Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa

About The Hotel

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is a 3-star casino-resort at 5223 Orient Rd in East Tampa off I-4 — the casino-resort marquee in the Tampa hot-tub-search cluster. Rated 3.7 across 1,882 reviews with 4.3 cleanliness, 4.1 location, 4.3 rooms, 4.1 service, 4.3 sleep quality; value 3.7 the softest at premium $302-$386 casino-resort nightly rates. Amenities include valet parking, pool, casino and gambling, entertainment staff, free breakfast, free WiFi, fitness center, pet-friendly rooms. Candid 1-star flags concentrate on the casino experience: ‘I’ve been going to Hard Rock Tampa for nearly 20 years and up until the last year or so the blackjack table games were enjoyable and felt fair. But lately it seems that hardly anyone is winning, not just me, and losing r[egularly].’ Another 1-star from a Saturday 07/25 gaming visit: ‘Terrible! The machines are dirty and half of them the buttons don’t work and the biggest thing is they don’t care! They are the only game in town, come on Florida shut them’ [down]. A 1-star lost-and-locked-out incident: ‘I was staying at the property with my boyfriend over the past few days. My phone had died, and I briefly left the bar area to use the restroom. When I tried to return, I became lost and could no[t]’ [find my way back]. A 5-star 26-year poker regular defended the poker room. No in-room jacuzzi confirmed on TripAdvisor — pool-only property despite premium rates. Best for casino travelers wanting the Seminole Hard Rock marquee — accepting the soft 3.7 value rating and casino-property tradeoffs at $302-$386 premium nightly rates.

What Guests Are Saying

“What this gentleman is saying I strongly believe it’s probably happening to him my problem is in the poker room I’ve been playing poker at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino of Tampa for something like 26 years and I’ve never seen my luck go from good to worse as soon as they put those automatic shuffles in the table I have something to tell most people if you don’t know this already the automatic shuffler is built for the house not for the players it’s made to make sure that everyone gets a fair shot if you can believe that or not I believe that their programming it to do exactly what they want to especially when you have a high hand certain days they do this out of the month where you receive $1,000 every 15 minutes every 20 minutes $1,000 every hour off and on this is the promotions that we put our money off the table and this is their promotions is actually the players money this is not something that the house is given you or the player this is the Players money and you don’t even have a choice in the matter my thing is I’ve been playing here and I noticed certain things you have a director of the poker room he is worthless in my opinion because he doesn’t do anything to correct the problems that the players are having in this poker room I’ve been complaining about two individuals husband and wife managers working the same shift the same time in this poker room for years if that’s not a conflict of interest how can you have two husband and wife supervisors working the same shift my other issue is they allow dealers in supervisors to have two hats with what I’m saying about this here is one minute they are supervisor then the next minute they’re dealing cards that should not be allowed because that’s a conflict of interest also that right there means that if you have a complaint with a supervisor then next minute you see this supervisor dealing you cards and dealers make salary pretty much off the players will you tip them and it will make it very difficult or make it so you would not want to have a problem with a supervisor acting as a dealer and if you really want to they can destroy your hand by making a mistake and if they’re a supervisor acting as a super as a dealer where is your complaint going.” — Willie J., 5 stars

“We hadn’t visited for over a year and normally stayed in the newer East Tower. We need a fully accessible room and Room 523 in the West Tower was exceptional. Very clean, roomy and beautifully decorated. Definitely a resort vibe and every employee was very accommodating. We needed an extra blanket and a little help streaming to the TV. Awesome response both times. Casino has lots of new machines and are constantly cleaned by staff. Very good food at Rise, but there were many other choices for food. Definitely miss the Asian food at the food court, which was removed and now is a gaming area. Valet was also a very good experience as well. Prompt and helpful but if you want there are plenty of free parking options.” — Barbara L., 5 stars

“STOP DELETING MY REVIEW!! I was staying at the property with my boyfriend over the past few days. My phone had died, and I briefly left the bar area to use the restroom. When I tried to return, I became lost and could not find my way back. Without my phone, I had no way to contact my boyfriend, and I was completely alone and unable to reach anyone for help. I became terrified. I was already in a state of panic and distress, surrounded by people I did not know and feeling extremely unsafe. I went to the front desk seeking help. My boyfriend later told me that he had already spoken with the front desk and asked them to have me stay there if I came looking for him because he was also worried and actively searching for me. While I was at the front desk, a security employee named Santiago approached me. I initially believed he was there to help, but his approach was extremely aggressive and intimidating. Given the fact that I was already scared, crying, and in a heightened state of fear, his behavior made the situation significantly worse rather than providing assistance. I was crying uncontrollably and clearly distressed, yet Santiago proceeded to remove me from the property and made me leave the premises — alone, without my phone, without my purse, and without any way to contact my boyfriend or anyone else. He then followed me outside as I was leaving. I was a 23-year-old woman who was alone, frightened, and vulnerable. Having a large male security employee remove me from the property under these circumstances was completely unacceptable and, in my opinion, put my safety at risk. SANTIAGO NEEDS TO BE LET GO!” — Abby M., 1 star

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Iconic Seminole Hard Rock casino-resort marquee - Tampa’s signature casino stay
• 4.3 cleanliness, 4.3 rooms, 4.3 sleep quality - solid room-condition ratings
• Pool + casino + entertainment staff + valet parking
• Pet-friendly rooms + free breakfast + free WiFi
• Hard Rock signature entertainment programming and dining

Cons:

• CANDID: 3.7 overall rating with 3.7 value at premium $302-$386 casino-resort nightly rates
• CANDID: Multiple 1-star casino-experience flags (dirty machines, table-game losses, poker-room disputes)
• CANDID: 1-star lost-and-locked-out guest incident
• No in-room jacuzzi confirmed on TripAdvisor - pool-only property despite premium rates
• Not a family-first destination - casino-property atmosphere throughout

The Location

5223 Orient Rd, Tampa, FL 33610-4114 - In East Tampa off I-4 near the Florida State Fairgrounds, 10 min east of downtown Tampa. You can find more details or book your stay on TripAdvisor.