Write Around Tampa

Hilton Garden Inn

2155 Northpointe Parkway

Lutz

I’m a true fan of Garden Inns. I think they are the perfectly purple, ripe and juicy—and affordable—plum in the Hilton fruit basket. They have a pretty decent restaurant and I love their lobbies. Haven’t been in one yet that wasn’t large and cozy. I’ve spent a lot of time in various Garden Inns all over this country and have my favorites; Richmond, Florence, and Palm Coast immediately come to mind, as they are the ones I frequent whenever I road trip up 95 to see the friends and folks in Philadelphia. This one does not disappoint. I’m here on a quiet Sunday night, there’s football on the telly and a handful of people at the bar. I’m at a rear table-booth hybrid sort of thing, a plug right next to me. I’m sure it would be even more charming during the day with the Florida sunlight streaming in through the windows. As a guest, I’m sure staying here for a few nights is a lovely experience. Let’s see how it fares for a writer just looking to park it and get some work done.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:

You can eat breakfast (until around 9:00am, 10:00 on Saturday and Sunday) or dinner (5-10 pm). The prices are restaurant prices ($15 for pasta or a dinner salad, there are burgers and flatbreads) but I can’t speak to the quality of this location; I brought my food. Which means I ate for free. But this Garden Inn is located in a business park-shopping center hybrid sort of thing, and there’s a beer garden and a Mexican place and a Glory Days so you can always bring that stuff back and eat it here (just please clean up after yourself). They have an in-house convenience store with snacks and microwave meals, but those are a little pricey. If you’re on a tight budget, get your snacks at The Race Track across 54 before coming in to write.

Are there enough outlets?

There’s a few, and considering you’ll probably be the only one writing here, you’ll get one.

How’s the wifi?

Unfortunately you need to be a guest in order to access the wifi, so offline work only.

Will my muse come out?

Yes. The place is clean and vast and comfy and private, yet with just enough people passing through the lobby and hotel staff so you don’t feel isolated.

How long can I park it?

Wait for it . . . twenty-four hours! That’s the great thing about writing in hotels; the lobby never closes and there’s always someone at the check-in desk if you get lonely.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem, Brushfire, and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, the most recent of which is The Spirit of Christmas, on sale now. She lives in Tampa, Florida.