I've stayed here a few times. Rooms were, as usual, minimally acceptable. A bit grungier than in the past though.
Most notable for my last trip however, was the terrible customer service.
The woman working the front desk here on Saturdays is the least helpful staff member I have ever encountered in my entire 12-year career of business travel.
As I stood in line to book my shuttle back to the airport, there were a few people ahead of me in line. During the five minutes I waited there, I must have heard the words "I don't know" about 20 times. The questions weren't monumental either. Stuff like "Do you know where I can exchange my money for US dollars?", "Can I use this points plan to book my room?", "Can I just get some change for the coke machine?" To all these questions, the woman would, with an unsmiling and unhelpful face, sternly and dismissively just say "I don't know." It was cringeworthy to watch. I mean, even if she didn't know the answers to these questions, to not even offer polite alternatives or make some minimal effort (grab a phone book, humor the people with some semi-related info, even just be polite) was absolutely disgusting. It was one of the most unacceptable displays of customer service imaginable.
As a final and revealing point, the computer in the hotel lobby which for years has had a 15 minute time allowance for guests to print their boarding passes was no longer available (internet access had been disabled and blocked by password). The woman at the desk said she didn't know it (naturally!)
I've never encountered someone who did less at their job.
- Howard Johnson Hotel Tampa
- Howard Johnson Tampa
- Tampa Howard Johnson
