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Tampa · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Rusty Pelican

Britt Sorensen

Britt Sorensen India and the Himalaya

Updated 1 September 2026 · 11 Tampa hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Tampa, out of the 11 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.6540084 down to 4.3.

All five are inside 300 m of Rusty Pelican, so you can walk it.

Heated Pool, Balcony-Waterfront Views

Highest rated of the five

Heated Pool, Balcony-Waterfront Views

★★★★★4.6540084 from 469 reviews

Heated Pool, Balcony-Waterfront Views comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.6540084 from 469 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under poi and around $235 a night on the dates we checked.

11 hotels in Tampa qualified for this list and five made it. The CURRENT Hotel, Autograph Collection is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Heated Pool, Balcony-Waterfront Views1

    Heated Pool, Balcony-Waterfront Views

    ★★★★★4.6540084 from 469 reviews

    300 m from Rusty Pelican, about a 4 minute walk

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    • The CURRENT Hotel, Autograph Collection2

      The CURRENT Hotel, Autograph Collection

      ★★★★★4.4 from 1,296 reviews

      under 200 m from Rusty Pelican

      • Pool
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking
      • Pet friendly

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    • Waterfront view, Heated Pool, Private Balcony3

      Waterfront view, Heated Pool, Private Balcony

      ★★★★★4.5966663 from 60 reviews

      300 m from Rusty Pelican, about a 4 minute walk

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      • Waterfront Fun Heated pool Amazing sunsets4

        Waterfront Fun Heated pool Amazing sunsets

        ★★★★★4.5156713 from 67 reviews

        300 m from Rusty Pelican, about a 4 minute walk

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        • The Hemingway5

          The Hemingway

          ★★★★★4.3 from 80 reviews

          300 m from Rusty Pelican, about a 4 minute walk

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          How this list was put together

          11 Tampa hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Rusty Pelican second, then took the top five.

          Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

          The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

          What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

          Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

          Britt Sorensen

          Britt Sorensen India and the Himalaya

          Her work season is winter, leaving whole summers free for mountains in the other hemisphere or trekking at altitude in Nepal and Peru. Carries the lightest pack of anyone she travels with.

          Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.