La Quinta Inn and Suites Tampa USF

We stayed at the La Quinta Inn USF March 25th for 4 nights. I must say that fellow TripAdvisors were right on target with this hotel! Great staff, wonderful breakfast, clean, comfortable rooms and beds, all at a reasonable and fair price.

Very accessible to malls, eateries, the Museum of Science and Industry, The Lowry Zoo and 1 mile or so from Busch Gardens.

How can you go wrong? Oh, and we solved the "mystery" of the loud-flushing toilets @ La Quinta and other public places in Folrida(brought up by a fellow TripAdvisor Member). The toilets are "compressed air-assisted flushing toilets" which use air and less water in flushing. A little loud but for water conservation, a good cause.

We will certainly stay at La Quinta USF again!

I stayed here for 2 nights after having a horrible cockroach experience at the Days Inn on Busch Blvd across from Busch Gardens. The service here is excellent. Our room was very spacious and clean. Its really close to Busch Gardens & the Imax Theater which I highly recommend seeing a movie at. Our stay was so nice that we are coming back this weekend to go back to the theme park. Fowler is a much safer neighborhood to stay on than Busch Blvd.

We ran away from the Econo Lodge at Bush Gardens we ran for our lifes the Econo was terrible. So we came to La Quinta and they saved our stay at Tampa. Thank God they had the 3 rooms we need it we were a group of 11. We had 2 great nights here. Very nice service at the front desk. She was the best. Rooms comfortable, big and very clean. Great breakfast too. Thank you La Quinta.

We stayed here one night prior to Moffitt Hospital. It was very convenient, right across the street.

The room was large and clean, the bedding was excellent.

They offered free broadband internet for your laptop.

They have a free breakfast with make it yourself waffles, cereal and milk, chocolate donuts, toast, apple juice and coffee.

We will probably stay there again.

It was a non smoking ADA room on the first floor.

We stayed at the La Quinta Inn USF March 25th for 4 nights. I must say that fellow TripAdvisors were right on target with this hotel! Great staff, wonderful breakfast, clean, comfortable rooms and beds, all at a reasonable and fair price.

Very accessible to malls, eateries, the Museum of Science and Industry, The Lowry Zoo and 1 mile or so from Busch Gardens.

How can you go wrong? Oh, and we solved the "mystery" of the loud-flushing toilets @ La Quinta and other public places in Folrida(brought up by a fellow TripAdvisor Member). The toilets are "compressed air-assisted flushing toilets" which use air and less water in flushing. A little loud but for water conservation, a good cause.

We will certainly stay at La Quinta USF again!

Entirely agree with the other TripAdvisers. Large, light, quiet rooms. Immaculately clean and comfortable. Friendly, helpful reception staff. Good buffet breakfast with pancake-makers. Sensible checkout times. Good fitness room, average pool.

Excellent value.

February 2006

Stayed at the La Quinta USF for the 2006 Outback Bowl. The updated accommodations were clean and spacious. Front desk staff was friendly and helpful, breakfast buffet was very good. The hotel lobby and pool areas are well maintained and comfortable. Convenient to the airport, Busch Gardens, and downtown via the freeway, although a car is probably helpful. Local area restaurants and shopping abound. Great value! Would stay at this hotel again when visiting the Tampa area.

We stayed here just before New Year to visit Busch Gardens.

The room was great - recently upgraded with a great shower and very clean and comfortable. The hotel is very quiet and the staff friendly and helpful (they give great travel directions!)

Breakfast was good - my kids enjoyed making their own waffles - and the breakfast area clean and uncrowded.

There is a small pool which is adequate for the small numbers of people using it at this time of year.

The location is great - about five minutes drive from Busch Gardens (you could walk there safely if you felt energetic!) and just along the road to a good shopping mall with a small Macys and a selection of restaurants within a couple of minutes drive.

I'll certainly stay at La Quinta again on my next visit - thanks guys!

Clean rooms, no mold issues, helpful staff, nice breakfast.

My family and I recently stayed at La Quinta USF while visiting my sister. My wife and three children loved this place upon arrival. As soon as we entered the lobby we were treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. They made my family and I feel most welcome after a long drive from New York City. Our stay was for seven days and we decided to stay an extra two days because of the family type atmosphere it had. Coffee all day and night long, complimentary continental breakfast which was very good, large , clean smelling rooms with large bathrooms are all plusses. The kids loved the pool and hot tub. And the staff! They were great from the day I booked the room til the day we left. Plenty of places to eat in the area. Mall nearby and the best BBQ in the area, Leeroy Selmon's on Dona Michelle, about 10 minutes away. Can't wait to do it again.

