OverviewLocated about a 3-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 275 on-ramp, and an 18-minute drive from Tampa Bay, the Magnuson Hotel Ocean Palms (formerly the Ramada Inn), is geared toward travellers who require a centrally located hotel with an outdoor pool and easy highway access.
This hotel has 170 air-conditioned guest rooms, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Some rooms offer a microwave and a mini-fridge.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, a business centre, meeting/banquet facilities, guest laundry, vending machines and free parking. Pets are not permitted and the hotel does not offer wheelchair-accessible rooms.
Denny's is a 1-minute walk from the hotel, while The Shoppes at Park Place can be found a 2-minute drive north. Tropicana Field is roughly an 11-minute drive southward, and St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is about a 14-minute drive north. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, not wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: June 22, 2013)
The GoodGuest reviews sourced for this analysis commonly had positive responses to the hotel's value, staff and location.
Many reviewers were pleased with the hotel's value, and described the rates as affordable, agreeable and great.
The hotel's staff were the source of numerous compliments by lodgers. They were characterized as helpful, courteous, welcoming and friendly.
Several guests enjoyed their accommodations. They described their rooms as clean, well equipped and spacious, with comfortable beds. Some reviewers were disappointed with aspects of their rooms, however (see below).
The Bad
Guest reviews consulted showed some negative responses toward the hotel's rooms and location, and mentioned noise transfer.
While some guests were pleased with their spacious and clean rooms, some other reviewers had complaints. They reported dirty floors, cigarette odours in non-smoking rooms, worn decor and inefficient air-conditioning units.
Although the majority of lodgers enjoyed the hotel's proximity to restaurants and Tropicana Field, a few guests had complaints about the location. They described it as industrial, and recommended those planning a beach vacation find a hotel located closer to the coast.
A few reviewers complained of noise disturbances during their stays. They reported noise from guests in adjacent rooms, as well as a noisy bathroom fan.
Expedia.com guest reviews rated the hotel 3.2 out of 5 with a 62% recommendation rate from 321 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 5.9 out of 10 from 18 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #29 of 46 St. Petersburg hotels with an average rating of 2.5 out of 5 from 10 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 22, 2013 to verify some information.
