Fenway Hotel, Autograph Collection

The photos of the suite on the booking platform were misleading. Instead of fresh, bright and refurbished look, we got dark and old rooms (except for the bathroom, this was really like depicted). All my special request were „not received“. So I ended up on ground floor with direct view to the sunbeds and sofas of the pool. Cancelled my 2nd night there.

When we arrived to the hotel we couldn’t even pull up to the front door and unload our luggage. We were told they were setting up for a wedding. Fortunately, our valet was kind enough to carry our bags to the front door. When we booked our room, we were promised a gulf view with a balcony. When we entered our room we found out that we only had a suite facing the pool, no balcony. The room was very underwhelming. The floors/carpets were dirty and outdated. The bathroom had a nice shower with a door that only Hulk could open. And the makeup mirror light didn’t work because it was almost off the wall. The sofa was also extremely uncomfortable. The king size bed was adequate. After resting for a few hours we decided to head to the rooftop before our dinner reservation off-site. We had the smoked fish appetizer with pickles and crackers. This was the highlight of our stay. The cocktails were pleasant and the bartender, Kelly, was very nice. Following dinner we stopped in the bar at the entrance of the hotel. The choices of bourbon were incredible and the prices reasonable. I had a Buffalo Trace and my husband had a Colonel EH Taylor. The barstools were old and torn. Also in need of an update. The bartender was very nice and knowledgeable about bourbon. Upon heading to bed we realized there was a horrible humming in the bedroom. We had to keep the TV on so we didn’t have to listen to the buzzing. I definitely will not be staying at this hotel again. For the steep cost, I could stay at a number of nicer hotels. Save your money and don’t go here!

We are locals and live in Tampa, we had read about the Fenway and their restaurant. We made the drive over to explore and fell in love with the hotel and restaurant. The menu is very impressive, and if you have never had New Orleans beignets you owe it to yourself to have a cup of coffee and beignets at the Fenway. The menu is a Brunch menu until 2:00 but don’t let that stop you - it is amazing with unique items. The evening menu has some outstanding choices! With great food, our server Katrina was even better. Friendly, helpful, with a big smile on her face she makes sure you have an outstanding time.

First let me start off with the positives -- love the Jazz vibe; the staff was absolutely wonderful -- smiles and hellos every time we saw them and they all wished us Happy Anniversary; dinner and Sunday brunch at the Hew was fabulous; loved live Jazz at Brunch and on Monday night in the lobby while sipping drinks and having meal at the bar; room was immaculate; rooftop bar very lively and fun. Now unfortunately for some negatives -- we had a standard King room which was nicely appointed but the bathroom had no storage for toiletries forcing us to line them up on the window sill; the shower pressure was low and very hard to open/close the shower door even after they sent someone up to try to fix it; no handles on shower door or in shower which seems unsafe; pool courtyard needs a refresh badly -- only 2 very worn umbrellas for the blazing Florida sun; cushions worn and faded; no bar service. The courtyard could be fabulous with the addition of a couple of cabanas, at least a dozen umbrellas, some flowers and more greenery, and bar service. It's large and spacious and deserves some love! As part of the Autograph Collection, we think it needs some sprucing up and improvements to make it a stand-out property!

The ambience and decor here are uncomfortably weird and very different. We had to pull our luggage up several stairs outside to get to the front entry doorway. The staff, however was pleasant and helpful upon our arrival. Our room was average at best, and had a heavy mildew smell. The bathroom door wouldn’t stay open, the glass shower door was extremely difficult to slide, the shower sprayed wildly and the towels were a holiday inn quality. Two of the six bike rentals advertised by the hotel, although from a third party vendor, weren’t working on a holiday weekend. The clientele was not the typical for a Marriott property. The Fenway needs some work. It is not worthy of a Marriott Autograph status.

The Fenway kitchen nearly killed three people at a single event. We attended a wedding reception at the Fenway hotel and made sure the kitchen was aware of all of our food allergies, and reminded prior to serving and over the course of dinner. In spite of this, three people were served food containing their allergens, and when asked, the staff denied there being allergens in the food until later when we noticed almonds in the green beans while eating. Had we not noticed, someone could’ve gone into anaphylactic shock. When the head chef was confronted over this, he didn’t seem bothered, but apologized and kept asking what he had to do to make it right. Their staff is undertrained. Under no circumstances if you have food allergies should you trust the Fenway’s dining service.