This hotel will blow you away. Very close to Busch Gardens, and in a nice neighborhood. The rooms are huge, and they have very nice bathrooms. The pool is good, and the walkway to it is very nicely landscaped. The staff is very professional. The free breakfast is nice (waffles, hard-boiled eggs), but there weren't any open tables when I first got there. This hotel is fantastic.

When booking a trip, I first look at the hotel reviews on tripadvior. This hotel got good reviews and was inexpensive. I was impressed from the time I walked into the door. The lobby was nice and clean, check-in was a snap and when Wendy's failed to give us forks for our salads, the person behind the counter joked and quickly got a couple for us. A couple of hours after arriving at the hotel, someone called our room to make sure everything was alright and to see if there was anything extra we needed. Never in all of my vacations has anyone ever called to see if everything was o.k.! The staff even printed off directions for a couple who wanted to go to the casino.

Everything about this hotel was nice. The staff always had smiles on their faces, rooms are roomy, breakfast was great, pillows were the best, pool was nice and clean. The only downside I found was people getting ice at 4a.m. That was a bit noisy.

This is an excellent motel/ hotel in North Tampa, close to Busch Gardens and University. Even from the street (Fowler Avenue) it gives a pleasant look and entering the big lobby you get a good feeling of having chosen a nice, comfortable and very clean place. Check-in was quick, but staff could not give informations about a restaurant in the same street.

All doors to the outside are secured and may be opened with your room key. So the hotel has indoor corridors, carpeted floors are clean and look new. Corridors are well lit and spacious, as well is the room. How I love rooms and bathrooms that are well lit!

We got a king bed, very comfortable, probably matrasses might be not hard enough for some people. Lower matrasses are not covered by a sheet, they should do it, to prevent new matrasses from being stained by careless people. And it looks better anyway.

In room you get a desk with chairs, closet for clothes and another closet, where fridge and microwave were hidden. Nevertheless fridge was noisy when cooling. There was a recliner chair as well and so much empty space in the room you nearly could dance... I love spacious rooms.

They have hairdryer, iron and ironing board.

Internet access was free. TV has a big screen but only a few channels.

We had a nice view of the small pool area, which is all in the shadow during afternoon (facing east). They have a jacuzzi and towels provided. Plenty of deckchairs.

Bathroom was huge and very clean and new. Beautiful tiles! A big sink with much space around to put your stuff down. Noisy but fast working toilet. Shampoo and soap are provided.

We got a free breakfast in the lobby. There is a huge fitness room.

I was impressed by La Quinta’s nice and very clean rooms!

What I did not like: doors to the rooms shut with a bang. This wakes you up whenever someone returns to his room. And you will hear water flushing. I did not sleep very well due to that.

The hotel was clean, easy to find and was pretty afordable. I stayed at a couple hotels on Busch Blvd and they were so dirty. I would recomend this hotel.

We stayed here for 2 nights for a visit to Busch Gardens.

The property is located only a few minutes from the Busch Gardens parking lot, and very convinient to restaurants.

Everything was very clean, the beds were comfortable, and the service was great.

The breakfast in the morning consists of the basic continental with a waffle bar. Nothing spectacular - but it works!

We would certainly stay here again if in the area.

We decided to stay at the La Quinta for two reasons: proximity to USF and price. I am usually a little hesitant to stay at a budget hotel and rely heavily on reviews on sites like this when I do. This La Quinta had gotten very good reviews and I left my stay feeling they were completely deserved!

The hotel is located directly across the street from USF, definitely within walking distance if you wanted to risk your life crossing Fowler Ave. The hotel was easy to find and many shopping and dining options near-by.

The hotel is very clean. If you are looking for serenity, there is a nice garden area with a gazebo leading to the pool and hot tub. There is a small exercise room. The rooms themselves are not fancy but clean and spacious. The breakfast was fine with muffins, cereals, and waffle machines. USA Today’s provided. I think I was most impressed with the service. As far as I can remember, this is the first hotel where the front desk called me after check-in to make sure the room met my standards. I have not gotten that service at higher star hotels.

Overall, if great price, clean place and close to USF is what you are going for, then checkout the La Quinta.

My daughter and I stayed here for two days while doing campus tours of area colleges. Our room was large, comfortable and clean. We had absolutely no complaints. Check in and check out was fast, easy and accurate. The breakfast was typical muffins, toast, bagels, cereal, waffles, etc. We were both very comfortable during our stay.

