating this review to 3 stars in recognition of the strong on-site service and the final resolution provided. That said, I still urge Marriott to improve communication on its Vacations by Marriott platform, which continues to operate like a third-party booking engine without fully disclosing its limitations or the differences from booking directly through Marriott.com. Moreover, this property needs to be more diligent in communicating their fees (both parking and destination) upon check-in.

If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy member, book directly through Marriott.com to avoid confusion with benefits, billing, or property-level...

My family and I travel almost every year for Christmas. This was one of the best hotels we’ve stayed in for Christmas. It’s not because of the hotel itself (although it’s beautiful) but more so because of the staff! Most of the staff were welcoming and very accommodating. We looked forward to seeing Collin and Ms. Valerie in particular. All of the staff at the bars and the M Lounge were AMAZING! There was a lady with blonde hair at the front desk each day of our stay who seemed really uncomfortable interacting us. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t pleasant either. Her personality wasn’t up to par with the other staff.

The food was about 6.5/10. The flavors were on the bland side. It has potential. The chicken tinga tacos tasted like the sauce came from a package. The loaded yucca fries and calamari were pretty good. Overall, we decided not to dine in the restaurant again after our first day.

The rooms are spacious and thoroughly clean. We were comfortable in our space. I really really enjoyed our room! 10/10 One thing to note for the rooms as well as the pool are the condition of the towels. We noticed stains on multiple towels during our visit. I expect clean towels from any hotel. I was weary about the cleanliness and hygiene of all of the linen after noticing the stains.

The hotel is BEAUTIFUL!! The layout, the decor, and the vibes are immaculate! Definitely instagrammable and TikTok worthy.

Things to note: $25 self parking per night. I honestly don’t understand why this Marriott charges for parking. I’ve stayed in other Marriotts with restaurants and conference areas that don’t charge guests for parking. It doesn’t really fit for this hotel.

The fire pit doesn’t work. It’s beautiful… it’s a main part of the space at night and it doesn’t work.

The M lounge has great food and snacks. The ladies keep it stocked and are very accommodating. The lounge doesn’t have a cocktail hour or have beers during the day. I was shocked by this. This is a huge downside when compared to other Marriotts of this caliber. The wine dispenser wasn’t functional my entire stay. You also have to pay for the wine. Eh. I think someone needs to look at what the other M lounges offer and make adjustments.

Overall: I recommend this hotel! The staff will take care of you and you will have a large room/comfortable stay. There are a lot of restaurants and...