Westin Tampa Downtown Waterside

The staff were kind, attentive, and took things seriously, especially after someone followed me from the convention center back to the hotel and seemed to want to attack me. I was traveling alone. Management and police got involved, security checked the property to make sure he’d left, and staff let me use the service entrance and escorted me back to the convention center when I needed to go. They helped make things feel okay afterward, but it was still frightening. Be aware that there are some creepy people around this area by the bridge. I don’t blame the staff for that. I was also sick for my whole two-day stay because I’m sensitive to mold. The lobby smelled of mold, and I had a bad reaction in my room until I left. The hotel was trying hard after Helene and Milton, and the rising water wasn’t their fault. Other people may be fine, but anyone sensitive to mold should stay away. I didn’t feel better until I left. There was too much outside the staff’s control that went wrong, and I felt I had to warn others even though the people working there were great. I feel bad leaving this review, but I won’t return.

The room let the stay down. It looked worn and dated, the bathroom smelled strongly of septic, and its countertop was damaged. The floor was old, with dirty grout, and breakfast was lukewarm or cold. On the plus side, the staff were great, and the large, cozy bar and lounge had a friendly bartender and lots of options. It’s also close to good restaurants, downtown, and the river walk.

We arrived on Thanksgiving after traveling all day with our two kids, tired and ready to rest. The first room wasn’t what we booked: we’d reserved a one-bedroom with a queen sofa bed, but got a standard room without a couch. The second room, on the third floor, I think 301, had no power in the living room, none of the bedroom lights worked, and it smelled terrible. The bathroom was the only place with power, and there was a huge cockroach in it. We packed up and went straight back downstairs to leave. They offered a third room, but after two bad ones we declined. At over $300 a night plus $50 for valet, this hotel isn’t worth it. It’s old and doesn’t look like the pictures. We got only a partial refund even though we’d been there less than 10 minutes.

At check-in, we found bugs in the bathroom and an odor throughout the room. They gave us a few drinks on the house, and we let it go. Then at 1am, after we’d left and come back, our key suddenly stopped working. Jordan, the night auditor, had locked us out of a room we’d paid for, with our belongings inside. They could have called or notified us that the card on file hadn’t gone through. Instead, they waited until room service was well over $200. We were told it was a “system glitch,” but Jordan kept making excuses and trying to add unexplained charges, including a third night we weren’t going to stay. Our account statement showed a charge for three nights, though they claimed there wasn’t one. He said “good luck” when we told him we’d contact corporate, called the police, and screamed at my girlfriend on the phone. We barely raised our voices, but he threatened the police and argued instead of helping with the payment issue. We had paid for our stay, and this was already our second night. Later, while we were getting our belongings to leave, he called the police to escort us out and trespass us, even though we were already leaving. There was still no response from corporate or to this review, and no refund. I believe he tried charging my card $600 or $700 at a time, which caused the bank to lock it. Don’t give them your card or charge things to the room. Fees were unexplained, including the extra night charge. I stay at Marriott all the time, but after this interaction I won’t stay here again. I’ve never dealt with someone so unprofessional and rude. I’ll keep contacting corporate to negotiate this. I don’t want an apology or a free night. The room also had an odor and bugs, and I found its cleanliness disgusting. The location and appearance can be misleading, since there are other places downtown. I’d strongly warn families away from staying here.