Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina

Was here for a convention and it is a typical, nice Marriott property with excellent views. Lots of dining close in the Channelside area along with the Port and the Florida Aquarium. Staff was really nice, especially Joyce, the housekeeper on 18th floor (I don't think I have ever been able to say anything special about a housekeeper before).

I stayed at the Marriott waterside for 5 days during a convention. Facilities were very nice. Great restaurants (sports bar was really good) and the pool was very nice. Great location. Train was right outside the front door. Lots of stuff to see and do. I had a car parked at the hotel and they charged $12 per day to park valet. Convention center was very close. Not far from Clearwater beach (about 30-45 min drive). I'd stay here again.

This was a great stay. You couldn't beat the view and the room was nice and comfortable.

What I liked: Comfy bed, great view, yummy food and good food service, friendly front desk people...

My only negatives: For some reason, the door handle in the bathroom was positioned in such a way that I ended up hitting my head on it pretty hard.

Also, the last full day of my trip, I called to housekeeping and requested no service for the day, and I also put a "Privacy Please" tag in my door. When I returned six hours later, my room had been serviced and it gave me a scare given that I had left my laptop there (lesson learned!) Nothing was missing, though, so that all ended OK. The room also had a safe, so I had thankfully put my credit cards and keys in there...

The customer service people on the phone were great and all in all, I had a delightful stay!

I'm a frequent business traveler and I end up in Tampa often for work. I've tried a few other hotels in the city, but I am sold on the Marriott Waterside. The lobby was beautiful. The room was large and immaculately clean. The view of the bay from the 16th floor was incredible. Great staff. Very friendly and helpful. The food at Champions was pretty good and it was busy the few times I went there. The location is very convenient to downtown. Easy to walk around from, plus a taxi stand is right across the street. I will definitely stay there again

Was here for a convention and it is a typical, nice Marriott property with excellent views. Lots of dining close in the Channelside area along with the Port and the Florida Aquarium. Staff was really nice, especially Joyce, the housekeeper on 18th floor (I don't think I have ever been able to say anything special about a housekeeper before).

booked this on the Marriott site - great rate and upgraded to concierge level.

beautiful lobby - prompt service - very helpful staff.

the hotel is a block away from the St.Pete Forum (across the street from venue parking)

very safe area, great views from room.

bathoom was huge! plenty of space for all of my belongings.

room service was great as well.

Valet parking was prompt with car retrieval

business center has pay for use terminals (boo!).

I was part of a country/western dance convention that took over the hotel for May 22-25. I stayed four nights, at a group rate of $129 plus taxes. That came to about $145/night total.

The hotel is beautiful. The lobby is a wonderful three-story space, with a nice wide bar, lots of seating, free wireless, and wonderful decor. Very airy, open, high quality materials. Lovely.

The room was also great. I had a view of the water, and a small balcony, that had shade most of the afternoon. The beds were comfortable,and the there was a small beverage fridge and in-room safe.

The bathroom was spacious - deep tub for soaking and a nice big room. Reasonable closet space. If I were checking in for more than a few days I would wish for more drawer space, but that's minor.

The staff were great, too. Room service, bar service, and the restaurants were great. I ate most of my meals there. Drinks are expensive (most fancy cocktails are about $10), and meals aren't cheap, but all the food was great.

The only negative was that my housekeeper forgot about me one day, and the other lady on the floor didn't speak English. But, within 5 minutes of my call to the service phone number, someone was at my door to make up the room.

As a bonus, it's right on the streetcar, so if you like nightlife, you're a quick ride to YborCity.

I would definitely stay there again, if I had reason to go to Tampa.

I stayed two nights at the Marriott Waterside in room 907 while attending a wedding. The room and bath were large and the bed was very very comfortable. No flat screen TV or minibar but there was a bathrobe. Okay, no problems. I only ate in the restaurant for breakfast and one quick lunch and found the food to be quite good. The valet parking worked out okay - you could take out your car as often as you wanted but the cost was $18 a day. There is a trolley station just across the street which goes to Ybor City - quite interesting. All in all, the staff was friendly and efficient, and I thoroughally enjoyed my short stay.

I stayed here with my teenage daughter and her friend during the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four. The hotel was pricey given that NCAA was in town, but worth it given it's proximity to St. Pete's Times Forum where the games were held.

All parking is valet, which I usually do not like given how long it takes to get a car. Even with a sold out hotel, I never waited more than a couple of minutes for my car.

The room was furnished typical of Marriott...complete with comfy beds. Nice balcony with water view. Very clean!

The only downside was that the hotel restaurants had trouble handing the crowds - probably not an issue during regular weekends. They managed to get us some salads so we could make our schedule, but that took some work on our part to make it happen.

Overall we had a great stay. The hotel is elegant and clean and the staff is professional and helpful.

I had an investment seminar here and stayed instead of being stressed driving back and forth. Nothing more relaxing than not being in a rush, and learning, being waited on, and ordering breakfast in bed!!!

This hotel fit the bill for a perfect weekend get away for me. Not only was the staff an absolute joy but the hotel itself, the rooms, the bed, the bathroom set up and the products that were available made my stay a total dream. I was so exhausted after having a very stressful week. Sleeping on this hotel's bed was the most luxerious experience for my poor aching muscles and back that I've experienced in years. I have to get a new bed after this weekend!