My husband and I stayed at the La Quinta USF on two occasions in January 2008. From January 17-18 on arrival in Tampa so we could go to Busch Gardens the next day then travel and stay in Orlando to visit Disney World; and from January 20-21 on our return from Orlando and prior to our departure from the Tampa airport.

Our check in on January 17 was accomplished very efficiently at around 11 am. The person at the desk was lovely and helpful. Our room was very clean and fairly large. It had all the basics – king bed, fridge, microwave, writing desk, recliner and a large television.

The free breakfast the next day consisted of bread, bagels, peanut butter, jelly, hot cereal, make-your-own waffles, yogurt, regular cereal, fruit, milk and juice. While we were eating everything was refilled promptly. It kept us going until we could have lunch at Busch Gardens.

The La Quinta is ideally located to Busch Gardens. In nice weather you could probably walk to BG, but we drove since the Florida area was going through a cold spell while we were there.

We loved Busch Gardens! It was everything I thought it would be (our Florida trip was a birthday present from my husband). If you go, definitely do the Serengeti Safari -- at least on your first visit. Priceless experience and great pictures. They provide a photographer on the trip and you can buy a pretty affordable CD at the conclusion of the safari.

If you’re going to Orlando, I would say take my advice as well as the advice of other TA forum posters who advised me to stay in Orlando on the days we were going to WDW. You don’t want to make the drive from Tampa to Orlando each day. It’s a longish drive and it would be even worse in bad traffic.

While at the La Quinta we ate at the Chinese buffet down the street on the advice of the front desk lady and picked up food from the 5 Brothers burgers. We picked up snacks and drinks down the street at the Family Dollar.

On our return to the La Quinta on January 20 after visiting the Animal Kingdom, our check-in was once again achieved with a minimum of fuss. Our room was ready, clean and adequately supplied with towels and the like.

One disappointment – while the La Quinta has free wireless, there is no business center to print boarding passes. We used the Kinko’s down the street.

I was pretty pleased with the service provided by La Quinta. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again or recommend the hotel to a friend or relative. I believe it offers excellent value for money.

Feel free to contact me with questions about the La Quinta; Busch Gardens; Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom. Have a great trip when you go.

I stayed here for 3 nights Oct 2007. The hotel is quite new and was VERY clean and the room is quite spacious. I had 2 queen beds and because of the layout of the room, the bathroom feels large also -- really nice in a hotel room! The shower pressure was great!

I worked in my room and had the Do Not Disturb sign on all day - so no maid service. Late afternoon, they left a bag with clean towels, more coffee, soap, etc. etc. on my door -- I thought it was a really nice touch.

My only complaint was that it can be a bit noisy -- you can hear your neighbor's toilet flush or shower etc. It seemed louder than most other hotels --- but I am not a very heavy sleeper.

Breakfast was basic, but I had no complaints. Muffins, good coffee, fruit, cereal, etc. They also have a waffle maker (I didn't use this) but many people seemed to enjoy that.

They also have 24 hrs a day coffee in the lobby --- I loved it!

Would recommend to a friend.

I stayed at this hotel after reading all the good reviews. The reviews were pretty much right on. The room was very clean and the beds were comfy. The rates do include free breakfast. This consisted of waffles, biscuits and gravy, fruit, bagels, muffins, and cereal. We paid around $100 which i guess is average. This hotel is perfect is you're going to Busch Gardens as it's located right behind it. We would definately stay here again.

We live in Orlando and decided to go to Busch Gardens and the beach before the kids headed back to school. We walked in and asked for one night-a king room was available which we took.

The room was on the 2nd floor. The room itself was very nice, a King bed, a pullout couch, coffee table, desk with high speed connection, tv on dresser, nightstands with alarm clock. The furniture was comfortable and clean. The bathroom had plenty of room and was very clean. We only stayed one night, but had plenty of towels, blankets and pillows.

To get into the building you had to use your key-this was a nice security measure. Although we came back to the room late, we did walk around-the pool and spa area was very nice, and even had a little garden area with a gazebo and bench. The free continental breakfast was great-yummy waffles that you make yourself, yogurt, bagels, muffins, toast, cereal, bananas, coffee and juice. Lots of maps and information on the area in the lobby. The only problem I saw was that there was only one fairly small elevator, so it sometimes made for a long wait since there are 4 floors. The staff was also friendly.

This hotel is very close to everything, including restaurants, stores and Busch Gardens (all within 5 minute drive). We would definitely stay there again if looking for something for just a couple of nights.

