Spark by Hilton Sarasota Siesta Key Gateway

We had a great time. Everyone was very nice & so helpful. Kirsten at the front desk was super helpful. Kirsten is topnotch.

The hotel is ideally placed for siesta key beach being only 2 miles away. The rooms were big enough for a family of three. Nice and clean. The breakfast was a mixture of bagels and pastries but enough for us. The beds were really comfortable and the pool was clean and tidy. Highly recommend staying here

My wife and I thought it was OK. Very touristy. Located close to a busy US Highway 41. Parking lot was full. Lots of bathing suits and shower shoes seen. Room was clean. The staff was pleasant. Bagels, muffins, juice and coffee for breakfast. Internet was good.

First we must compliment the ladies at the front desk. Above & beyond helpful and friendly. Hotel is very old with window A/C that didn’t work well. The most frustrating thing was the microfiber sheets. Neither of us slept well. Bed was wobbly and the sheets/comforter wasn’t wide enough. Not usually what we experience at Hiltons.

I have arrived today the 14th of May for three nights. All I can say is what a mistake I have made booking this hotel do not be fooled by the Hilton logo. Check in was a disaster because the key machine did not work we were then told we would have to download the Hilton Honors app in order to get a digital key that was stressful as it is not simple to do. By the time we got checked in and went up to our room we realised that since this hotel has changed hands from the best Western to Hilton. It has gone downhill significantly. The rooms are very basic to say the least and I think that is being kind. There are no safes in the rooms? There is no coffee making facilities in the room? The bath has mould around itthere are no drawers just shelving.

The first night we got there we were very tired because we were traveling all day and we just wanted to take a shower and go to bed. But the shower did not work. It’s a very unusual handle that works the shower, it was EXTREMELY hard to pull out to get any water at all. I can’t imagine someone with arthritis or someone elderly being able to work that handle. I’m in fairly good shape and I struggled with it. It was too late for us to go downstairs so we waited until the next morning since we were going downstairs for the free “breakfast”. The breakfast consists of cereal, toast, muffins and bagels…. Oh and very watered down coffee. I went to the front desk and told them my shower was broken and she kept telling me that I wasn’t doing it right and that she will send maintenance up to show me how to use it. I also complained about the coffee (I was not the only one) and I was told that the coffee is pre measured and they can’t change it so I said to try adding less water, she said that was pre measured too….really??? The whole time I was speaking with the manager I felt as though she was trying her hardest NOT to accommodate me. Maintenance did come while we were out and the reason I know that is because the tub was left dirty. We were able to get water after that but it’s extremely hard. Also my door was not lined up properly and did not open unless I pushed it with my body and you have to pull it really hard to close it. As a matter of fact, housekeeping didn’t pull it when they left and the door was wide open when we returned. The next day I tried to explain to her that she has to pull the door shut but she did not understand so again I had to go the the front desk to have them tell her because I did not want my door left unlocked again. We go to Florida every year and we stay at many hotels, including Hilton and I can honestly say that this was one of the worst I have ever stayed at. I was extremely disappointed because, first of all it doesn’t stand up to the Hilton name, and secondly the pictures are very deceiving. Nowhere in the pictures does it show that the entry doors are on the outside of the hotel. These problems are very fixable if the hotel was better maintained. Someone from Hilton did reach out to me, and they did discount the room, but even with the discount it was not worth the money that we paid.