Room service is a little sumthin sumthin I like to do for myself when I do a weekend away from home and again, the staff that brought up your food was not only extremely polite, accomodating, and efficient but you felt like any request was never too great for any member to fulfull, no matter who you encountered during the day.

Sheets were clean and fresh - daily. Blankets clean, bathroom cleaned to perfection, along with clean hallways, emptied garbage twice a day with cookies brought to the room. I want to live there!!!!!

The food was delicious - one of the few room service experiences that I thoroughly enjoyed in my life time. It was not only served hot, but was the tastiest eggs benedict I've had in a very long time. The orange juice was fresh squeezed, and the coffee was rich and full bodied which I enjoy.

The view was incredible, every floor was peaceful yet busy. I couldn't hear my neighbor take a shower!

Would I stay here again? I can't wait to go back and am planning to come for any future seminars if they are going to be held in that hotel!!!!

Stayed here for five nights during a basketball coaches convention.

Room was absolutely beautiful and included a balcony overlooking the St Pete Forum and the channel.

Easy walking to convention center, the Forum, and Channelside (lots of restaurants/bars). Trolley stop was right across the street.

Had breakfast buffet once - a bit pricey but everything was nice and fresh and the fruit selection was most impressive.

Bed was huge (king), loaded with pillows and very comfortable.

Staff was very friendly and accommodating especially since the hotel was completely booked.

Stayed here for a convention. The hotel was very pleasing to the eye from the outside and from the inside. I would not say it was stunning, but I found no real faults with it.

The rooms are pretty much your standard Marriott issue type room. It was clean and appeared up to date. The bed was very comfortable.

This hotel is right next to the convention center in Tampa. You can acutally walk to it without having to cross the street. Just walk on the waterside path.

It had nice work out areas and Champions bar was nice to relax at is you so desire.

No complaints.

We (4 other guys) were here for NCAA Basketball games at the Forum that is 200 hundreds down the street. The hotel did a great job servicing the fans (families and hoop junkies) and media at peak times-both from a food and beverage perspective. I was impressed that the hotel had adequate staff and went all out to provide top notch service in all respects.

Rooms were great, valet waiting time was minimal, breakfast buffet was great.

I would absolutely stay here again.

Spacious, comfortable rooms with absolutely wonderful beds. We had a balcony room overlooking St. Pete’s Arena and the bay, beautiful lights at night. Lobby area with evening bar is great gathering area for adults, plenty of outdoor areas with tables and chairs as well. Pool area, gym, and spa are all very nice. Pool was a bit too cold during our Feb. visit. If you need, there is free laundry near pool, vending machine with detergent, etc. Small park next to hotel as well as Florida aquarium within walking distance (if you bring small children). Attended a conference and was not disappointed except the temperature was a bit too cold at times. Hotel has three restaurants, all were great although pricey. Does not have free internet (Starbuck’s across the street does). Overall this was a very nice stay.

Superb customer service, nice / friendly staff and awesome work out facilities are the main reasons this traveler highly recommends staying at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.

I showed up after a long flight, having been in 4 cities in the past three days and immediately the lady at check-in cheered me up. She gave me a coupon for a free beer at the bar, genuinely asked if she could do anything to help and promptly got me my key and on my way - THANK YOU. She was a human and in my mind, it's little things like this that can make the difference.

The rooms: clean, quiet, with everything I needed to get online, send some emails and get to bed.

The next morning i was stunned at the size and cleanliness of the pool, regretting I hadn't brought my goggles to swim some laps. I hit the treadmill (no mile long lines and all the machines were working - for those of us who exercise on the road you know what a miracle this is) and loved the fact that they had a stack of clean towels.

With a Starbucks right there in the lobby, lovely smell throughout the whole hotel and such nice staff, I had a wonderful (albeit short) stay.

This traveler highly recommends staying at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.

I booked the hotel with some remaining Marriott points I had and ended up getting a King suite on the 23rd floor. It was absolutely perfect. 2 balconies, living area with pull out couch, spacious bathroom, and they even had 2 robes for us to use. Less than 15 minutes from Busch gardens and walking distance to Forum Stadium (hockey). Right on the water. Would definately stay again.

My wife had a Collaborative Law Seminar to attend in Tampa & we wanted a hotel close to the USF downtown campus. We figured that we'd stay as close as possible even though it would probably be a real dead weekend.

Were we surprised. it was great!

Marriott runs great hotels, that's a given, but Downtown Tampa for a weekend was less than appealing. We were pleasantly surprised. We expected good service & got great service. We expected no decent view from the room & got a beautiful view of the ship channel from the cruise port to Tampa Bay. We expected nothing exceptional & we got excellence in every aspect of our stay. The only problem we had was that we heard music from one of the bars in the hotel at night but even that was not loud enough to be disturbing.

The hotel is beautiful in every aspect. As an aside, I was told that it was Marriott's 2000th hotel & was built in the year 2000.

The food and the service in the Waterside Cafe was far superior to what I expect in a hotel restaurant & it was priced much more reasonably than I expected. The pool area, while not as spectacular as some of the pools in other Marriott Hotels (such as the World Center Marriott in Orlando) is large, warm, relaxing with plenty of lounges & again, we had great service.

The hotel is on the trolley line that runs from right in front of the hotel up to Channelside (an area on the water with restaurants, shops & a movie theater) & then on to Ybor City so there was plenty to do without needing to take a cab or a car.

