“B am bam bam bam bam” is what I relentlessly heard as I awoke from my sleep on a recent Sunday morning prior to 9:00 in a suite at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North hotel property — and this was on the day when I was to check out of the hotel and go on the return portion of a road trip which was expected to last for at least six hours.
I spent the weekend in the greater Tampa metropolitan area where I experienced Halloween night in Ybor City — amongst other experiences, which I intend to document in future articles — and I had slept only several hours all weekend, starting with no sleep prior to the road trip south to Tampa. I was really looking forward to a significant amount of sleep so that I may be refreshed for the return trip, so I did most of my preparation for the trip the night before: I showered and packed my bag — except for airing out the stale scent of smoke from the pair of jeans and polo shirt which I wore the night before at a cigar bar — and even took photographs for this article despite the room being rather dark so that I would not have to take any time away from sleeping in the morning…
…but alas, that was not to be. Once I was awakened, I collected my belongings and went to the front desk to check out of the hotel.
The woman behind the front desk smiled at me and asked, “How was your stay?”
“I would have been completely satisfied with the stay had it not been for the banging noises which woke me up before 9:00 this morning,” I replied. “I was really hoping to get some sleep for my car trip today.”
“Oh,” lamented the woman behind the front desk. “They are doing construction in the hotel.”
“…on a Sunday morning before 9:00? That might be reasonable during the week when people need to go to work; but not on a Sunday morning.”
“The construction workers were not supposed to be working that early today,” she replied as she handed me a business card. “Contact the manager of the hotel and let him know of your experience.
I then checked out of the hotel.
I was unable to contact the manager of the hotel for several weeks; but I eventually did send to him a polite e-mail message pertaining to my situation. By the way, I never requested compensation either in person at the front desk or in the e-mail message.
He never did respond to my e-mail message. To me, not acknowledging communication from a guest is poor customer service.
The Room
Upon walking into the room, I noticed a sitting area of sorts…
…complete with a couch — which I did not check to see if it opened into a bed — a chair, a coffee table…
…and a flat-screen television atop a dresser with drawers.
Next to the entrance to the suite was a desk with a telephone and mirror; and when walking in further, there was the typical cabinet usually found in rooms in a Hilton Garden Inn which included a microwave oven, small refrigerator, a coffee machine with items to prepare a couple of cups of coffee, cups, an ice basket, and other items — as well as storage if needed.
The photograph above and to the left shows a view of the hallway towards the bedroom from the sitting area of the suite; while the photograph above and to the right shows a view of the hallway from the bedroom, with the door of the entrance in view in the background.
On the left in that hallway on the way to the bedroom is a closet — complete with hangers, an ironing board, an iron, a plastic laundry bag, two extra pillows, an extra blanket, and a luggage rack.
On the right in that hallway on the way to the bedroom is the entrance to the bathroom.
The bathroom was one which you would find in virtually any Hilton Garden Inn hotel property. Amenities included shampoo, body lotion, conditioner, soap, tissues and cups — plus a hair dryer.
I like when the shower bar is curved outward, which gives more room while taking a shower. There was plenty of hot water for the shower; as well as a satisfactory amount of water pressure. There were also plenty of clean towels — no stains or hairs embedded in them.
The shower head appeared to be a bit grungy looking — probably attributed to the mineral content in the water in Florida — but it was loosely anchored to the wall. I had to be careful with maneuvering the shower head — a minor complaint at best.
I then entered the bedroom.
The bed was quite comfortable — which made the noises caused by construction workers that much more annoying and thus the stay more disappointing.
This is a good view of the closet area, from which I already removed the luggage rack and placed next to the flat-screen television atop a dresser with drawers — which was identical to the ones in the sitting area of the suite.
This is the flat-screen television in the bedroom. I never did get a chance to watch any television — not that I watch much television in the first place.
I managed to get photographs of the view, which included the swimming pool area. It actually looked quite inviting — especially as the weather was rather hot; and the humidity was so high that my camera lens and mirror were fogged with a significant amount of moisture after stepping outside from the air conditioning, preventing me from taking a picture of the exterior of the hotel property.
The photograph at the top of this article of a nature preserve seemed almost like a painting to me. The view was green, relaxing, quiet and serene.
Summary
Had it not been for the noise from construction workers which awakened me on a Sunday morning when I preferred to sleep in, this would have been a comfortable and satisfactory stay which I would recommend — especially at a total room rate of $88.70, which included all taxes and fees.
The suite itself — to which I was apparently upgraded, as that is not a standard room at a Hilton Garden Inn hotel property — sufficed for me; but it may be cramped for a family with three or more people.
The lighting in the suite overall was rather dark, as it could use some brighter lighting; and the shower head unit needs to be repaired.
The hotel property itself is located in a quiet location conveniently off of Interstate 75 at exit 266; and the drive to Tampa is approximately 20 minutes. It offers free parking; a complimentary shuttle service to offices and attractions within a radius of five miles, although there are not many restaurants nearby; and a heated outdoor pool, whirlpool and fitness center.
Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North
13305 Tampa Oaks Boulevard
Temple Terrace, Florida, 33637
+1-813-342-5000
+1-813-342-6000 Fax
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
