Living in Orlando has its perks, especially when it comes to traveling from MCO with its numerous direct flights. However, when it comes to major concert events, we’re often overlooked. While mega-tours visit other cities like Miami, Tampa, and Jacksonville, we’re left behind. Tampa gets much more attention than us, I guess because of its proximity to both Central and Southwestern Florida. This often means if we want to see an act like Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, it requires a trip to Tampa. While Billy Joel has played in Orlando several times, Tampa was the location for his most recent visit with Sting.
Raymond James Stadium can be a challenging place to exit after a concert, so instead of dealing with the traffic, we looked for somewhere to stay overnight. However, due to the popularity of the nearby hotels with flight crews, concert attendees, cruise guests, and those looking for a hotel near the airport, finding a decent room at a reasonable price was difficult. I had an IHG free night certificate from our co-brand credit card, and there was a Holiday Inn property nearby for less than 40,000 points. Since the certificate was going to expire soon, this seemed like a good time to use it.
Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore – Airport Area
700 North Westshore Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609
When I book a Holiday Inn-branded hotel, I’m not expecting much. All I really want is a clean hotel in a decent location. We lived in Tampa for 2 years before moving to Orlando, but that was over 20 years ago. At the time, the Westshore Plaza Mall was a major shopping destination , but is now due to be demolished. The hotel isn’t in the most scenic area, situated between the airport and the highway, but it served a purpose for this trip. Airplane geeks will appreciate that you’re able to spot planes landing at TPA from the Holiday Inn.
Rooms
The most recent renovation was in 2020, six years after the hotel was reflagged as a Holiday Inn in 2014. Airport hotels tend to age faster than other hotels because of the quick turnover of guests who often are only staying for one night, much like our stay.
The hallways have a generic appearance, with plain wallpaper, a boring carpet design, and bright fluorescent lighting. It seemed like the design of a Holiday Inn is intentionally bland to ensure that guests will not recall the specifics of their stay.
We were assigned a room at the end of the hotel, which I’m not sure was due to our IHG Platinum status.
The room was a bit nicer than the hallway. The color palette was more energetic, and the furnishings were modern-ish. In fact, it was more functional than many other hotels we’ve recently visited.
Bathroom
The hotel was built in the 1960s, and it shows in the split bathroom design. It doesn’t matter if you remove the tub and put in subway tiles, if the sink is outside the bathroom, the hotel is probably on the older side.
Other Areas
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Final Thought
I wasn’t disappointed by the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore. True, it wasn’t the best hotel of the year, but that wasn’t what we wanted. All we needed was somewhere to sleep for the night after a concert. I was able to use a free night which I received by paying the $99 annual fee for my IHG Preferred card.
If you happen to be in Tampa and require a place to stay overnight, whether it’s after a concert, a cruise, or due to a flight cancellation, the Holiday Inn is a comfortable option. Although we’ve seen better airport hotels, we’ve also seen far worse ones.
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