Overall this hotel is one I highly recommend.

P.S. Bill Marriott is not a relative nor is anyone else in their organization to the best of my knowledge.

My wife and I stayed at the Marriott Waterside the week of October 1st and had a great experience. Check in was smooth, and because I had previously requested a room with a water view, we were put in a corner room overlooking the convergence of the channels and the convention center. We enjoyed the great view while sitting on our balcony. The lobby is beautiful with 16 full size palm trees and many comfortable sitting areas. The pool was the nicest I have ever been in with two planter 'islands' in the middle with palm trees in them. The hotel is very convenient for conventions, literally a two minute walk to the convention center. Because the hotel is right across the street from the trolley stop it was easy for my wife to travel freely during the day. There is a nice range of restaurants from formal to sports bar and the Mohitos are awesome. The cab ride to the airport is short (15 minutes) with a flat rate of $22 and there are always cabs waiting, shuttles are only $12 (one way). Overall a very nice stay and I highly recommend this hotel.

I was here for a conference, and spent about three days.. The decor is excellent. Very high class and tasteful., The staff were excellent, friendly and helpful. One feature I enjoyed was the lobby computer for people to sign in to their airline site and print boarding tickets.

I didn't use much of the facilities so can't comment on that, but the food was excellent, even room service. In fact, room service customer service was especially good. When I called they knew my name right away, and about an hour after it was delivered I received a call just to ask how the food and service was.

The room was clean and comfortable.

I really can't find anything to complain about except that they don't offer free wireless computer access. (wi-fi). I beleive it was about $10 a day.

I would gladly stay there again if given the opportunity.

I stayed at the Tampa Marriott Waterside for six days in September 2007 while attending business meetings and a conference. The room rate paid was $145 per night for a king size bed with a water view.

The property is located in a safe and most convenient location. The Tampa Conference Center and St. Pete Times Forum are located directly across the street and the Channelside shopping/entertainment area is but three blocks away. The Tampa Cruise Terminal is five blocks away and trolley service to key areas in Tampa is available from directly in front of the hotel. Drive time to the airport, under typical traffic conditions, is fifteen minutes.

The exterior of the property is well maintained and is of good appearance. The drive-in area is well covered and is staffed by a large contingent of valet and bell staff. Service in this area was consistently prompt, courteous and efficient.

The lobby is reminiscent of the grand metropolitan hotels of the 1920s. It is very well done. The extensive use of dark woods and wrought iron are top shelf. Four artificial palm trees anchor the area and extend into the atrium three floors above.

Check-in was flawless with everything taken care of before my arrival. Luggage made it to my room before I did and there appeared to be a true commitment to quality customer service.

Elevator service was speedy and impressive. The hotel was full for the majority of my stay, but I didn’t wait longer than thirty seconds for a car.

Hallways leading from the elevator to rooms were clean and well lit. Rarely did I see room service trays or other trash in the hallways for more than just a few minutes.

The room was spotless, well maintained, and everything worked. Space wise, it was typical for a new hotel. The bathroom was well stocked and spacious. One issue in the bathroom was the lack of drawer space for toiletries. For a long stay, this proved to be an issue. The bed was very comfortable, and featured high thread count sheets and pillow cases. This is typical for this type of property. The marina views from the room were nice and are worth the special request.

The swimming pool/hot tub area, located on the third floor, is well appointed. The pool is large with plenty of sun deck space adjacent to it. A bar and a food service building are in this area as well. An adjacent exercise room is filled with the latest in equipment and features two large screen, flat panel televisions.

There are three full service restaurants in the hotel. A sports bar with a limited menu, a café type restaurant that features a buffet and outdoor dining area, and an upper end, sit down supper club. A Starbucks with limited pastries is also available just off the lobby. While I did not visit any area other than the café, the food there was good, typically priced, with good service.

The café has a counter area just inside the door. I chose to sit there one morning for breakfast and found the service lacking in speed and quality. It appears the counter area is not staffed properly. The wait staff seemed upset by the fact that I chose to sit there.

The concierge desk in the lobby was staffed during business hours and was supplemented by bell staff thereafter. I spoke to the concierge once during my stay, looking for a casual seafood restaurant. He seemed very rushed and basically did not focus on my request. He referred me to an upscale, downtown seafood house with the least expensive entrée being $40. Not my idea of casual. He also mentioned that it would be tough for him to get me a table at the restaurant he recommended. Overall, his service and focus was lacking.

Conference/meeting space in this property is top-shelf. All rooms are fully equipped for all AV/internet needs. It is obvious that significant thought and planning went into this part of the operation. Food service during meetings and for a large business reception was of excellent quality and service.

Check-out was a flawless. The statement placed under my door before departure was accurate and the front desk staff was again, focused on customer satisfaction and was most courteous.

Overall, this is a great property with great service. It lives up to its price point. I would not hesitate to stay here in the future. Persons looking for a quality, albeit less expensive property should consider the Embassy Suites which is located directly across the street from the Marriott.

After packing and preparing her first child for his freshman year at University of Tampa, we were both in need of a retreat. As practicing hedonists we were in search of a night with romance, great view, cleanliness, courteous staff, and upscale. From the moment we drove up I knew that the Marriott Waterside was going to be just right.

