Brandon, Florida / Homewood Suites by Hilton Tampa-Brandon

November 2010, Weekday, King studio

Status perks

I did not receive anything extra for being a Gold member, although I was glad to receive a guestroom that fit my profile preferences. The employee had read my comments and set aside a room for me on the top floor at the end of the hall.

Suite kitchen area

Guestroom

I was initially assigned guestroom 710--which was a room on the top floor at the end of the hall--however, the 7th floor is a mixture of smoking and non-smoking rooms. I walked through a thick cloud of smoke on the way to my room, and my room smelled strongly of smoke when I entered. I returned to the front desk and took a room on the 6th floor--which is entirely non-smoking--instead. 

Suite desk & bed

The guestroom was a basic Homewood Suites room with a living, kitchen, and bedroom area. The bathroom had a walk in shower. The desk chair was uncomfortable and did not raise to a good working height.

Suite living area

Even though the room did not smell of smoke, it did not smell fresh. The kitchen floor had debris on it, and the comforter on the bed was snagged and raggedy looking. 

Food & Beverage

Dinner was the basic evening fare: salad, stuffed peppers, and dinner rolls. Lemonade, beer, and red and white wine were available. I don't know what kind of wine was served because it was in unmarked decanters. It tasted awful! Coors beer cans were set in ice in the beverage area. Breakfast included scrambled and hard boiled eggs, bagels & bread, sausage, hash browns, fruit, waffles, oatmeal, and cereal.

Pool

I did not use the pool, although the area looked very nice--nice lounge chairs, grill, large pool, and hot tub.

Business center

The business center was equipped with two working computers and printers.

Fitness center

There were four or five cardio machines and weights in the room with one working TV, which was not located straight ahead for easy viewing.

Overall

I was disappointed with the unfresh smell in my room and the raggedy look of the bedding. The only food item that I thought was fresh and good quality was the dinner salad. I did not think this Homewood Suites was as nice as others I have stayed in and I would probably not stay here again. This is a newer property, so I expected it to be above average rather than below average.