Best Western Plus Siesta Key Gateway

SLEEP IN YOUR CAR! The noise level from elevators, compressors and non-​stop racket, went all night long and made for a less then the restful stay. The wi-​fi was very spotty at best. The hotel manager was unjustifiably rude when we asked why we had been locked out of our room (third time). He accused us of keeping our room key and cell phone together even though we explained we kept the key in the wallet. The daytime front desk person’s attitude convinced me to never stay in a BW again. Sarasota has a lot better to offer than this place, Keep searching.

This place is very old and dated. The only thing that is good about this place is the location to the beach. This hotel have mold. I will never stay at this place again. This place is not worth the money that you pay. The breakfast is very limited and very small.

My fiancé and I went on a little getaway and the second I saw this place had a pool bar I knew it was going to be great. It was everything I hoped for and more. The hotel was great, the complimentary breakfast was an awesome touch, the free taxis were more than convenient and lastly, the pool bar was amazing. The bartender really helped us by mentioning the best places around and what exactly to do. Overall, couldn’t have asked for a better hotel for our little trip.

Stayed here for a night when our flight home out of Tampa was cancelled. I was actually pretty impressed with the cleanliness and how nice the room we stayed in was. We only stayed 1 night so my review is based on this but I would not hesitate to stay here again. Motel like with doors to rooms leading to the exterior of the building.
Very nice continental breakfast which is included for guests. Also, free popcorn os served on the lobby as well as warm cookies in the afternoons!
Very nice pool with lots of seating and a bar at the pool. Pool towels available.

The Hotel is decent I have been there about 9 times but 3 of the 9 times, I had an issue with the night manager. This man doesn’t have any customer service skills. He treats their customers like shit. This weekend we couldn’t stay to finish enjoying our week vacation that was a gift to our kids from our family member for their birthday. This was payed online with 1 month in advance to avoid any issues. So I arrived with my kids that are 3 and 5 years old after 2 hours of driving from Disney. It was about 3am. Once we got there, we ran into this guy named Maurice. I give him my confirmation number and driver license. He said he needed the card that I had booked the reservation with and I told him that I don’t carry that card with me because it was a gift from a family member (which was paid by her). He said that I couldn’t stay there if I didn’t provide proof of the card and he told me that he was going to cancel my reservation and he ripped up the paper in front of me. He then proceeded to tell me that I had to turn off my truck because I had no consideration for the other people that were sleeping at the hotel since my truck «made noise». I told him that my kids were in the car and that I wasn’t going to turn it off. He’s the one that doesn’t have any consideration for the hotel customers. This Maurice guy never told us about any other options, he just wanted us to get out of the hotel. This the second complaint I have filed about this individual. We ended up canceling the trip and driving another 4 hours to get back home. It was ridiculous! Around 11am, I called and spoke to the morning manager which told me that there were options to resolve that. I could have had my family member fax over a copy of the card, her license along with the authorization form saying that she was paying for this reservation. Maurice didn’t give us that option. I learned about that the next day after I was already back home. He has horrible customer service and he shouldn’t be the only one at the front desk at night since people do arrive there after long trips and shouldn’t be treated that way. BAD BAD BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE NIGHT MANAGER MAURICE. Stay away and try to check in during the day time to avoid being treated like crap.

This is my go to place every month when I am in SRQ. I know exactly what to expect and they always deliver. The rooms are great, the breakfast is great. The pool and bar is very relaxing. Close to everything.

It’s not on the beach but it is quite close:)
The hotel is clean and there is free popcorn upon check in:)
They offer free shuttles around the area. parking lot is fine but there are excessive speed bumps.
The breakfast is good for what it is (eggs, donuts, bread, cereal, meat, cheese and fruit)
The staff are friendly and informative.
Never got around to the pool but they do have towels available so you don’t have to use the ones in your room:)Great location with plenty of choices to eat and shop:)

Stayed here for 2 nights in March with the intent of hanging out on Siesta Key. We didn’t realize it was spring break and this was the only vacancy we could find. The location is just on the other side of the Key, a mile walk (or drive) over the bridge. We had a king sized bed which was comfortable, the room was clean, bathroom nice, no complaints. I liked the motel style with the doors open to the elements looking out over the pool and the big picture window. No stuffy & cold hallways — it made it seem tropical and fun. The pool was fine and the hot tub was hot and there was a bar. The free breakfast was a bonus — you should be able to find something to eat even if it’s just cereal & milk and a banana, but there were lots of options. I couldn’t resist the free fresh popcorn every time I walked by, thank goodness I don’t have access to that all the time. It’s not a fancy resort so don’t expect that — but it wasn’t resort prices either. We walked over the bridge and rented bikes and used those to get around for 2 days — saving ourselves the headache of the island traffic and trying to park in town.

Very clean hotel, staff very friendly, housekeepers really responsible and honest.
The hotel is placed very near to the beach and a lot of choices to pick where to eat or buy goods. Good breakfast the first two days, the third day we went down so excited for breakfast the only choice we had was pork, pork and pork!!! Burrito with sausage egg and cheese, sausage gravy!!! I’ll give the place three stars because of that! A lot of people that we meet at the lobby were upset about the only sausage choice. Not only us. Otherwise the place is convenient for a few days!!!