Room: clean comfortable with a balcony that you can actually sit out on and enjoy. View of Harbour Island and some of the industry to the east, but all in all a good view. Bed - incredible. Bath - Adequate. Room service - impecable - called "0" to then get connected to room service but the first person who answered the phone took my order for coffee and it was up in 20 minutes, (for $7). Awesome for a 700+ room hotel. Needed Advil and it was delivered in 15 minutes from the gift shop ($2.50).

Amenities: Has three resturaunts but we did not visit them. Outdoor pool on the third floor was massive, not crowded, good music, outdoor grill and bar as well. Bar in the lobby was great (thanks Amy) although this is primarily a business/conference hotel and my wife was hit on by conference goers three times while waiting 15 minutes for me to arrive. (For us, not a problem, we always laugh about that).

Area - Harborside which has resturaunts and night club and shopping is five blocks away . Trolley stop is across the street from the hotel and we took that to the Harborside Area, the trolley continues to Ybor City if you are so inclined.

We highly recommend this hotel and in fact have booked for the college parent's weekend although the school had a block of rooms at the nearby Westin.

Stayed here before a cruise and loved it, within walking distance to the pier. Close to many different places, ie Busch Gardens, Baseball, convention center. Not far from beautiful beaches. Highly recomend it. Breakfast was a little expensive, might want to go somewhere else, but the food and service was excellent.

Stayed here for a couple nights for a conference being held here. Nice new, clean facilities, a rather over-the-top lobby, nice location on the inter-coastal waterway. Our room was really nice, had plug-in cable internet for $10 for our entire stay (3 days/2 nights)--was some kind of special. There was also free wireless throughout the common spaces in the hotel that was extremely useful.

The concierge kept trying to convince us to go to reeeeeally upscale restaurants for dinner, which I suppose is her job, but she wasn't very helpful in helping us find something closer to our price range.

It was rainy while we were there, but the pool is on the 3rd floor roof and looked nice (if small). The gym was very nice. Decent number of cardio machines, TVs and plug-in audio on the machines themselves, and plug-ins for ipods on the machines.

Really no complaints about this hotel except that there's not much nearby to do (more Tampa's fault than the hotel's). There's a tapas restaurant about a 10 minute walk away that is NOT particularly good. Don't recommend that.

I was in Tampa for a convention and Marriott Tampa Waterside was conveniently located next to the convention center. Also, the trolley station leading to Ybor is directly across the street.

Free wifi in lobby, still have to pay in the rooms. Luckily, lobby had plenty of comfortable seating, nice lobby bar.

Rooms were average chain hotel style - nothing to write about. Forgot my razor and hotel staff quickly got me a complimentary disposable and small can of shaving cream.

Business center has printer that you can use at no cost.

Lobby has a computer next to the check-in desk to print boarding passes -- that was a nice convenience. Elevators seemed quick even during busy hours.

My view was of a parking lot. I thought it would have been nicer overlooking the water. But, a fellow convention goer informed me that the bar across the water had very loud music on until 3 a.m. both Friday & Saturday nights. Apparently, the hotel has tried everything to get the situation changed --- brought in decibel meters and found that the readings in the room were exactly 1 decibel less than the limit.

So, my colleagues got a great view and no sleep --- I got sleep and a boring view.

I stayed at the Tampa Marriott Waterside from July 28-July 31 while preparing for the FL bar exam. This review will discuss location, rooms, dining, and extras.

Location

I chose the hotel because of its close proximity to the Tampa Convention Center. We spent the majority of our stay at the hotel and the convention center. The hotel is in a very nice neighborhood and I felt safe on the premises. The hotel is on the channel and the waterfront view is magnificent. There isn't much of a nightlife around the immediate area, but I hear there is an area nearby called Channelside with upscale shops, restaurants, etc.

Room

The room was average sized and relatively clean. Not the most stylist room, but very comfortable. The bed was plush and luxurious. My only concern regarding the bed was that the sheets would come off easily. The room had a balcony with a small table and two chairs. The bathroom was large and clean; however, I prefer hotel bathrooms with a sink separate from the toilet, tub and shower. The room had a safe and refrigerator; but no microwave.

Dining

The hotel knew the exam takers were stressed out and provided us with many perks. Upon check-in, we received a room service menu with breakfast and lunch items specifically for the exam takers. The hotel has three restaurants, Starbucks, and a lobby bar. We ate at the Waterside Cafe for breakfast and lunch daily, Champions twice and ordered room service several times. The food was very tasty and reasonably priced. Room service was quick and readily available. Unfortunately, I didn't dine at the more upscale restaurant in the lobby.

Extras

The lobby is huge with ample seating and wireless. There's a spa, concierge and other four star hotel amenities. The hotel even provides their guests with a computer and printing station to print your flight boarding pass...WOW!

Overall, this hotel was convenient and everything I needed and wanted was at my fingertips. I would definitely stay at this hotel again.

We stayed here because of its proximity to the St. Pete Times Forum (for a concert). The location was great, we were able to walk to the concert. The lobby is very pretty, the breakfast buffet was good and the food at the sports bar was good too. The rooms are pretty basic (nothing in the mini bar), but clean and perfectly adequate. No complaints at all.

