MrJame_DPS

Review of Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown ...

It's hard to understand all the positive reviews g...

It's hard to understand all the positive reviews given the experience everyone has there who stayed this weekend.....

We arrived at 1:30PM, (which is before check-in time) and were told to wait for a text message telling us our room was ready. At 5:45PM we still had not received a message, so we called and were told the hotel is overbooked. We had all of our stuff stored with the hotel staff and had a concert to get to (6:30PM). So, we visited the hotel again to investigate in person, to find a COMPLETELY PACKED lobby everyone in line waiting for a room. Mind you, we as well as everyone else, had a confirmed reservation. Also keep in mind, we were in town for a concert and had to change clothes and freshen up for concert.

While waiting in line @ 6:00 PM trying to get our room along with everyone else, we noticed on the Hilton website they are STILL SELLING ROOMS for that night. So not only is the hotel overbooked and is turning away people who has already paid, they are still taking ADDITIONAL RESERVATIONS. Stunning!!!! Luckily, we were given a room. We spoke to others who had to wait until 11PM the previous night to get a room. And, even these people were not the least fortunate. Some were told (not until 11PM) no rooms existed and they would be bused to another Hilton property. So after waiting for 9 hours, they were finally told they would not receive the room they had paid for. Imagine the frustration.

The managers reception (Hilton advertises free drinks for happy hour) is absolute chaos. One bartender is handling a line of over 100 people trying to get their promised free drink. Breakfast is a similar catastrophe - long lines and no seats are there anyway. People are in the elevators carrying their food upstairs..... Some elevators are "out of order" further adding to the confusion. The hotel literally needs double the elevators (which there is not room for anyway).

The hotel is 18+ stories high and simply doesn t have the foot print to handle all the people. The hotel is terribly designed and cannot handle as many rooms as it holds.
Not to mention, they sell double the rooms the hotel has. It s sad because the hotel has just gone on a renovation and cosmetically looks great. The hotel simply lacks any kind of management. It s not bad management (this would be a compliment). There is NO MANAGEMENT.

If you value your time at all, book elsewhere. The Marriott a block away is great.