Hotel Haya

Be prepared to pay a lot for parking. Still, the location made for another unusual Tampa visit, and nightlife was just a few blocks away. The building has old bones but feels modern and luxurious, and the whole stay felt five star. Seeing roosters in the street the next morning gave me a kick.

We had planned our whole trip around staying in Ybor City, with dinner at the Columbia and other restaurants and bars picked out. Instead, while we were heading to the airport for our flight to Tampa, the hotel called and canceled the reservation we’d held for months, on the very day we were supposed to check in. We booked through a third party via Delta, but that shouldn’t have made our booking less valid. We rented a car, went to the restaurant for our reservation, then tried to walk into the Haya, only to find the entrance blocked by a Tampa General Hospital holiday party. Our reservation had been in place since September, and it seemed they canceled because they found a more lucrative event. We had no chance to enjoy the plans we’d made. This felt like a greedy decision that put the Hospital’s money ahead of honoring guests, with no thought for the people affected. Book if you want, but be aware you could get a call three hours before your flight saying someone offered more for the room you reserved months ago.

We checked in early, around 10:30 AM, but left at about 3 PM without spending the night because the hotel wasn’t what we expected. The room was disappointing; I’ve stayed in several three star places with much nicer, more considered bedrooms. It seemed the budget had gone into the attractive lobby and restaurant instead. The hotel’s interior is beautiful and well designed, but the Ybor City surroundings made me uncomfortable because there were so many homeless people nearby. I was honestly surprised by the location.

We needed one last night in Tampa before flying home and were glad we picked Hotel Haya. Mitch gave us a warm welcome at the desk. It’s a modern, new hotel in Ybor City, and after valet parking we walked out for food and drinks. The bartender was friendly when we grabbed another drink for the room afterward. There wasn’t a TV at the bar, which was a shame since we wanted to watch hockey, but I noticed food was still being served after 9 p.m. We slept well in the spacious king room, then used the gym and got coffee before our flight. We’ll keep this place in mind and hope to return.