Aloft Tampa Midtown — Hotel in Tampa

THIS WAS THE WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD. I was here as a gift from my sister who decided to give me a vacation, as I am in nursing school and am feeling overworked. CHECK IN: My sister and I get to the hotel to check in and are greeted by one of the worst hotel clerks I've ever met. CARLOS greeted us by asking if we were both 21 before even saying hello. We both have a young face but are well into our late 20s. I try and take it as a complement and state that we are there to check into the hotel, we have a reservation and yes, we are both over the age of 21. "you don't look it" Carlos states with the most twisted up expression until I hand him ID and he sees that I am actually older than him. Funny, so I try not to take it to heart. He gets us checked in but he doesn't inform us of anything for amenities, check out or parking. I ask "Hey where do we park? Just the parking lot outside?" LIKE ANY OTHER HOTEL. "nope valet only, ten dollars a day, and you have to use it for overnight or they will tow your car". I was flabbergasted okay no problem, I can pay 20 dollars, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR PARKING AT ANY OTHER HOTEL.

PARKING: YOU HAVE TO USE VALET PARKING, AND CANNOT PARK ANYWHERE ELSE. Please beware of this. They say its on the website. It is not stated. They will tell you $10 for overnight. This is incorrect. It is in fact 35$ a night. So for two cars, it was almost $150. I was not told until checkout and was in shock and very very angry that not only was I told by CARLOS, the front desk attendee, but also by valet, not once but TWICE by different valet employees, after I went to clarify that I had to use valet and pay $10. So that is three times someone told me the parking was only $10. This already seemed unreasonable to me. Why pay for parking? oh well. no problem. Get to check out and I have a balance of almost $150. WOOOOW. not expecting to drop that amount of money after already paying so much for a hotel!! I was in shock.

STAFF: Not only was the staff rude about this valet parking dilemma but they were just super unfriendly and almost pretentious otherwise. The manager who handled the situation was laughing and sneering at me about not knowing about the overnight parking fee. IT FEELS LIKE A SCAM, not knowing about the fee until check out and then having to fork over another couple hundred dollars for "parking". Everywhere I went to go check out whether it be the bars upstairs, the poolside, or just walking the halls to check out the other amenities, no one greeted me, and I was met with a face of almost disgust that I was even there bothering them, and their conversations. It made me feel very uneasy and unwanted. ROOM AND AMENITIES: The pool is very very small. Way smaller than the pictures make it seem. The rooftop bar is extremely dirty and the floor is sticky. Like a cheaply done house flip this hotel is not very well thought through. UPON ENTERING THE ROOM: The layout is odd. The bathroom and shower are open for all to see so it's not family-friendly, or even friend-friendly if you are not very open to nudity. The bathroom sink spills water all over the floor because the faucet and the bowl of the sink do not line up. The shower was dirty, and the room smelled like wet dogs. Upon coming to the continental breakfast, I may as well have licked the floors. All of the food is open and cross-contaminated with every other item. nothing is in plastic, not the muffins, bagels, or any other baked goods. Did we learn nothing from the pandemic? It was very sad and disappointing.

OVERALL: I was extremely disappointed with the staff and the lack of care that seems to go into this place. It seemed to be a good place to book and I wish I had cheaped out and had gone somewhere I knew. IF I WERE YOU I would book anywhere else. ...

Our wedding at Aloft- Sal y Mar was regrettably filled with a series of disappointments and organizational missteps. It was a day that was meant to be special but was overshadowed by numerous issues.

The initial problem was with the floor plan, which was set up incorrectly. This error caused delays and confusion in arranging the venue as we had envisioned. Moreover, the staff's inefficiency in moving items around only added to the chaos.

A significant issue was the misunderstanding regarding the food service. While we had planned for passed appetizers, the staff prepared for a buffet.

The technical setup for the event was subpar. The microphone provided was initially reported as broken, and when a working one was finally offered, it was barely functional. Additionally, the speaker system was inadequate, with only one working speaker that failed to provide sufficient sound coverage for the event area.

The bar service was also disappointing. Our guests had limited options as the only cocktails available were our signature drinks, which were not prepared correctly. The bartender even planned to serve an incorrect drink, but we luckily caught the mistake. We paid extra for our signature drinks, which was missing the flower garnish and was incorrectly served with ice. Furthermore, we were not informed beforehand that all drinks would be served in plastic, which detracted from the overall experience.

Food service logistics were poorly handled, with slow and limited distribution of items like truffle fries, leaving many guests waiting. Outdoor heaters, essential for guest comfort, were frequently turned off and were not re-lit promptly despite our requests.

A critical issue was the lack of professional oversight and responsiveness from the Sales Manager, Olivia Monical. Throughout the planning process and on the day of the event, we had to ask her repeatedly for things, often with little to no response. Her absence and unresponsiveness significantly impacted the coordination and execution of our wedding.

The lack of wedding signage and the staff's failure to turn off the fountain during the speech at 7 PM, as agreed upon, further added to our frustrations by making it difficult for guests to hear important moments.

In an attempt to address these issues, Olivia offered us compensation in the form of a stay at the hotel. This offer was initially for five nights, then reduced to two nights and a dinner, at a hotel located 5 minutes away that I let Olivia know I wouldn’t use.

Our experience at Aloft was far from what we had hoped for. The numerous organizational failures and lack of professional management by Olivia Monical significantly detracted from our wedding day. It is our sincere hope that this feedback prompts Aloft to improve their coordination and communication for...

This was my second time staying at the Aloft Midtown Tampa, and once again it did not disappoint. I stayed here last year, and when we returned this month, many of the same staff members made our trip just as memorable.

First, I want to recognize Marcus at the front desk. He went above and beyond during our first trip, and my kids (ages 5 and 2) still remembered him a year later. As soon as my son saw him this time, he said, “Mom, I saw our buddy friend, he’s here!” That alone speaks volumes about the impact Marcus left on my children. His kindness, attentiveness, patience, and genuine care for people make guests feel important and special. He is truly one of a kind.

I’d also love to recognize Yanela, Isel, and Silvia, who took such good care of us during breakfast each morning. With two picky little ones, mealtimes can be stressful, but these ladies went above and beyond to make sure my children had food they enjoyed. Their warmth, patience, and smiles set such a positive tone for our mornings.

Lastly, Diana at the front desk stood out to me as well. When my son fell and got hurt, she immediately came to check on him, comforted him, and even got him a bag of ice for his little “boo-boo.” That kind of attentiveness and care makes all the difference for families like mine.

The staff here truly makes this hotel feel special. My kids and I already look forward to coming back!

The only downside to our stays has been the TVs in the rooms. During both visits — and in two completely different rooms — we had issues. On this last stay, the TV had a strange blue tint that couldn’t be adjusted, my Firestick wouldn’t work, and when we connected the Nintendo Switch via HDMI, the volume control stopped working. The same kind of problems happened during our initial stay as well. For a hotel of this caliber, I really hope they upgrade the TVs soon, as it would make the guest experience much better.

Aside from that, our stays at Aloft Midtown Tampa have been wonderful, and we’ll continue coming back. Not to mention its in a perfect location surrounded by stores, and restaurants right outside the front entrance and just with-in 15 min from Downtown Tampa! Thank you to the amazing staff who always make us feel welcome...