The Tampa Marriott Water Street is likely to satisfy most of your needs in Tampa, but the smell of cigarette smoke persisted on-and-off during my stay that makes me hesitate recommending for everyone.

Booking

I once again needed to travel related to volunteering in the health care industry. Similar to other trips, I was fully reimbursed for my stay on this trip. While I did not pay for the stay, the opinions in this post remain my own.

The cash rate for this stay was $184 per night, well worth it for this hotel. If using Marriott points, expect to see points prices ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 Marriott points. In this case, it would have been better to pay cash than to use points, but it remains a good use of 35k or 50k free night certificates, especially if cash prices are on the higher side.

The hotel does have a $30 resort fee that includes a $30 food and beverage credit, a beverage tasting, and a choice of two tickets to an activity like use of the water taxi. However, since we were booked as part of a group rate, we didn’t pay the resort fee (and subsequently didn’t receive any of the amenities listed from the resort fee).

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of three 50k free night certificates for spending $3,000 in the first three months for a $95 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

Arrival and First Impressions

The Tampa Marriott Water Street seems to be located on a street that is pretty popular, sharing the road with the free trolley, the entrance to the JW Marriott across the street, and the backside of the Amalie Arena. Traffic seems to perpetually be a problem here.

The giant windows in the lobby gave it a very open, airy feel. If you want to get a bird’s eye view of the lobby, you can take either the stairs or the elevator to see it from above.

I arrived at the front desk to find an agent to help check me in after a short wait. While there was signage for a shorter line for elites, it wasn’t staffed. The front desk agent mentioned that thanks to my Titanium status, I can use the Concierge Lounge on the 24th floor during the week, but it was closed on weekends. In exchange for the weekend closure, I was offered the choice of points or breakfast (I took the points since breakfast was already covered by the event).

The Room

My room for this stay was 1725.

Stepping into the room, it felt recently remodeled (or at least they have done a good job keeping the room properly maintained). There are plenty of outlets found everywhere you need them, including by the beds. Speaking of the bed, I have to admit it wasn’t very comfortable when sleeping on my side. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night to some bad pains in my side, but it was fine if I slept on my back.

In front of the bed are the TV and work desk. The TV has limited internet options like Netflix but no screen sharing if you prefer to pair your own device.

The desk was fine, with a chair that was comfortable enough when I used it. You’re not going to have views of the outside when sitting here but at least the TV will keep you company.

I was expecting to find bottled water in the room as is the norm these days, but unfortunately there was no complimentary water to be found. I believe you need to go down to the front desk to get some if you need it (or room service will provide it if you order from them). But you will find a mini-fridge and a Keurig machine here.

In the corner by the window is a small armchair. I didn’t use it, but it appeared new and in good condition.

By the entrance is the closet and full-length mirror.

The bathroom felt modern and clean, just like the rest of the room. Both shower doors move, making it easy to turn on the hot water without being blasted by cold water. However, there was a minor issue with the shower valve. Despite my best efforts at turning off the valve, both the overhead shower and the hand wand were always turned on. It ultimately wasn’t much of a bother, though it did feel like a waste of water.

Toiletries were by thisworks, the typical low quality offering that seems to standardly be in Marriotts.

This room has a balcony facing the water, which makes for a nice view, especially in the evening. It can get loud if there is a pool party at night, but the noise didn’t bother me with the door closed.

One last comment about the room (and really the property in general) is the occasional faint smell of cigarette smoke. I didn’t notice this every night but noticed the smell through other parts of the hotel including the lobby and conference rooms. When passing by the ventilation grills, that’s when I noticed the smell was the strongest, so it seemed to be a problem throughout the hotel. Those who are sensitive to cigarette smoke may not have a comfortable time here, depending on the day.

Concierge Lounge

Up on the 24th floor, the Concierge Lounge never seemed to suffer from heavy crowding, despite the large number of guests in the hotel. Keycards are activated for entry and while there are several employees staffing the lounge, they didn’t appear to be actively policing the people coming in (limiting elite members to just one guest).

