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Introduction: Short Trip to The Big Guava
Review: The Club at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Review: KLM Royal Crown Lounge at Houston Intercontinental Airport
Review: Residence Inn Tampa Westshore/Airport
Review: Indian Rocks Beach
Review: Keegan’s Seafood Grille – Indian Rocks
Review: Tampa Marriott Westshore
Review: Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen – Tampa
As I stated in the introduction to this trip report, I decided to visit two hotels during my stay in Tampa. The first being the Residence Inn on Westshore Drive.
Booking
I booked the standard King Suite for 17,500 Marriott Rewards points/night. If I booked the room with cash, the rate would have been $132 plus tax.
Arrival
The hotel was located minutes from Tampa International Airport. It seriously took me less than five minutes to reach the property.
Check-In
The front desk was positioned slightly to the left when I entered the property. There was not anyone in line, but I did have to wait for the agent to return from the office (the security guard told me where he was). I grabbed a seat across from the front desk while I waited. I took a quick glance inside of the business center as well.
When he showed, I was welcomed back to Marriott and thanked for being a Platinum Elite (whoop whoop). I was offered a choice of Chex Mix or Cracker Jacks and a water as my welcome gift. Um, given those choices, I went with the Cracker Jacks. After just a couple of minutes, I made my way to the room. The elevators were located past the front desk, halfway down the hall, and on the left.
Room
I took the elevator up to the eighth floor, made a right, and the room was at the end of the hall on the left.
The suite was a typical Residence Inn setup. The living area consisted of a desk, sofa bed, television, and kitchenette. My son really enjoys jumping on sofa beds so this was perfect for him.
Just off of the living room was the bedroom. It consisted of a fairly comfortable king bed and television. My only “complaint” about the room was that there was not a lot of space between the bed and the outer wall.
The bathroom shared a door with the bedroom. This meant that there was only one access point. The bathroom was fairly basic.
Dining
If you have ever visited a Residence Inn, you know that they offer complimentary breakfast. It is not the fanciest in the world but it gets the job done. The breakfast included waffles, pork or chicken sausage, egg whites, hard boiled eggs, pastries, cereal, yogurt, toast, and a few beverage items. It was not a bad spread. The only thing that stood out was that the staff could not keep up with the demand. Many items on the hot plates would remain empty for some time. To be fair, there were a lot of people at breakfast. (I took pictures of the seating area the night before).
If breakfast is not your thing, there was The Market next to the front desk. It included chips, candy, microwaveable food, beer, and a few other items.
Fitness
The fitness Center was located on the first floor. It was very small but it seemed like it would get the job done, if I needed to do a light workout.
Just outside of the fitness Center was the pool. It was a really nice pool, but the weather was not cooperating. As you can see in the pic below, my lense keep fogging up due to the humidity.
Final Word
The Residence Inn on Westshore got the job done. It was definitely a better bargain than staying in downtown Tampa. The rates are higher in downtown and you have to pay for parking. With that being said, I would visit this property again.
