SEVEN Sebring Raceway Hotel

The location is excellent, and the rooms are clean and comfortable. The hotel says it's planning a remodel, but for me the bigger problem is how little concern there seems to be for customers outside of race time. I stayed twice for a few days each time. One person at the front desk was friendly, but the rest seemed uninterested, including the man who said he was the Manager. Even buying water meant trying to get someone's attention or waiting for someone to come out of the side office. The bar is often out of bottles, and the restaurant runs out of lots of items too. Staff complained to customers that management does a poor job keeping stock. The food is great when the kitchen gets it right, but I ate there three nights in a row and only got my order right once. Other people had the same issue. The frustrated bartender did a really good job trying to fix things and kept apologizing. Since it's the only restaurant and bar in the area, management should pay closer attention to inventory and encourage the staff to be more welcoming.

The food was good, but a lot of it was cold, the shrimp hadn't been peeled, and there were no crackers or proper utensils with the crab. Putting the cheese with the shellfish also seemed like a cross-contamination nightmare. We had a small party for Mother's Day brunch, yet our table wasn't ready and we stood around while they figured things out. Then they seated us in a back conference room, past a hallway and around a corner from the main dining area. They said there were no tables in the main area, but when we looked, several were open and could have fit us. Some staff were friendly, but our server wasn't great and we had to refill our own drinks at the bar. A few staff seemed done with the day, with no smiles, thanks, or greeting. We went to try Seven for the first time because we expected attentive service, great food, a view, and a nice presentation at a hotel of this caliber. That wasn't our experience, and we don't think we'll be back.

Loved the room and its racetrack view. The steering wheel faucet knob and gear shifter coat hook were fun little touches. Housekeeping was friendly and made sure we had what we needed.

I booked Friday through Sunday and woke up Saturday to the sound of turbo and naturally aspirated V8s and V10 supercars, plus prototype racecars practicing and battling for laps. If you want to watch the cars race around turn 7 during practice on Saturday and Sunday, it's a blast for kids and a great experience any weekend. The hotel itself was awesome, with racecar memorabilia, information, and photos on the walls, plus racecar rims in the lobby. The exterior looks nice, and inside is even better. There's a shifter on the room wall for your coat instead of a hook. The bathroom and shower were nice too.