This was our second visit to Tampa within 2 1/2 years. Stayed here both times. I had a positive memory of our last stay and was not disappointed this time.

Our room was very clean which is huge for me. I felt extremely comfortable here. Had a water view room which added to the enjoyment of our overnight stay. Jennifer helped with our phone reservation prior to arrival and happily she checked us in on arrival. High points for her customer service skills. Had a drink and meal at Anchor and Brine. Jimmy was friendly and hospitable. Breakfast service with Marco was quite enjoyable. During our stay we encountered only one associate who was not helpful.

Based on our visit, I highly recommend this hotel.

Arrived to find out that the room we reserved was not available, was told to walk across the street and try the other Marriott. Was finally given a room. The balcony was filthy, the chairs, the table and the ground. Had to wear shoes to prevent black feet. Absolutely no drawers for clothing. Was told that there was no daily room cleaning and to call down for towels and necessities. No one responded.
Was told at check-in that breakfast was included since the concierge's lounge was closed. We waited up to an hour for the breakfast to be delivered to the table in the lobby. Received a $300 bill at check out for breakfast. They refused to do anything about this charge.
The valet ruined our car top carrier when pulling into the second floor of the garage even though on the tag it said first floor only. Still waiting for compensation on this carrier. Was not even told about it until we were ready to leave. The hotel claimed they have nothing to do with Valet, that it was a separate company. Would have liked to have been prepared with duct tape and garbage bags to prevent our suitcases from getting soaking wet from the ride home.

The management was rude, and really not up to Marriott standards.
One of the worst Marriott customer service experiences in a long time. I guess being an Ambassador Elite means nothing to the management in this hotel.

Check in: Easily one of the best check in experiences I've had in a long time. The front desk agent was very thorough and proactive about providing information. Usually they don't bother these days but I was even more impressed on this occasion because she had just had her tonsils out and her throat was giving her grief but she still wanted to make sure I got a good experience.

Room: Loved the concept of a well being room but there was zero information about what the various features did and how they benefit well being. I turned the air con off but there was a vent up near the ceiling that continued to blow out cold air strongly regardless. Sound proofing is terrible. A lot of noise comes through the door ways. I had two nights of terrible sleep and this is a deal breaker for me - at the very least a hotel needs to provide me with a good sleep. It was way too noisy. A loud American man bellowing instead of talking in the room on one side and on the other side a person who set their alarm to go off every two minutes after hitting snooze and they did this for half an hour before finally getting up. I tried laying a towel at the "crack" under the door but it didn't really help. On the upside the room was clean though.

Restaurant - only one is open at the moment and if you get the elite breakfast, you need to go across the road to the JW Marriott to order it and consume it. It's not terribly far but it's not convenient either. The in-house restaurant is laugh out loud terrible service. Even in the North East the Massholes don't treat their customers so poorly. Waitstaff were rude and unhelpful, host was rude and unhelpful. The host was even around for a significant period of time. I booked my stay on points and wanted to make sure I spent money at the hotel. There was no spa so I was really left with dining and after the terrible experience last night, I can't bring myself to go back again. The food at least was tasty.

Unfortunately the exemplary check in experience couldn't save this stay, not recommended.