We were staying at the Marriott as part of an extremely large conference (thousands of people!) and had a very good time. We were surprised by our room - thinking we would simply have a little window hopefully looking our onto the waterway, but we had a balcony on the corner of the building overlooking downtown Tampa and the bay where they were holding fireworks during our stay. We were able to watch 12 different fireworks displays at once! Plus there was another display on the other side of the hotel 2 hours later! Because our gathering was so big we took over the hotel, but the staff were extremely gracious and accomodating - bringing in tons more chairs to help everyone get seated in the ballrooms ad such. The only complaint most people had were the elevators taking forever because meetings would get out and EVERYONE would want onto one of the few elevators available (not the hotel's fault!). The parking is $20 a day for overnight stays, so be forewarned. Even if you are just visiting the parking is $10 for visitors.

I stayed here as part of a very large conference across the street. NB, I had no idea that our meeting rooms were in another building, and barely made it to my presentation on time! Allow 10 minutes to wals to the convention center with luggage. It would be nice if the internal meeting monitors mentioned that it was in a different building.... Also, after I got there, I had to do a conference call and building services set up a land line for me in a quiet room within minutes. Excellent maintenance staff. Anyway, my hotel room was large, clean, and well appointed. I used the fitness center, and it was clean, modern, and fully equipped with TVs and good machines. The outdoor pool looked clean and pretty. I had dinner in the nicer Italian hotel restaurant. It was very good, but surprisingly empty. I had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I skipped the buffet, and my ala carte order came quickly and was good. Cab ride from the airport took approx. 25 min. and cost a flat $25. Overall, a very pleasant stay.

We arrived at the Tampa Marriott Waterside and had a great time! I was traveling with colleagues and my room overlooking Harbor Island and the Bay... was just perfect!

We did encounter a little "attitude" with the concierge, however, the hotel itself was just amazing! I loved relaxing on my patio, over looking the bay, with a nice bottle of wine and my laptop :)

Room service was prompt and provided me with more bottled water than I asked for (at no charge).

The room was a bit "damp" but I guess that's just Florida for you.

Valet was also a bit slow and the bell boy service was laughable. He brought our luggage in and informed us he couldn't bring it upstairs and then made it VERY obvious that he was going to wait for a tip. He literally brought our bags in about 30 feet. Obnoxious!

There is a starbucks on site (thank god) and the location of the hotel itself, can't be beat!

All in all... this is a great hotel!

We stayed here the night before leaving on a cruise. The hotel is very close to the Port Authority. We also attended a Tampa Bay Lightning game and the hotel is in the same block. We had a room where the balcony overlooked the stadium. It is great to look out and watch people arrive. Only downfall to this hotel is there is not a lot of shopping or restaurants in walking distance. The hotel was very clean and staff was friendly. We would stay there again.

This Marriott is up to par, nothing fancy by any means but it has a pretty lobby and seems very busy all the time! It is near the convention center so people are constantly coming and going but the staff are well prepared. It has amenities such as pool, spa and food and beverage outlets.

It is a fine Marriott property but not 5 star!

We moved over to this hotel from the Westin and we were quite pleased with the cleanliness, convenience, food and service. What a huge hotel it is but their customer service was terrific. The rooms were nothing special but clean and contained every need - oops, except a robe. I'd recommend this place to anyone in need of a place close to the conv center and/or forum!

I came here for a convention and I'll start right off and say this hotel is in a beautiful setting with a large and airy lobby. I asked for a high floor room facing the water, but got a 3rd floor room facing the city. (This was only because I insisted on a king sized bed, I hate having two doubles). Otherwise I could've had my requests fulfilled. The room was tastefully decorated and the bed extremely fluffy and comfortable; I slept really well.

As far as food options go, it was convenient to walk to the lobby and have a Starbucks right there. I didn't eat at the restaurant, but I did go to the onsite sports bar (Ohio State and the Gators in football), and it was least to say, quite an interesting and amped-up crowd. The other nights myself and my business colleagues ate at a nearby sushi restaurant just over the bridge on the marina-side; then another night we took a short tram ride to a newer restaurant complex that had a Hooters (though we didn't eat there, we ate at a nice upscale Tapas bar).

At night, the lights are pretty on the buildings and reflect on the water, the pool was a bit too chilly to go into but the exercise room was stellar. The convention center is just down the street, as well as a few bars; I didn't consider going to Ybor, the immediate area has plenty of choices for bars.

All in all, a very good experience, I would definitely return to this Marriott.

My husband had to travel to Tampa for business so I tagged along with our toddler daughter to enjoy some Florida sunshine. We stayed at the Marriott Waterside for 4 nights on the 23rd floor with a beautiful view of the marina and bay. We found the hotel to have polite and helpful staff with clean and comfortable rooms. The hotel is conveniently close to many amenities, including restaurants and a grocery store. Across the canal from the hotel is a pretty lively restaurant/bar called Jacksons that has a tendency to play their music pretty loud but has good food. Less than a mile away is Channelside where the cruise ships dock and this area has a number of great restaurants and even a movie theatre. The Florida Aquarium is located here, also. A few miles away is Ybor City that is easily accessible via tram which stops in front of the hotel. While we rented a car for a few days, you can easily get away with not having a vehicle if your stay at the Marriott is fairly short since you can walk to everything you need. A plus considering there is no on-site parking and valet parking will set you back $18 a day.

