OverviewLocated about a 2-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 4 on-ramp and an 11-minute drive from Tampa's city centre, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is geared towards travellers who prefer a centrally located, full-service hotel with a casino, on-site dining, a spa and wellness centre and easy highway access.
Each of this hotel's air-conditioned guest rooms and suites comes equipped with free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk, a bathrobe for each guest and a hair dryer. Rooms with a jetted tub are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms. Smoking and non-smoking rooms are offered.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a spa and wellness centre, a casino, nightly entertainment, a gift shop, a beauty/barber shop, vending machines, eight restaurants, seven bars and free parking. Pets are permitted for an additional $100 per pet, per stay. Please note that the hotel allows smoking in some public areas, such as the casino.
Busch Gardens Amusement Tampa is about a 17-minute drive away, while Eastlake Center offers shopping 6 minutes away by car. Florida State Fairgrounds are a 5-minute drive from the hotel and Tampa International Airport (TPA) is roughly a 17-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets $100/pet/stay, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: October 27, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's rooms, food and staff.
The hotel's accommodations were praised by many lodgers at the hotel. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, beautiful, well equipped and quiet, with comfortable beds and linens and efficient air conditioning.
Numerous reviewers were impressed with the hotel's dining. They found the food to be excellent, outstanding and delicious, with a large variety of options and great service.
Several travellers were pleased with the level of customer service they received, and characterized the staff as friendly, well trained and attentive.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the hotel's value and smoking within the hotel.
The hotel's value was disappointing to some guests, who found the room rates as well as the food and bar prices to be expensive and overpriced. Some reviewers also complained that the casino's slot machines were very tightly packed.
Some lodgers complained about the amount of smoking allowed in the hotel. They found the second-hand smoke in the casino and the hotel lobby to be overpowering.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #37 of 157 Tampa hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 515 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.4 out of 5 with a 90% recommendation rate from 257 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.4 out of 5 from 141 reviews.
The author called the hotel on October 27, 2013 to verify some information.
