Residence Inn by Marriott Tampa Downtown, Tampa

Downtown location. Dirty streets and lots of homeless and drunk people hanging around. Restaurants within walking distance cater to people who work downtown and are closed for dinner. The staff advised me not to walk after dark because of crime. Parking is $8 per day in a lot accross from the hotel. Rooms are mostly clean, but beware of rooms where cigarette smoke is very noticeable even though the hotel claims all the rooms are non-smoking. Management on site and front desk employees are annoyingly loud and unprofessional. I do commend housekeeping staff who is polite and works hard. Be sure to check your bill as mistakes are frequent. I have yet to hear an employee apologize for her mistake. Front desk employees talk loudly with housekeeping staff who appears to be taking breaks, while ignoring and disturbing guests. Breakfast is OK but on several occasions guests could not find a place to sit down, and coffee, juice etc. were gone and not replaced. Guests regularly show up for breakfast in their pajamas. If you want to have a nice breakfast, show up early! The pool, hot tub and the rest of the small outdoor area are overcrowded and shared with the Marriott hotel next door. Carpets are old and look dirty even after cleaning. There is one PC available to guests at the entrance and the sign asks guests not to use it for longer than 15 minutes. However, that is not enforced at all, and teens play much longer while lines form. This hotel is very overpriced for what you get. Advice to the hotel owners: Renovate the hotel and replace employees in management and the front desk with professional customer service TRAINED employees! This hotel is not what you would expect a Marriott hotel to be. Huge disappointment!!!

Rooms are good but they charge $8 for parking with no guarantees you'll get a parking spot. You may have to wait till someone leaves before you find one. Not a lot to do within walking distance.

At first we were disappointed by the checkin staff (night staff). We had reserved a 1 bedroom suite and that wasn't available when we checked in, the receptionist offered us a studio suite, but when I asked to put us in a 2 bedroom, she did agree to do it, but told us we would have to move the next day or pay more money. Second, we had asked for a crib, but the housekeeping staff went home and we couldn't get it. I don't know what happened between the night and the next day, but the manager, Delores called us and told us not to worry about moving and made sure we got our crib. The accommodations were nice, the hot breakfast was great, and the food services/housekeeping staff were awesome! Overall, we had a great experience.