The hotel is located downtown so it is far from the beaches but the pool (up on the third floor) is really nice and is bathed in sunshine for most of the day so getting some sun isn't an issue with this hotel. The gym is open 24 hrs and has good quality equipment and just a few steps away from the hotel is a fantastic running/walking path that runs along Bayshore Blvd with a magnificent view of Hillsborough Bay. While out for a morning run on this path I saw a dolphin catching some fish just a few feet out in the Bay. Very cool for a person living in urban Canada!

We would definitely return and although the hotel really caters to business travellers we thoroughly enjoyed our stay with a small child and would recommend it as a good place to stay in downtown Tampa.

I lived in Tampa for 4.5 years. My company held numerous events near the waterfront area, so when my significant other and I wanted to have a romantic evening together before relocating, this hotel was on the top of our list. It isn't a cheap stay, but the hotel itself is beautiful and in a great location. The room was well equipped with modern and classy furnishings, a luxurious bathroom, and a great comforter on the bed. Everything in Tampa requires you to have a car and to drive a good deal, but the location on this hotel is central and there are a lot of good restaurants and clubs nearby for at night. I did eat breakfast there in the AM, and found their menu to be a good variety. I would recommend this hotel for someone looking for a romantic evening or someone that doesn't mind paying considerable money for their stay (Tampa/St Pete has many other low-cost options but they aren't nearly as classy as this hotel).

Booked this hotel because of proximity to hockey rink for LIghtning/ Bruins game. Booked a honeymoon pkg which included upgraded room to suite, breakfast next morning, complementary valet (otherwise $18), and champange and strawberries. Beautiful lobby and helpful valet and bell hops. We got their early but front desk held luggage until room was ready when we received a cell phone call informing us of this. Beautiful suite. Waited until about 4pm for champagne. During which we realized that due to an early morning flight - we would miss "free" breakfast. When called down - front desk helpful - informed us we had to request champagne and offered to send up a basket the night before of a few muffins and fruit to comensate for no breakfast next day. One of hotel restaurant is "sports" bars theme but good pub like food. Went to bed to get up for 5:00am for airport. At midnight - we could still vividly hear what we thought was a Christmas party over our heads - bass was reverberating through our room. We called down to complain at about 12:15 but they informed us that most parties were over. We called again at 1:00am because it continued. Then at 1:30 my husband realized that the sound was coming from across the bay from another properties' restaurant. We were on the 23rd floor with our balcony doors shut and the bass felt like it was above our heads. Needless to say 3hrs of sleep later, we checked out not to happy. The front desk informed us they had called the authorities and did what they could and apologized - gave us a few dollars off our bill for trouble which I thought was helpful. In all and all, beautiful suite and helpful staff in an unfortunate situation - don't get a room on the bay side on a party weekend though :)

I attended for a conference and found it to be a beautiful hotel that was very clean. We enjoyed the rooftop pool and well-appointed exercise room. The conference area was nice and staff was pleasant. Conference rooms were frigid. Many nice areas to overlook channel and enjoy Tampa weather in October. Hotel is extremely convenient to Stadium, Convention Center and Cruise Ship launch area.

My only negative was the $18/day parking fee attached on top of the room rate. They told us their was a parking garage we could walk to for $5/day but this was only after the valet had all but hijacked our car as we came in the door. Of course the car was already parked by the time we got done checking in, leaving too much of a hassle to retrieve and re park the first night.

Also, $.75 a minute to use the internet in the business center. $8 drinks at the conference also seemed absurd. Jacked up prices like this abound and that gets frustrating after paying so much for a room.

Staying at Mariott presently and I must say it really is quite a pleasant spot. We have booked a concierge level room with 2 double beds. The views are stunning from the 25th level to the sea. The lobby is really quite amazing and concierge is very helpful booking dinner and telling us kid friendly places to go. Walking distance to a IMAX. The hotel is very convenient to most places and I feel safe walking the streets with the kids. Room service prompt and friendly. The room is a little tired and on the small side. Needs updating although functional enough for our one night that we are staying here. No mini bar but an empty mini fridge. Im not one to bring much from home so was rather dissapointed when there was not even softies in the room. Bottle of Fiji water left out although this is 6dollars to purchase!! Coffee machine in the bathroom next to the shower. Parking is also 18$ daily and high speed internet is 13.95 from noon to noon. 375$ a night inclusive of tax and continental breakfast. All in all the room has a slight 60s feel to it but it is clean and the view certainly makes up for its short comings!!

The Tampa Marriott Waterside is a very nice hotel. It is clean and nicely decorated. I stayed there for a convention and had a room with a King bed to myself. (Which means I was relaxed just for the fact that I was able to sleep in late without kids). The bed was the best feature of the room. It was topped with what some sort of feather mattress. It also had about six puffy, pillows! I regularly sleep with several pillows so it was great not having to call down to housekeeping and then hope and wait for someone to bring extra pillows. On the down side, the mattress itself was a tad too soft, but strategically placed pillows made it comfortable. The view from my room of downtown Tampa was very nice.

The hotel served as a nice convention center as well. The meeting rooms were nice. Such rooms are always a tad cold for me, so bring your sweater if you get cold easily. The break-time snacks were typical but good (sodas, water, coffee, cookies, chips, pretzels, etc.). Our convention provided breakfast and lunch in the Il Terrazo restaurant. Breakfast was great. Lunch was OK. The Friday banquet was OK as well.

