Welcome to Tampa's only Comfort Inn Conference Center, the affordable full-service resort. This Tampa hotel is conveniently located off... more »
Welcome to Tampa's only Comfort Inn Conference Center, the affordable full-service resort. This Tampa hotel is conveniently located off Interstate 275, less than two miles from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island.Local attractions include the Museum of Science and Industry, the Lowry Park Zoo, the Tampa Convention Center and the Tampa International Airport. The Florida Aquarium is only five miles away. A variety of restaurants and cocktail lounges are located in the surrounding area. The Palm Tree Grill and Sidelines Sports Bar are both located on the property. Business travelers will appreciate conveniences like a business center, data port telephones and message alert. Guests will also enjoy the exercise room, gift shop, game room and tennis courts. This Tampa hotel features recently renovated guest rooms and spacious suites. Coffee makers, irons, ironing boards and hair dryers can be found in all guest rooms. In-room safes are also available. This hotel is a preferred hotel of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and participates in the Choice Hotels International Choice Privileges rewards program. The ideal location and easy access to area attractions make the Comfort Inn Conference Center the perfect choice for business and leisure travelers when in the Tampa area.
skoosh.com
This review is not solely a review of the Comfort Inn Conference Center at Tampa, but is also a review of the Choice Privileges Rewards Program which helps represent and promote this hotel. We are and have been members of the Choice privileges Rewards Program for many years.
A friend and I planned a two-week Goldwing motorcycle vacation. We chose this hotel because of its close proximity to the Tampa Bay Busch Gardens Adventure Park for which we had purchased tickets. Upon arrival at approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday July 5th, we were greeted graciously by the desk clerk on duty that afternoon.
After receiving our room key (the room was paid for using points that we had accumulated by staying at several Choice Privileges hotels previously on our trip), we were told laughingly by the desk clerk to, "Park our motorcycle on the side of the hotel because if it's stolen, that's where the surveillance cameras are and at least it will be recorded". Seeing as the room was located in that direction we complied and found an entrance near
where our room was suppose to be. Our room was located on the second floor over-looking the indoor pool. We carried our gear upstairs and tried to enter our room. Interestingly enough, our room was locked by the door safety latch from the INSIDE! After receiving a key to a different room, we unpacked and called the front desk to see where we could purchase something to drink and get a light snack. We were told just across the street was a liquor store. Heading to the exits, we were very surprised to find that none of the many entrances to this hotel have locks on them and many of the doors can not even be closed. This is when we really started to get concerned about safety at this hotel.
The liquor store was also a bar and the whole building was so covered with gang style graffiti that we not only refused to go in the place, we wouldn't even go near it! Instead we did our shopping at the gas station across the street from the hotel which not surprisingly, the checkout clerk sits behind the thickest sheet of bullet proof glass that I have ever seen. Arriving back at the room, we discovered that we had left the portable GPS which we had carried with us in the bike. As I made my way down to the bile. I was startled to find about a dozen people wearing medallions, baggy pants, chains and backwards hats on the balcony directly over my motorcycle. After going through the previously mentioned experiences at and around this hotel, I was really starting to get concerned not only for our only means of travel but also our personal safety. I quickly retrieved the GPS from the bike by way of the lower exit and headed immediately back to the room. We decided to place a call to the local police department to find out about the neighborhood we were in. This met us with yet another surprise...there wasn't a phone book in our room! We powered up up the GPS and found the number to the local police department. After talking to the office on duty, he told us to leave the hotel immediately or at the very least leave as soon as we could before dark as the time was now 7:30 p.m. He told us if we DID stay and were to leave our room, to NOT take any wallets, watches or any other valuables that we wanted to keep. He said this is one of the worst areas for crime in Tampa. He also went on to say that they advertise this area and the Tampa Bay Busch Gardens area as tourist friendly and then he added, "Trust me, they are not". I then asked him how he thought we should we should get to our bike and pack as it was being hovered over by some not so nice looking individuals. He told me to leave all of my valuables in the room and if I thought it possible, to get to the bike and take it to the front entrance and pack there. As all of the individuals were on the balcony before, I thought I could at least sneak out the lower entrance and would be alright.
I left the room and headed for the lower exit only to find that now the parking lot also held several low-rider style cars with even more people wearing medallions, baggy pants, chains and backwards hats. As I exited the building below the balcony full of individuals I heard one of them spit off the balcony at me. I jumped on the bike and headed luckily without anymore altercations to the front entrance. My friend was completely packed and we headed out. We packed up the bike and I gave the room keys to the front desk clerk. She asked why we were leaving and all I said was, "Because we weren't happy." We then traveled 30 miles north of Tampa as we already decided to pass on the Busch Garden tickets even though we had already purchased them.
The following day, my friend called the hotel to explain our situation and to talk to the manager and see if there was a possibility of getting back the points we had used to book the room that we didn't stay in. We felt that if we felt unsafe to stay in the hotel let alone the area that we should not be charged for the room. After being told several times that the assistant manager would call us back as he was busy, we tried talking to the manager whose name is Randall. This however was met with the same results. After several days we tried contacting Choice Privileges who assured us that they would look into the situation. Several representatives (one of whom was extremely rude and was quite annoyed that we would even bother him about such a matter) and days later we finally talked to a representative that said that we could file a formal complaint which meant that she would log it in Choice Privileges system and would also contact the manager of the hotel. The manager would then have 72 hours to contact us to try and resolve the
situation. If he didn't, the hotel would receive an unfavorable mark against them from Choice Privileges. After once again not being contacted by the hotel, we again called Choice Privileges and was told that Choice Privileges was assured by the hotel manager that he had sent us a certified letter to resolve the situation. To date we have once again received nothing.
Today is July 14th. We contacted Choice Privileges and told them we have still received nothing from the hotel and informed them we will never again stay at a Choice Privileges hotel. If it were possible to give this hotel a negative rating - we would.
At first glance, this appears like a
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Posted May 07, 2008
Horrible
At first glance, this appears like a nice place. Interesting architecture. But it is not a nice place. Rude, uncaring personnel at check-in. Whoops, no wi-fi in your room. Move to another (upgraded!)--no apologies. Whoops, no hand towels and...
Nothing.Beds were broken down, noisy,
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Posted Mar 29, 2008
Horrible
Nothing.Beds were broken down, noisy, no elevator, no ice, unfriendly staff.“The location was 10 miles from the airport, and further than we had expected it to be. Upon arriving, the desk clerk was unfriendly and seemed stressed to have to wait on...
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