The hours of the lounge are:

• 6:30am – 10pm Monday – Thursday
• 6:30am – 12pm Friday
• 5:30pm – 10pm Sunday
• (Closed Saturday)

And the hours where food is served are:

• 6:30am – 9:30am Breakfast
• 5:30pm – 7:30pm Appetizers
• 7:30pm – 10pm Desserts

There are plenty of tables in the lounge, including a small outdoor area that I didn’t get a chance to enjoy.

Overall, the food here seemed to be a bit uninspired. The fruit was good both in variety and quality, but the food selection was a bit lacking outside of that. In particular, the eggs were dry and the bacon wasn’t crisp. The selection is pretty much the bare minimum of what you might expect in a hotel lounge in the United States: eggs, sausage, bacon, a small selection of pastries, oatmeal, and fruit.

There was a coffee machine, but much to dismay of the coffee drinkers stopping by in the morning, the machine was broken. Only the coffee in the towers was available for my stay.

In the corner was some orange juice, but it didn’t taste freshly squeezed.

I stopped by one night for the evening service, which was lackluster. Those looking for an evening spread that can substitute for dinner would not be satisfied here. There was a light selection of cold cuts, cubed cheese, fruits, and vegetables.

There were two hot items here. The first was mushrooms in puff pastry. It mostly tasted like breading.

The other was a bacon-wrapped scallop. Scallops at a buffet? They tasted exactly how you would expect them to taste–way overcooked and my stomach had a difficult time processing them.

During the evening, you could check out the honor bar, but don’t expect honorable prices. It cost about the same amount as the drinks in the bar at the lobby. Spending $7 for a Bud Light feels almost like highway robbery. For those looking for alcohol, take a short walk to the nearby grocery store and consider stocking up there.

Room Service

While I wasn’t impressed by the food in the lounge, I have to admit I was impressed by the food available via room service. It was surprisingly affordable, with no hidden fees stacked on fees. Just a simple $5 charge if you want it delivered to your room (waived if you pick it up at the front desk yourself). This ended up being one of the most affordable in-room dining experiences I’ve had and I ended up doing it twice just due to my schedule. You get plenty of food at an affordable price. Many of the in-hotel dining options had long lines and I appreciated that ordering room service didn’t mean I would have to wait a long time to eat.

Pool and Fitness Center

The pool and fitness center are located on level 3. The fitness center is large, which is good given the size of the hotel. It also wasn’t busy when I visited.

Pool is heated but don’t expect hot tub temperatures. Given the temperatures in Florida, the pool deck was open and a popular option here even in December. With a bar by the pool, it ended up being very crowded here during the daylight hours. I stopped by at night and found the space a bit more tranquil, plus there were some lights in the pool making it fun at night as they change color.

I heard guests at the Marriott are able to also use the pool at the connected JW Marriott (via the sky bridge on the third floor) but I didn’t get a chance to check it out. I heard it’s nicer over there though.

Recommendation: Mixed Bag

Firstly, I didn’t like the bed or the smell of smoke that felt like it persisted for half my stay. To me, that’s a deal breaker. If that issue gets resolved, I feel like my recommendation of this hotel can change for the better. The only other gap here at the hotel is the offering in their concierge lounge, but it’s not strong enough of an deficit to make me recommend staying away from the hotel.

Once you get past the street traffic right outside the hotel, it is located in a nice area. There is a lovely river walk immediately outside the hotel, making for an excellent place to take a morning jog. The hotel can get crowded, especially at the dining restaurants on property (likely a side-effect of the resort fee that returns $30/day in food credits) so advanced reservations are highly recommended. The hotel is also priced appropriately, making it a decent value for those 35k and 50k free night certificates.

Tampa in general feels like a popular destination for cruise ships, as there were three massive ships in dock. Add in the fact that there was an event at the nearby Amalie Arena, and suddenly there were more people walking around the streets here than I’ve seen at once since COVID-19 started. Some days here will be more crowded than others.

While you’re in Tampa, check out some of the things to do around the city.

Have you been to the Tampa Marriott Water Street before?