Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Tampa/Brandon, FL

For a one-night stop while driving through Florida, the price was solid. It was much cheaper than the hotel next door, which was charging double, and right off I-75. Front desk employee Josh was great, professional, friendly, and welcoming, and made check-in easy. The room, though, was really run down and smelled strongly of mold and mustiness as soon as we walked in. It felt dated and in need of updating or a deep clean. We couldn't picture staying longer than one night. If you're passing through and need an affordable night, it might work, especially with service like Josh's. For a longer stay, or if air quality and cleanliness matter to you, I'd look elsewhere. It felt like a case of getting what you pay for.

The staff are really nice, and the hotel is okay, but the room feels kind of rinky dink. The door latch sometimes got stuck so the door wouldn't open, the mattresses are on the firm side, and the elevators are slow. The free breakfast was mid, though they do have a waffle maker, and there's a microwave in the room, which is a plus. I paid about $120 a night. I'd consider staying again for under $100, but for now I'm checking other options.

The room smelled strongly of mildew when we walked in, and I'm extremely allergic to mold. Within 15 minutes I was struggling to breathe and my eyes were swelling. I took Benadryl, hoping to get through one night, but it did nothing and we nearly had to call an ambulance. While I was outside trying to breathe, the front desk said she couldn't check us out until all our things were out of the room. My best friend was staying nearby and came to help us. The front desk employee even asked whether we'd “touched anything” or “put anything out of place” so they could rebook someone without housekeeping. We moved to another hotel and I began breathing more easily very quickly, and the reaction went away. We travel often, and this was our worst experience. I'm traveling with my three-year-old. Don't book here if you don't want to be exposed to mold and treated poorly.

There were a lot of us using the pool, and I asked several times for towels to be brought there. Later that day, I was told staffing was low and they were focused on getting rooms ready and checking people in. It would've taken two minutes to drop off towels so we didn't have to walk wet through the hallways back to our rooms. Jodi Recker was the manager that day and didn't seem very concerned.