One evening I checked out a movie at the IMAX theater which is within walking distance of the hotel (along with a bunch of restaurants -- I forget what they called this area). The theater was great. The restaurant pretty good. I enjoyed the outdoor pool. The jacuzzi felt good but looked awful. I hope they fix the cracked tile and open filter intake

All in all, I would enjoy going to this hotel again for a convention.

Just returned from a week-long stay at the Marriott for a convention held at the Convention Center.

The facility is excellent. Our room was comfortable and clean.

We ate in both the Champions Sports Bar and The Waterside Cafe. Food was good and typically priced for a hotel restaurant. The staff had no problem when we asked for separate checks (7 of us for lunch at the Waterside on a very busy afternoon).

Check in went smoothly, and when I asked for a roll-away bed without having made previous arrangements, it was delivered to the room within a half-hour of my arrival.

The bellmen outside were friendly and accomodating when we needed a cab/van to transport from 6 to 12 people.

Our only complaints - and that's too strong a word - we had to keep reminding housekeeping that there were 3 people in the room and we needed more towels, coffee, etc. And there was some confusion with separating our bill when we checked out; but the problem was solved in a matter of minutes with no arguing on their part or ours.

All in all, a nice hotel and a nice stay there.

Nice well appointed hotel.

Little on the big side though, felt like a marble rattling about.

I imagine during a conference this would be a great hotel

I stayed here one night for a conference across the street at the Convention Center. The location was convenient. The lobby is lovely, and the bar in the lobby was nice - busy but not too loud.

My room was typical Marriott. However, it was not as clean as I expect from this chain. The sheets had grey marks on them, like stains, as if a piece of charcoal had gone through the laundry with the sheets. The bathroom was clean enough, but there was a bit of hair stuck in the drain.

Next time I'd try the Embassy Suites or Westin.

This hotel was fine, nothing special. It lacked some features that I expected from a big Marriott, like a working minibar, flat screen TV, free connection to the internet. Stay at the upper levels, since my colleagues who stayed there got free snacks with their room service. And they got robes in the bathrooms up there.

This hotel was a disappointment. Definitely not worth the money. The lobby looks nice, but the rooms weren't anything special, and neither was the location. The pool area was OK, but definitely could use some renovations.

We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights for the outback bowl game in Tampa. Let me start off with the positives... the hotel is along the marina where there are million dollar boats, a short walk to the Channelside restaurants (where the cruise ship docks), a small park and jogging path, next to the Forum where they have circus shows and hockey games, and directly across the street from the conference center. So relatively speaking, the location can't get any better in Tampa. The front desk is professional, the valet service is fast and friendly, conceirge were useful as far as directions go, and the lounge on the 24th floor served good breakfast (hot eggs & normal continental items).

The rooms are very very small. Despite paying $340 per night for the New Years eve and day weekend, the rooms are extremely small and needs a good make over. The television set is not a flat screen, the bathroom is almost inportportionaly too big, and the bathroom amentities are below par. Room service always came promptly and the maids are very nice. Turn down service was done without asking, fresh towels always replaced, and the beds are large and comfortable. There is no wireless interent service in the rooms. The free wireless connection at the 24th floor lounge was not working. To get on the internet is extremely expensive... at $17 per day. Valet parking will run you $18.

The views are pretty good, anything about 15th floor should get you nice water view or the city view.

Overrall the choices for hotels in the Tampa area really isn't that good at all. The Marriott is a good choice but very pricey for what you get. If it was around $150 per night, it would be more in line with the other hotels. Embassey suite is right across the street, so you should check out the rates there. Most of the good seafood restaurants are located at Clearwater (about 1 hr drive away). There is no beach areas nearby, you'll have to drive to Clearwater for that. Its about 2 miles from Ybor City.

The swimming pool is large and overlooks the marina. There seems to be plently of sun throughout the day at the pool. There's also an outdoor hot tub and pool side bar (which was closed). The fitness room is open 24 hrs.

There really isn't much to complain about but at the same time there isn't much to rave about either... especially for the $300+ per night price. I rate this hotel average at best.

I spent one evening at the Marriot Tampa Waterside in early July. The weather was hotter than hot...very muggy. As a Floridian I am used to this but others may find it a bit daunting.

I was in town to attend a bridal shower with 3 other people. We booked 2 rooms. One with a king/street view and another with 2 queens/water view. I stayed in the water view room which was lovely. Some rooms have balconies, make sure to ask for one when making a reservation. The rooms are standard Marriott cookie cutter, but clean and spacious.

The place was packed. It is across the street from the convention center and the American Idols were performing and staying at the hotel... the kid with all the hair was just mobbed! In addition, an Anime convention and a gymnastics competiton were going on so the valet was backed up for a very long time. This could be a problem if you need your car in a hurry.

From check in to check out the service was great. The staff is warm, friendly & helpful. The location is very nice. Seems that the downtown area is up & coming, thus a Starbucks across the street. I recommend taking the walk across the street because the "Starbucks" in the hotel only brews starbucks coffee. It does not really create all the specialty drinks. My latte was horrible and created with a push button all in one machine.

They do have a buffet breakfast which some members of my party ordered. Some items were good others - not so much. I had eggs benedict and would not order it again.

All in all, I would stay again. Rooms - nice & clean. Service - great. Food & beverage - I would recommend you eat at a local restaurant. Tampa has many great places to eat. Self park your car unless you want a long wait.

