Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa -Usf-Busch Gardens by IHG

Reviews

• CE

  Christine Exley

  Oct 7, 2026
  2.0
  My partner & I booked a king room for 2 nights to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. The positives were that the staff was friendly, the hotel was generally clean, & the shuttle to & from the park was a great convenience that saved us from spending money on Uber. Unfortunately, the room itself was very disappointing. The carpet was sticky, the bed covers smelled so bad that we had to use Lysol, the bathroom floor had stains, the tub had a yellow stain around the drain, & the AC unit was so loud. The most concerning issue, however, was what happened on our final morning. The night before, we requested a late checkout from a gentleman at the front desk. He told us that 12pm was fine, he jotted down our room number, & that if we wanted anything later, we would need to check again in the morning. We were perfectly fine with a 12pm checkout, so we understood that it was confirmed. At approximately 11am the next morning, there were a couple of knocks on our door. Before I could even get to the door, an employee opened it. Thankfully, I had the top lock engaged, so she could not fully enter. This was an extremely serious safety & privacy concern. I was not properly dressed, & having a hotel employee open our door without giving me an opportunity to answer was completely unacceptable. I explained that we had already arranged a 12pm checkout the night before & I thought the matter was resolved. Less than 20 minutes later, another employee knocked on the door & again questioned us about checkout. I explained the situation again, & she told us that we were supposed to come to the front desk that morning to verify that we could still check out at 12pm. That made no sense to us, since we had already confirmed the 12pm checkout with the front desk the previous evening. At that point, we were extremely uncomfortable and frustrated, so we simply left early. What bothers me most is that there was no apology whatsoever for an employee opening our hotel room door or the constant interruptions due to communication issues amongst employees. Regardless of any misunderstanding about checkout, entering or attempting to enter a guest's room without allowing them an opportunity to answer is a major safety and privacy issue. If you are traveling alone, I would seriously think twice about staying here. The room cleanliness was disappointing, but the incident involving our door was the biggest reason we will never return.
• DT

  Doug Taylor

  Oct 5, 2026
  5.0
  Excellent pre-cruise location, close enough to the port and other activities. Staff was great.
• KK

  Kat Klamerus

  Sep 30, 2026
  5.0
  Had a fabulous 3-night stay in Tampa! Hotel was less than a mile walk away from the Busch Gardens entrance, which is super convenient. They have shuttle service for those who prefer. Check in and out was smooth, breakfast complimentary, and staff were professional and very friendly. Special shoutout to my girl, Zee! Thank you for making my son's and my trip even sweeter. We'll come back to see you!
• CC

  Crystal Cade

  Sep 27, 2026
  5.0
  My friends and I have been going there for four years because we love going to Busch Gardens and it is half a mile away from this hotel. They have a shuttle where they shuttle us for free. Every time I go there it’s the same employees and they are so friendly and so much fun! They always make sure you have everything you need! Their buffet is absolutely delicious! They just have a great atmosphere! The place is always extremely clean! We will not go to any other hotel when we are in Tampa! And we highly recommend others to go there also!!!
• DM

  Delaney Martin

  Sep 14, 2026
  3.0
  The front desk receptionist Tara was an exceptional and wonderful human being. She is the reason we would return and deserves 5 stars.

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