Hilton St Petersburg Waterfront District Hotel

If you are a business traveler, you may want to avoid this hotel, as the rooms are from an era when there was no need to charge electronic devices. There are not enough outlets to use my laptop and charge my cell phone without unplugging a lamp in the room.

While the furnishings in this room are beautiful at first glance, a second look shows red (blood?) stains on the duvet cover, a window covered by a heavy curtain that is so badly salt-stained you can't see out to enjoy what should be a gorgeous view of the bay from the 14th floor. And, worst of all a bathroom door handle that locks itself and requires serious effort to open (trapped both my children at separate times - hotel engineering said they didn't have the parts so they couldn't fix it, and we are stuck with a bathroom where you need to keep the door open when using the toilet.)

The staff wasn't particularly pleasant or helpful, with the exception of a bellman who assisted us in finding a laundry service, after the front desk said they couldn't help. The front desk didn't seem very well organized, but the housekeeping staff was quite pleasant.

Doors throughout the facility, and the elevators showed signs of tarnish, which seems an apt metaphor for the hotel. It clearly is tired, and uses surface cosmetics to get by while using the reputation of the Hilton name.

The bright spot? The kids loved the pool.

I did not like having to pay parking charges because the parking lot was not secure. There were no security guards, no railings, no barricades or anything to prevent anyone from easily entering the parking lot at any time.

The location was decent and close to downtown, which was positive. The rooms were comfortable and spacious, although we would have preferred to have a mini refrigerator and a microwave in the room. This is a great value for the good service.

This hotel made me feel relaxed: Although this was a nicer hotel, the atmosphere was not fast paced. The staff was very amiable and spoke with us as friends, rather than guests.

The food service in the restaurant was too slow. The bathroom had hair in the tub. They need better food nutrition for banquet meals.

This hotel made me feel welcome: The managers were extremely friendly and they were interested if I was comfortable.

The location was convenient. The food was good. The service was excellent. The only problem was the hotel air conditioning unit was too cold.