Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina, Tampa

My friends and I stayed at the hotel for a long weekend. The service was sub par from the beginning and appeared to be understaffed for a busy weekend. The night before checking out I asked to have my car pulled up at 7am. When I went downstairs at 7am not only was my car not pulled up, they had lost my keys. There were 2 other people in the same predicament. After 45 minutes they found the other sets of keys. Finally after being strung along for hours they rented me a car to drive home. I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR IN FLORIDA and drive home to South Carolina in another vehicle due to their incompetence. I bet you are wondering what they did to try to make it right. They bought me breakfast while I waited 4.5 hours and finally left without my car. They said that they would do something to make it right but now they cannot even be bothered to return a phone call. I highly recommend you stay clear of this place. It has gone down hill in the last few years.

Very nice place, great gym,pool, service, but the Valet service was a rip off. $20.00 a day to park in the public garage, which will charge you $9.50 for the same place. The Valet upon my arrival told me it was $35.00, but When I went over there I found out he lied. Fooled me once shame on you, but I was not fooled again. Tampa public garage which is right across from the arena only $9.50.

My wife and granddaughter attended a company function here. Upon pulling up to the valet we were met by a courteous and informative staff offering help and instruction, and that was the last quality customer service we saw for the remaining 18 hours. The check-in desk promptly dashed any idea of an enjoyable and uneventful visit by informing us there would be a 40 minute wait as the room was not ready. My wife had inquired the day before the reservation as to early check in and had been advised the rooms would be available as early as 10am, though we were optimistic Saturday morning about an early arrival we arrived a hair before 3pm, and the yet the room wasn't available. After expressing our concern a room then miraculously appeared. We had asked for the room to be equipped with a roll out bed , which was delivered and left in an upright position, missing any pillows and with a top bedspread that had the insulation value of newspaper. A 13 x 13 padded square of what was expected to pass as a pillow was delivered and we were informed to remove the decorative cover off our bed and use it for the bedspread. We attended the dinner function, the meal service was exceptional but the food quality was only average. We retired to the room for the evening and attempted to sleep only to have to continuously adjust the room thermostat due to it.s inability to monitor the rooms temperature. While we're on the subject of the rooms short comings let me also note that the dressing room/ make up area is in the bathroom and that room has absolutely no ventilation what so ever leaving the room humid and unusable . Secondly, with 2 of us getting ready for the dinner the lack of thought that went into the rooms design made it impossible for both of us to get ready at the same time. The room also lacked any form of a night light requiring the bathroom light to be left on all night. Some of you may say I'm whining here but I have a tendency to keep score after the first couple of insults so let me add a little more. $14.95 to get in room internet connection and the valet was 20. The St.Pete Vinoy Renaissance , also a Marriott property, has free valet and internet. Ant the final blow was this morning while waiting for my family to awaken I was sitting with my $4.00 cup of coffee in the lobby reading the news paper, and had put my flip flop clad feet on the marble table top of a coffee table. This is a sin, I was told and ask to remove my feet from the table. Would I treat my furniture at home like this, I would say there would be a good chance as it was marble and I wasn't wearing my goat roping boots. But more likely I wouldn't have purchased a non functional piece of furniture but had an ottoman in it's place. I have to say after this experience I doubt I'll bother to return, and most likely will shy away from any Marriott property, though the Vinoy and her staff are such treasures. The best description I could give this place is "Just another Patel Hotel but way more expensive."

I was visiting from out of town for a friends wedding and when we first arrived my family was greeted by a valet attendent cursing at another valet about a customer who just left...right in front of our two young daughters! The bellman was slow and unwilling to go above and beyond to assist with our children, and when it was time to leave the valet walked to get our cars. What happened to customer service in this town?

My whole experience was much more then expected. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Most of the staff went out of their way to make my stay exceptional. The restraurants are a little pricey and some of the wait staff could use a little attitude adjustment but all in all it is a must stay. The renovation was outstanding and you would think you are in a brand new hotel. My stay was one of the best in a long time. This hotel is in a very convenient location to many attractions. My next trip to Tampa will be for pleasure and you can bet this is the only place I will stay.

Having made reservations for four people 7 months in advance, all afternoon on check in day, we were told our room wasn't ready. When we finally got our room, we were surprised to find we had a one bedded handicapped room. We headed back downstairs to fix this mistake and were told that there was no mistake. That was the only room they had available. Just because we wanted two beds, they can never guarantee that we would 2. I was dumbfounded and asked about a couple of cots and they told us we could get only one because 2 would not fit in the handicapped room. Finally, they squeezed 2 cots in and moved us the next day to a room wih two beds. We were surprised at this whole situation.

The front-desk service was friendly, although no one was exceptionally curteous or helpful, we got what we needed from them and went on our way. The only rude service people were at the "Starbucks" coffee shop. Other than that, everyone was quite friendly. Of course the hotel is a bit expensive ($225 night)due to the location and you have to pay a mandatory $18 valet parking fee. The hotel is extremely clean and the lobby was magnificent and comfortable to visit in with guests. All around the money was well spent. The beds were probably the best I have ever slept in and I have visited quite a few hotels over the years. There is a trolly that goes all over the Bay area, right outside the hotel door. I would definetely go back (if we culd find a better rate).

You would think that a hotel with the name Marriott would train their employees incustomer service. The front desk staff were horrible and very rude to my wife and I. They had a terrible time locating my reservation and when I provided them with a confirmation number they did not seem to care. When I asked to have someone take the bags to the room, they acted like it was an imposition. I will never stay at this hotel again.

My wife, my kid, and I went to Tampa for the American Idol tour and stayed at the Marriott Waterside. We got there on Friday night and were supposed to have 2 double beds. Well they ran out of double rooms and gave us a kingsize. I grumbled a bit but they threw in 2 nights of free valet parking which was worth about $40, and we were moved to the correct room the next day and had a balacony overlooking the water to boot. This is a nice hotel within walking distance of the Forum and the convention center, plust the Florida Aquirium. There is an excellent walking/biking/running pathe that follows the canal behind the hotel. The restaurants in the hotel and in the surrounding area are a bit pricey but there is a Publix about a 1/4 mile away. The hotel staff is very friendly and professional. They even made a redneck like me feel at home. Theis is not the type of place I would stay in on a weeklong vacation because of the cost but for a weekend or special event it's worth it.

Valet staff very helpful,Bell Service wonderful,housekeeping very nice and good room service. Front desk staff especially a young man which I will personally write about rude and I was appalled by his attitude.It is sad when the general staff is more comphrensive than front desk service.