Write Around Tampa

Hotel Alba

5303 W Kennedy

Tampa

I’ve been to the Hotel Alba several times, always for writers conferences. I was here when it was The Crown Plaza. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a beautifully designed hotel (on the interior), but as a non-staying visitor, I had to pay for parking. Not a good start. Here’s how the rest of it went.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:

I’m not sure. They have a little restaurant/café, but I was so offended by having to pay to park I decided not to patronize them any further. I will say they had a breakfast buffet that looks like something you could get for free at the Hampton Inn.

Are there enough outlets?

Where I sat—one of the only places with an actual writing surface (more like a ledge) there were three.

How’s the wifi?

Non existent. The closest Wifi that came up was Hilton Honors Westshore.

Will my muse come out?

Not to write. Maybe to play shuffleboard or get a drink at the bar. There are few places to write here, and the one ledge has backless barstool lily pad sort of things pulled up to it, not very comfortable.

How long can I park it?

Less than an hour unless you want to pay more than $2 for parking. This place is not writer-friendly.

Final rating: 2 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.