After reading reviews by others on this site, I wonder if I stayed in a different section of the hotel than everyone else.

The good: beautiful lobby,nice lobby bar, good morning breakfast buffet. Location was also nice and easy to hop on trolley to Ybor. Nice walk to Port to see ships.

The bad: front desk personnel not very pleasant or helpful. The room was a disgrace. We were on the 26th floor: stained carpet; the second we arrived and opened the door I thought MOLD and my husband said MOLD! The smell was awful and frankly, in a sealed high rise I don't understand even if it is in Florida. The air conditioning was barely working; contacted help desk and someone came to check and turned thermostat to 60 as a solution.

The ugly: when I went to bed in an attempt to sleep, I quickly discovered the noise was like sitting in the middle of a tornado. About 3am I switched bed sides with spouse as a vent from bathroom into main room was loud and "spitting" on me and the air conditioner noise was competing with this vent.[switching was spouse's suggestion] At 4am I got my ipod out to use to hopefully block out the noise. At 7am I was at the front desk asking if this was normal. I was told yes, but maintenance would stop by and check. At this point, the air conditioner filter was changed; spouse said it was black and probably had not been changed in years. As for the bathroom/room vent I was told by front desk that other people put a towel over it to help block noise. This softened noise and prevented "spitting" which was dirt particles---confirmed by the # on pillows. Needless to say, a disappointing stay and I would never return willingly.

The less than honest: there is a Hertz rental in lobby. We wanted to rent a car for 2 of our 5 day visit. We paid a premium price for a 2 day compact [$160] which I accept as convenience factor. But we were then charged $20 for 2 nights to park a car which is normally stored in the hotel deck. My beef? As hotel guests, we could have just done 2 single day rentals [no parking charge]had it been suggested. Marriott's fault? No, but in my opinion Hertz is recommended by them since they sit in hotel lobby.

I arrived one evening too late to do anything but sleep. But when I crawled into my bed, I noticed there were some long black hairs on top of the comforter. I have short, blonde hair. I was too tired to complain that night, so I just picked them off with a tissue and went to sleep. The next morning, I left a note on the comment card for the housekeeper about changing the linens, but when I returned to my room, she'd only folded my note and put it back in the holder. Later, I found blood stains on the chenille throw placed on the end of the bed.

Yuck! I was there for a company event, so I didn't have much of a choice as to where I stayed, but should you have the benefit of choice, choose elsewhere!

We stayed for 2 nights. The hotel overall was OK, with no big problems but nothing special.

Check in was good. We had a "city view" and a king size bed, which was what we requested. The drain in the bathroom sink didn't hold water very well. The TV was not a flat screen and did not come in very well.

The service at the pool bar was very good, and the the service at the sports bar was friendly as well. There was a lobby bar that looked busy, too.

The concierge said he made reservations for us at a nearby restaurant, but when we got there, the restaurant had never heard of us.

They advertise sleep but you may not get any.

PLEASE ask this hotel whether they have large conferences going on before you make your reservation. I have stayed at many Marriotts and this was by far the most miserable experience I have ever had.

By reserving over 600 rooms for members of a recovering narcotics group, the Marriott essentially handed over control of the hotel to this group. Fairly late in the evening when you would normally see people talking quietly in the hotel lobby here are a few of the things that I saw:

-a man blowing bubbles in the lobby

-a man drinking a gallon of chocolate milk he made himself

-people making sandwhiches

-tons of mcdonalds and pizzas being ordered

-people laying on the couches with their socks on

At the pool there were hundreds of people that weren't even staying at the hotel. There was no place to sit, cigarette smoke everywhere, and I was told that there were no more towels. Here I was a paying guest and was given no towel for the pool.

I am not blaming the individuals at the conference but rather the hotel for letting any large group get out of hand. Many of the people attending the conference were not staying at the hotel but were sleeping in nearby cars and hanging out in the lobby all night. These people were using blow horns, screaming, and were congregated on an outside patio until 4 or 5 in the morning.

Everyone in the hotel was calling security and security admitted that they had lost control of the hotel and could not control these people. One of the staff members told me these people were within their rights to make as much noise as they wanted to.

In the end, the manager compensated us for our stay but I still was only able to get 2 hours of sleep. I felt so bad for new hotel guests that were checking in as I was leaving--they had NO idea what kind of Marriott experience they were in for.

This was absolutely one of the WORST experiences that I have ever had!!! My boyfriend and I stayed at the Marriott to attend one of my best friends wedding that was being held there. We had came back to our room after the ceremony (only a 1/2 hour) and before the reception and had noticed that MONEY WAS STOLEN FROM OUR ROOM, and to make it even worse, it was stolen from the wedding card, well come to find out the maid was in our room TWICE while we were gone, to do the "flip-down" service. Although it was so obvious to my boyfriend and I who had took the money seeing that SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THERE, we had difficulty dealing with the IMPOSSIBLE STAFF at this hotel. Needless to say the POLICE WERE CALLED AND A REPORT WAS FILED, and I missed out on one of my best friends weddings!!! I mark my word that I would not trust any Marriott Hotel, as well as the staff, I WILL NEVER STAY AT ANOTHER ONE IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE!!!!! AND I PRAY FOR THE WOMEN THAT HAD THE NERVE TO STEAL THE MONEY!!!!!! Bad Karma does come back and bit you!!!!