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SPG Status: Lifetime Gold
Date of Stay: March 2014
Length of Stay: 3 nights
Arrival Day: Wednesday

POSITIVES:
View from room- We were on the 12th floor (top floor) with a view of the city skyline and the bay. Very nice. The view was a paid/reserved view which is further discussed below.
Friendliness and efficiency of bartender- We ended up eating in the bar on our night of arrival. The food was good and the service and drinks from the bartender was excellent. The bartender was also the waiter in the bar.
Cleanliness of room- The room and bath was spotless. We requested that the room be cleaned during a specific period each day before we departed for the day. The room was always ready when we returned.
Gold welcome gift in room- There was a letter addressed to me by name welcoming me to the property and recognizing my SPG Gold status. Next to the letter was a small box of chocolate covered almonds. Very nice gesture indeed that went above and beyond what is required.
Water temperature & pressure- Pretty self-explanatory.
Valet parking- The valet parking attendants never took more than five minutes to retrieve our rental car. Valet attendant placed our luggage in the car's trunk upon check-out. See also note about valet upon check-in below.
Maintenance- We had a towel rod fall in the shower our first morning. Staff was very quick to replace the towel rod with a new one.
Location- Great location and within walking distance of convention center and the Tamp Bay Times Forum which was great as we attended a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game our second night.

NEGATIVES:
Check-in experience- Check-in was efficient but I was told that I had been "upgraded to a Premium Room with a view of the bay/skyline on the 12th floor". I told the front desk agent that I had not been upgraded because I reserved and paid for a Premium Room with a bay/skyline view located on floors 10/11/12. He just muttered "Oh, it shows traditional here." I then asked about an upgrade to a Studio Suite but he said none were available. I really dislike this "You've been upgraded" song and dance I sometimes receive at Starwood properties when the room I receive is exactly the category of room I reserved and paid for.
Lack of electrical outlets- Even though the room was in excellent condition and perhaps had even been updated recently, there was a dearth of available electrical outlets. The bedside lamps and the desk lamp did not have outlets in the base of the lamps. The previous guest had unplugged the alarm clock (housekeeping had not plugged it back in) and I left it unplugged in order to utilize the electrical outlet. There was a pull-up electrical outlet "pole" in the top of the desk which provided two electrical outlets.
Lack of in-room safe- No in-room safe so no place to secure valuables, laptop, etc while not in room.
Restaurant- Our first night we went down to the restaurant around 8:00 pm to have dinner. The property's website shows the restaurant would have been open until 11:00 pm. The hostess stand was not manned and the restaurant was empty. We went around to the bar and asked about the restaurant and were told that they serve dinner in the bar and only use the restaurant for overflow. They also stated the restaurant was really not used for anything other than the breakfast buffet.
Bar menu obsolescence- We seated ourselves in the bar area and were brought a dinner menu. Also on the table was a booklet which highlighted different drinks available and containing about six pages of "Bar Bites." We asked if we could order from either menu and were told "The Bar Bites menu is obsolete except for the Buffalo Wings. I wish they would get rid of that menu." Well I wish they would too since I had selected some menu items from that "obsolete" menu.
Valet parking upon check-in- The valet attendant watched as my wife and I tugged to get our luggage out of the trunk of the car and never offered to assist. I guess he was there just to park the car.

Overall, this was a very good stay and I would not hesitate to return to The Westin Tampa Harbour Island again.