We stayed here 5 nights for college visit and SkatePark of Tampa trip. This was the 2nd year. We had a room on the 2nd floor last time, this time was the first floor. The ceiling was leaking in the bathroom (2x), but fixed quickly when requested. Doors slam closed (not all guests think of others and hold doors to close quietly) which is quite loud when all is quiet in the a.m.

Breakfast in morning (coffee, muffins, toast, bagels, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, waffles, fruit, juice) is a plus to get you started.

Located in a "good" spot, although you need a car to get anywhere. Busch Gardens is walkable, but I wouldn't advise it - too far. MANY places to eat, Lowry Park Zoo, MOSI, nearby - Clearwater Beach not too far. All in all a great trip - will look to stay here again next trip.

This is fairly standard Motel style accommodation with external doors, floor level air conditioning and bathroom at the bottom of the room. It does though have the advantage of having its own swimming pool that was very popular with guests once Busch Gardens had closed. An unusual feature for this level of accommodation was that breakfast was included. It was only rolls, cereal, waffles and coffee but was a good start to the day.

I didn't like the fact that the wash basin was in the bedroom rather than in the bathroom and the air conditioning was not very effective at cooling the whole room.

The rooms were clean although the furnishing and carpet was looking a bit tired.

The hotel is well situated for Busch gardens, being opposite the gardens although it was about a mile to the main entrance. This is not somewhere you go for evening strolls as it looks a bit of a seedy area and there is a six lane highway on two sides of the hotel.

There are a large number of fast food outlets and restaurants within a few hundred yards of the hotel although you do have to cross at least 1 busy highway to get to most of them.

The real plus for this hotel was the extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful receptionist. Such service can make all the difference to a stay and is unusual in hotels of this level (i.e. cheap!).

If you are going to Busch Gardens and spending a few days here this is a good choice but you would be probably better looking nearer the beach areas for longer stays or if you are not visiting Busch Gardens.

Stayed here one night to visit Busch Gardens and the USF/Tama area. Location is great, directly across from USF, down the road from Busch Gardens and the Museum of Science and Industry. Lots of restaurants nearby and a quiet neighborhood at night (suburban). The rooms are clean, comfy and pretty spacious for a double room, have a fridge and microwave and the bathrooms were clean as well. Better than a Holiday Inn, not as fancy as a Hilton. Bottom line: I'd stay here again and would recommend to anyone visiting Busch Gardens/USF.

I am a travel agent and had recommended this property to a group I was leading as a pre-night to their cruise. I had never stayed there, but had read the reviews and decided to offer it to my group. Most of the group only stayed one night - 4/2/06 - including myself. Everyone was impressed with how clean and well kept it was. I did not receive one complaint from any of my clients. The breakfast was not impressive, but no different than other properties of this type so that is not really a negative to me.

The location is excellent. There are many choices for food, a mall nearby and easy access to either I-275 or I-75. The cruise port is only a few miles down the interstate and of course Busch Gardens is nearby. I will definitely continue to recommend this hotel to my clients!

We stayed at this hotel Sept 24. It was our first LaQ experience and we were very impressed. It was just like a Hampton Inn. The Front desk staff was very nice and allowed us to check in early. The pool was nice and clean and the garden near the pool was beautiful. Our room was just a few doors down from the lobby which made me a little nervous about noise level. But the next morning we awoke having slept soundly. The room was nice and big, the bathroom especially. Sheets were soft and everything was very clean. Breakfast was generous - waffle machines seemed most popular. We will definately stay here again and will now consider other LaQuinta Inn & Suites hotels on our other trips! We love Trip Advisor too!

This was a nice hotel very close to Busch Gardens. The rooms were big enough, and very clean. Tha bathroom was large and housekeeping did a great job. Staff were very pleasant at the front desk. Location is good, very close to a shopping centre and plenty of eateries nearby. One thing that we were not impressed with was that leaflets advertising fast food menus were constantly being pushed under the door. Sometimes when we came back into the room, five or six leaflets would be inside, they were even pushed in the room whilse we were in it, despite there being a large notice on the front door of the hotel saying 'no advertising or soliciting'. The other slight disappointment was the breakfast, not the range of food which was great, but the lay out. Both mornings that we came down for breakfast we struggled to get a seat, it was chaotic, and there was nowhere near enough seating for the amount of people staying at the hotel.

Although there isn't a lot to see or do in Tampa, despite Busch Gardens, we would recommend staying there because of the nice rooms and good location.

