Hampton Inn Tampa-International Airport/Westshore

The worst part was how unsafe we felt after a neighbor started pounding on our door over and over, yelling and swearing, and demanding we come out. We wouldn't, since he seemed unstable and threatening. We'd been back from dinner around 9:40 PM and had only been talking at a normal, respectful volume, with no music or yelling. A noise complaint came shortly after we returned, and we were confused by it. We sat quietly in the room, genuinely scared. We called the front desk, and someone came up to check, but nobody did anything meaningful about the neighbor's behavior. There was no resolution or reassurance, and we felt unsafe for the rest of the night. We work in hotels ourselves and understand operations, noise rules, and how complaints happen. This was badly handled. The start of the stay wasn't much better. The lobby smelled strongly of smoke, and at check-in they couldn't give us a working key card. The front desk couldn't clearly explain the mobile key either, so we were left trying to troubleshoot while confused. The toilets barely flushed, and the property didn't feel up to Hampton Inn standards. What should have been a simple night was stressful and unsettling. We'll never stay here again.

The breakfast was surprisingly well stocked and organized, and the location is convenient for the airport, cruise port, restaurants, and shopping. But the building needs a renovation. The vestibule greeted us with a rotting garbage smell before we even reached the lobby, and this was one of the worst Hampton Inns I've stayed in. The first room wasn't the one we'd booked and was missing a bed, so we had to go back to the desk to be reassigned. The right room was small, with a confusing layout, smoke and mildew smells, and a loud AC that ran all night. Pulling out the couch bed blocked access to the bathroom unless you walked across the mattress. The bathroom also needs work: there was no proper locking door, just a sliding one that didn't lock and was barely on its track. I got stuck in there and had to fight the door to get out. The elevators felt so sketchy I worried they might break at any moment. I'd consider coming back after a renovation, but there are plenty of other hotels nearby, and location alone won't carry this one.

My wife waited more than an hour for a shower, then we were told the showerhead was defective and the room should have been blocked off. She had to use a different room, and I'll be demanding a refund. The keys were having problems too. It just kept going, and the breakfast was lame compared with other Hampton Inns. I've stayed at many Hampton Inns, and this is definitely one of the weaker ones. There are better Hilton properties near the Tampa airport. The room had no pens or pads. I went downstairs for a pen to leave the housekeeper a tip, since apparently a note saying "tip" is required before she can take the money. The staff couldn't explain why the room had none. I showered at night and had plenty of hot water, too much in fact, so I kept adjusting it. Eight hours later, my wife got hot water from the tub spout but none from the showerhead. She called down and was told maintenance wouldn't arrive until 8:30 AM. The AC was very loud, and in this king room there was an outlet only on the left side of the bed, none on the right. Too many problems. I wouldn't stay again or recommend it.

I landed at TPA and called the hotel. The free shuttle showed up in under ten minutes, and the driver was friendly and offered to help with my bag. I arrived before check-in, planning only to drop off luggage, but the smiling front desk team got me into a room right away. That small kindness made a tired traveler very happy. The room was spotless, modern, comfortable, and remarkably quiet despite being so close to the airport. I liked the large TV and plenty of outlets. Every staff member I met was warm, polite, and professional. Breakfast was better than the usual hotel spread, with a good coffee selection and everything I needed to start the day. I highly recommend it and will be back when I'm in town early for a cruise. Thanks to the whole team for such a great stay.