Hotels in Tampa
The listings on this site are organized into two geographic areas: near Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and downtown, plus Hyde Park and Ybor City. If you're going to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Lowry Park Zoo, or the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), the motels near Busch Gardens are much more convenient than those downtown, about 7 miles to the south. The downtown hotels are geared to business travelers, but staying there will put you near the Florida Aquarium, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Henry B. Plant Museum, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, scenic Bayshore Boulevard, and the dining and shopping opportunities in the Channelside and Hyde Park districts. Staying in Ybor City will put you within walking distance of numerous restaurants and the city's liveliest nightspots.
The Westshore area, near the bay, west of downtown, and south of Tampa International Airport, is another commercial center, with a wide range of chain hotels catering to business travelers and conventioneers. It's not far from Raymond James Stadium and the New York Yankees' spring-training complex. Check with your favorite chain for a Westshore-Airport location.
Room rates at most hotels in Tampa vary little from season to season. This is especially true downtown, where the hotels do a brisk convention business year-round. Hillsborough County adds 12% tax to your hotel bill.
Near Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
You won’t find luxe near the park. But there are clean, comfortable motels like Hampton Inn & Suites, both the one at 3333 E. Busch Blvd. (tel. 813/605-5233) and the one at 8210 Hidden River Parkway (tel. 813/903-6000). Also reliable is Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 2807 E. Busch Blvd. (tel. 813/936-8200). The 500-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa USF Near Busch Gardens (yes, that’s its entire name), 3705 Spectrum Blvd., facing Fowler Avenue (tel. 813/977-7066), is a Busch Gardens “preferred partner hotel” which offers free shuttle to the park, which is just five minutes away. Just south of Fowler Avenue Hyatt Place Tampa/Busch Gardens, 11408 N. 30th St. (tel. 813/979-1922) is another well maintained, friendly option.
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6 Results
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Epicurean Hotel, Autograph Collection
Located right across the street from famed Bern’s Steakhouse this is, appropriately, a foodie-themed hotel. When guests check in, they’re offered a complimentary glass of wine to sip in a lounge area decorated with boxes from famous wineries. Rooms pay homage to the culinary…$$$Soho
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Hotel Haya Ybor City
Named for Ybor City’s first cigar roller, Ignacio Haya, this hotel’s mission is to reflect and celebrate the character and culture of Ybor City, and it more than succeeds. Set in a historic brick building, many rooms have wood tiled floors (like those on the streets of Havana), ovoid…$$$Ybor City - Hotel
JW Marriott Tampa Water Street
Many stay here specifically for the hotel’s “Stay Well” guestrooms, designed to zap jetlag with circadian mood lighting, foil allergies with high tech air purification systems and non-toxic cleaning products, and soften skin with shower infusers that reduce the amount of chlorine in…$$$Downtown - Hotel
Tampa Marriott Water Street
Connected by a third-floor glass bridge to the swankier JW Marriott, the hotel was fully renovated in 2018. Rooms are Marriott-bland, but comfortable and but most feature balconies. The hotel’s “Stay Well” rooms, 35 of them, the same types of wellness features that are available at…$$Downtown - Hotel
The Tampa EDITION
The EDITION is a destination hotel, not a convention hub like the neighboring Marriotts. With a sleek, curvy exterior by celebrated architect Morris Adjmi, guestrooms are both Zen and sexy, with faux fur throws on the beds, and walls of windows. Their white oak floors and white walls…$$$Downtown - Hotel
The Westin Tampa Waterside
Close enough to downtown but still worlds away on its own 177-acre island, this newly renovated hotel is all about vacations (no conventions here). Rooms overlook the harbor and are hypercomfortable, with pillow-top mattresses and large bathrooms featuring dual shower heads. There’s…$$$Downtown Tampa
