A Pleasant Stay with Minor Hiccups
My recent stay at the hotel offered several notable highlights, making for a largely positive experience. The hotel's proximity to Busch Gardens theme park was exceptionally convenient, a significant advantage for theme park visitors. The pool and courtyard area truly stood out as the most appealing aspect of the hotel's amenities. The ability to relax in a swing chair with bare feet on the artificial turf, free from insects, provided a genuinely serene and enjoyable escape. I relaxed in the swing chair for a few hours. 😁This tranquility was further enhanced by the delightful instrumental lounge music thoughtfully played in both the courtyard and lobby, creating a very pleasant ambiance. Inside the room, the large and comfortable bed, complemented by equally comfortable pillows, ensured a restful night's sleep. The complimentary breakfast, while offering standard options such as oatmeal, cereal, bacon, eggs, and pancakes, served its purpose adequately. However, a few points detracted slightly from an otherwise excellent stay. The bathroom was notably small, and the presence of millipedes in the hotel hallways, including one found within my room near the toilet, was certainly a concern. There was a patio included in our room and I could not open the slide doors to let fresh air in. This was because the screen door was not on the track. This should have been repaired when the room was getting cleaned and inspected. An unexpected power outage occurred early one morning due to an external accident. I was impressed by the hotel's proactive communication, as a notice at the front desk promptly informed guests of the situation and the efforts being made to restore power. The issue was resolved efficiently within a few hours, minimizing disruption. Overall, despite these minor issues, the positive aspects of my stay, particularly the excellent location, relaxing courtyard, and comfortable accommodations, made this a very...
Read moreWow! Rarely have I seen a remodeled hotel, that's as old as this one is, that's done such an amazing job. Everything has been updated in some way, including the old sketchy elevator they had when it was the Baymont. Make sure you look for the newer pictures. Incredible remodel from top to bottom. Everything is bright and clean and comfortable. The beds and linens are new and comfortable. The fold out beds are meh, but they are new and clean at least. The open courtyard is so comfortable and fun, lots to do and places to relax. The pool is quite large and perfect for kids. My only complaint is their breakfast. It was awful. It was small and most things were gone, no cups, not enough utensils, super soggy bacon, it was rough. I asked the front desk and it turns out it's a temporary breakfast while they're remodeling their breakfast area with a more gourmet breakfast. They really should put a sign up letting guests know that it's temporary. That breakfast could hurt reviews in the meantime, so a sign would be helpful. Once they're done with the breakfast area this hotel will be as close to perfection as possible. Two things to improve: One, make the rear gates into the courtyard able to be opened from the outside with your room key. It's annoying to have to go all the way around to the front to get in if your room is in the back. And two, bring back the Busch Gardens shuttle. That was a huge plus when we stayed there when it was the Baymont. Overall a great experience. And Cameron at the front desk was awesome! He was even really kind to a crazy kid in a huge hat that wouldn't stop bugging him and the other guests during breakfast. Nice...
Read moreWife and I stayed in Tampa for a couple days and this was the hotel we stayed at since it was close to Busch Gardens. The 1st room we stayed in had a really funky smell to it. My wife suffers from Migraines and if we stayed in this room very long it definitely would have triggered one. Luckily the staff was able to change the room for us. Before we sleep in any hotel room I always check for bed bugs 1st. One thing I was surprised to see that they didn't have a mattress cover over the mattress. You would think a $40 mattress protector would save them thousands later in cleaning and pest control costs. Other than that the mattress was very soft and comfortable. The TV setup was a bit funky, it had you connect to a non existent WiFi so casting was not possible, but it did have your basic cable channels. The TV itself is of very low quality and pixelates while watching. But for a budget hotel I wouldn't expect a top of the line TV. The shower took about 15 minutes to get hot water. They must only have one heater location and it has a way to travel to our room. It doesn't get scolding hot like my wife likes but it's perfect for me. The Pool and patio area are the highlights of this hotel. The Pool is very calming with the waterfall and plenty of comfy seating to just relax and take in the sun shine. The "grassy" area is soft on the toes and great for lounging and reading a book. Overall, for the price this hotel is a pretty good deal. PROS: Comfy Bed Responsive Staff Pool/Patio Area
CONS: TV is cheap and has horrible picture The "Casting" capabilities are worthless Shower takes a while to get hot water No...
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