Rodeway Inn Fairgrounds-Casino — Hotel in Temple Terrace

Drove from Miami to pick up a friend, so just needed to stay somewhere overnight. We arrived in the late afternoon and left early the next morning. I paid $118 for the room for one night. Upon arrival, the lobby was closed, you must use the “night window”, which is a permanent state. There was a short line, and the receptionist was quite friendly. Check-in was fast and easy; we were assigned room 105. When we opened the door, we were greeted with a combination of old smoke, some odd cleaning aroma, and a touch of mold. It was in a state of terrible disrepair. I returned to the night window, and the receptionist accommodated our request for a different room, which was 206. It wasn’t much better, but it didn’t smell. It was in a miserable state of disrepair and dirty. There is patchwork everywhere. The outlet by the TV is poking out, the curtains are in shambles. The bathroom door looked like it was scratched by a dog trying to get in, but the actual bathroom was a horror show. The ceiling looks like it had been repaired by a 5-year-old to cover up some mold, the shower had actual mold, and airport toilets are cleaner in comparison. The fan had dust and mold on it, and the cover was on the bathroom floor, where it had fallen because the medical tape didn’t hold it on. The rod for the tissue paper was gone, and there was half a roll of toilet paper. I will let the photos speak for themselves. That wasn’t the worst part. The smoke detector was beeping, because the battery was going dead. I went back down to the receptionist (because there’s no phone) and told her about it, she said she didn’t have a battery but would let the maintenance person know. However, when I returned, my friend said it wasn’t the smoke detector in our room, it was somewhere in the main hallway. I again went down and let her know. I did this several times, and while she was nice about it, nobody ever came. We spent the night in a house of horrors, listening to a smoke detector beep repeat every 30 seconds. Around midnight, I went to a liquor store and drank myself into as much of a stupor as I could. I never actually slept. The hotel seems to mostly serve as rooms for transient guests, but we had no issues with anyone. There were a few lot lizards milling when we went to get our alcohol at midnight but were not aggressive. The only good thing about this motel is it’s next to a Waffle House. We ate breakfast there, and left, never to return. Hopefully, this gives you some insight into what you are facing if you book a room there....

Stayed here for five days for a work conference and it was the cheapest place within a reasonable distance from downtown Tampa (about 15-20 minutes). I was definitely a little sketched out at first, but I was there alone and was admittedly hyper-aware if my surroundings so everything seemed a little sketchy to me. Pros: the location isn’t as bad as other reviews mention. The area is quiet, there’s not a whole lot around it so if it’s not fair season, it’s not going to be busy. Right off the freeway, quick trip to downtown. room was an acceptable level of clean. Advice: wear shoes or socks when walking around in your room because the floors are def dirty and it was kinda gross. Bed was clean, refrigerator was clean, etc. staff was friendly when I checked in and out. A sweet girl working the counter went out of her way to give me a 30-minute early check in (note that asking nicely helps!).

Cons: walls are incredibly thin so you’re gonna hear absolutely everything that goes on in the rooms next door. my room (#227) door didn’t have a deadbolt latch on it and that totally freaked me out but I didn’t get murdered so that’s a good thing. Would probably recommend asking for another room if you land that one. biggest complaint: the bathroom smelled like cigarettes, as if someone went in there to smoke, like the shower fan would have done any good in filtering out the smoke (spoiler alert: didn’t work) and I had to buy my own toilet paper because the only roll I was provided with was half-used - and housekeeping only visited my room once in the 5 days I was there (my last day). When I asked the front office, they said housekeeping would take care of it and they never did so I sucked it up and bought my own cause comfrontstion isn’t my strong suit.

Overall: you get what you pay for. It’s reasonable, livable, and really not THAT bad. I’d stay here again if I ever visit Tampa again cause I’m cheap but hey if it...

Location was close to Amphitheater for concert I was attending.

Prices were more than reasonable, cheapest place trying to book same day.

I booked the room online with a credit card, but I needed cash for my room key deposit, and their ATM didn't work so that was pretty stupid.

Upon arriving at my room the door wasn't locked and I was able to just push it open. When I entered the room, the stench of the mildew/mold was overwhelming. I immediately opened the door/window and cranked the A/C to try and air it out.

While unpacking my personal belongings I noticed the fire alarm/smoke detector kept beeping. So I went to use the telephone in the room to contact the front desk and let them know. When I reached for the phone I realized it was not connected to the wall. Many buttons were missing or broken. And the receiver cord was jammed into the wrong port. Unsettling to say the least.

I walk down to the office to let them know about the smoke detector, and they send in this toothless Joe Dirt 3 lookin' dude, who swapped the batterycand left. As he was walking away the smoke detector began to beep once more, so I had to chase him down the hall to let him know. He finally ended up replacing the entire smoke detector, and left after saying a few sentences i could barely understand. I just nodded and smiled.

The conditions of the room were barely above condemned status. Floors and ceilings were heavily stained, plumbing fixtures had missing pieces and chips in the counter tops. Foundation was dirty/damaged throughout the room. Towels were stained and dirty.

Overall probably one of the worst Hotel experiences in my 32 years on this planet. Pay any amount extra to stay somewhere else. Better business should shut this establishment down, and their clown shoes...