It's the best value that your money can buy. A very nice hotel, well maintained with great amneties. The staff is very friendly, the rooms are large and is located near a shopping area in addition to Busch Gardens. I would definitely recommend it.

Staff was outstanding. Rooms clean and safe. Cont. Breakfast was above norm. Only negative, No internet terminal for customers.

Nice hotel, clean with very good service from the staff.

Very close to Busch Gardens and like others have said very good breakfast.

Only down side was the bed were a little uncomfortable.

We stayed at the La Quinta because of its proximity to Busch Gardens, its rating on TripAdvisore, and because we got a good rate (about $70 including tax on Travelocity).

We liked the room design (less boring than most), the pool was good, and the breakfast we better than any of the other hotels we stayed at this trip.

Overall, definitely a place we would use again if we are in Tampa.

We stayed here overnight when on a trip to Adventure Island. It is literally right down the road from A.I. and Busch Gardens, which we really liked. It seemed to be very clean, both the room and the common areas. Rooms were plenty big enough, and it was a little loud but we were right by the elevators. The breakfast (included) was more than adequate, and we would stay here again if the need arose.

Family of 5 stayed at the La Quinta Inn in Tampa after being at Busch Gardens all day. Very close to amusement park. Free continental breakfast (make your own waffles) was good. Room was sizable and comfortable. My only problem was that upon checking in, noticed a sign that said that the hotel was pet-friendly. I don't really like staying at a hotel that allows pets. The walls in the room were a little banged up (needing paint) and the carpeting throughout the room had a lot of stains. Possible pet accidents? Otherwise clean, quiet and comfortable.

We stayed at this hotel while visiting relatives and cause we wanted to go to Busch Gardens too. It's really close to Busch Gardens and the free internet was nice but slow. The room we had was right next to the elevator so it was noisy! The breakfast was not too good and very unorganized...the silverware was across the room from the bread/butter, etc...And it was in the lobby and not enough seats to sit down and eat at. The food was better then most free breakfasts I've had though. The room was clean and the bathroom was pretty large. The beds are not too comfortable though. Overall the hotel was average. I have had worse and I have had better but for the AAA price we got it was worth it.

We booked our room a week in advance, told them No Smoking .When we checked in the lady said you are in a Smoking room I said I can't have a smoking room due to health reasons, She said I can give you a room with a king bed and a pull-out bed at no extra charge, She said that would be $69.99 &tax, No problem then when she changed our room she said that will be $81.68,that was the first problem . We got to the room tried to turn the air on,no such luck the terostast was not working,the lady said I will go to the desk and try there if that don,t work I'll move you to another room , that didn't happen that was problem #2. My husband said the bed was too spongy to suit him, my mom said the pull out bed felt like the springs were coming through the matress, they need to invest in new pillows they were really uncomfortable to sleep on. that was #3. The toliet didn't flush properly and was really loud & there was no shelf in the tub\shower area for soap etc. that's #4. The breakfest wasn't that great it needs more variety no meat was offered with the waffles.that brings us to#5 then the last thing was we couldn't use the pool due the storm that went through the area a few minutes before we arrived. the nice thing about the hotel was it was real convient to the water park and theme park, there were plenty of eaterys around, the Day staff was great .We stayed at the motel July 23Rd checked out July 24Th , We would use the motel again but would check the room out before paying for it.

I stayed at the La Quinta Inn USF for 2 nights in early April 2006. I had read the many wonderful reviews on this site about this hotel and was therefor unpleasantly surprised upon my check-in to the hotel. My room was not what I would consider clean by any means and when you pull back the covers on the beds, you can see the ugly boxsprings underneath which were stained and dirty looking. I was not impressed with this hotel at all. Breakfast in the morning was crowded, messy and seating was very limited. Our room was located directly above the pool and the noise from the pool area was terrible (thank goodness the pool area closes at 10:00 p.m. or we would have been awake all night). The hotel was sold out or we would have asked to move to a different side of the hotel. The pool area itself I thought was dirty too. The hot tub is located directly underneath some big trees and the trees make a terrible mess of the area. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone that is looking for a quality hotel room. I saw several sites that rated this a 3 star hotel, but I would definitely put it in the 2 star category at best.

I have been going to this hotel for 4 years to attend the Busch Gardens Halloween event, Howl O Scream. In the past is was really good and I looked forward to going. This year, The room was not as clean, I asked for a room with a refrigerator and didn't get it, the breakfast as made miserable by a big mouth hotel employee with an attitude. The pool guy kicked us out of the jaccuzi and pool because he needed to clean it... I won't go back. I'll try the Wingate next year. Stay away!