I want to live here. At this hotel. It is soooo nice. The breakfast was amazing, rooms super clean, pool beautiful, workers so nice, and price is right. But alas I had to return to Chicago.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. It’s clearly set up to handle vacationers and includes laundry facilities. Sodas were only $ 2, which is excellent by Florida motel standards. The pool area looked nice, but I didn’t take advantage of it or its bar.
WiFi worked well until late at night when it got spotty. The bed was clean, had no uninvited critters. The sheets had some minor stains on the edges, the mattress pad was old but clean, and the mattress and box spring looked about 4 years old but still clean and serviceable. The sleep quality was average.
I really liked the bathroom area, though. It was clean! I mean, clean. And well organized. I didn’t even look at amenities like ironing boards, hair dryers, and such because I don’t use them, so if those are important to you make sure they’re here.
What surprised me was how soft the towels were. I triple checked to make sure they were clean because most motel towels are kind of scratchy and stiff. The bathroom only had two bath towels, so if you need more, you’ll have to ask. Soap, shampoo, and conditioner were good quality, again, a bit of a surprise.
Check-​in was great, smooth and friendly. Check-​out was casual and efficient. Sorry, I didn’t go down for breakfast, so I can’t report on it.

Not the nicest place I’ve ever stayed but this place had a few things going for it. The biggest is the location; close to the beach but on directly on the beach therefore the price is siginficantly lower than the beachside resorts.
The pool area is quite nice too. It was a great place to let the kids swim and play. They even had a pool-​side bar so my wife and I could have a couple cocktails while the kids were playing.
This hotel certialy isn’t five star but I’m pretty sure I would say again!

We thought this hotel looked and sounded much better in the pictures on their website than it actually was. Our room felt very small. The beds were comfy though. The pool looked pretty and clean from afar, but swimming in it was a different story. The water didn’t look clean, it needed more chlorine. It just felt dirty. Also slime and mildew all along the pool wall. The towels they supply at the pool area were very tiny. Free popcorn was nice for the kids, but very small bags. Also they advertise free cookies, but we never got to try them because they were always out. Ok now to the breakfast, basically all microwaved. Eggs were frozen and when they were cooked they tasted artificial and also very runny. Sausage wasn’t good. Only the bagels, coffee and yogurt were worth eating. We were so upset that we left to go eat breakfast somewhere else. We went to Bentley’s Boutique Hotel down the road for breakfast. Some friends of ours were staying there. We ate at Morgan’s Restaurant for a great price! The breakfast was wonderful, hot and fresh! Also the pool at Bentley’s is beautiful clean and sparkling, and the rooms are spacious and wonderful.
We expected that same level of quality from Best Western but sadly it was lacking. For the amount of money we spent at Best Western for 1 night, we could’ve stayed at Bentley’s for 2 nights!
So definitely find somewhere else worth your money!

Great place, great staff, great service and room. Would definitely recommend.

This hotel was exactly what we needed for our last-​minute trip to Sarasota this past weekend — clean, great location (so close to Siesta Key) and a very impressive free breakfast. Keep in mind that this is a hotel with outdoor entrances, so you may want to request 2^nd floor or higher to be away from road noise.

review of the Best Western Plus Siesta Key Hotel– part 2 of 2–
fellow Unilocalers should be aware that this hotel is not located on Siesta Key. It is about 1+ mile from the bridge that connects mainland Sarasota to Siesta Key at the southern end. Spring Break means traffic congestion on Siesta Key so plan on either getting up and out to Siesta Key early (by 10AM at the latest) or risk getting shutout of the free parking at the Public Beach and Pavilion. A better option is to arrange for the free Siesta Beach shuttle to pick you up at this Best Western and take you to the beach. And, you call them again when you want to come back. We tipped $ 5.00 per shuttle trip. What a great convenience!
I can report only a few negatives from our stay at this Best Western. 1– the bathroom was typical spartan 2 star level. Bathtub/​shower combo and toilet behind the door with the sink and vanity outside. You know the layout. Our bath was clean and I did not notice any loose caulk or serious deterioration; 2– the water pressure from the shower head was good but the water temperature could get hot… very, very hot! Hot enough to scald you, so take care; 3– yes you do get black feet if you walk around barefoot for very long. I know that this freaks people out and I still can not figure out why this occurs in hotels that have carpeted rooms, but it definitely occurs at this hotel, so keep your sandals on and don’t let your kids run around wearing white socks.
Summary– this was a fun stay for us. We enjoyed the location. We easily traveled into downtown Sarasota and out to Siesta Key. I hope to return to Sarasota and I will definitely consider staying once again at this Best Western. I will avoid going during the 1^st week of Spring Break if possible which probably cost me at least an extra $ 50.00 per night over their Standard Rates, which are usually competitive at $ 129.00 per night, or so. Have a great Spring!