Avalon Hotel Downtown St. Petersburg

Very old/modern feel. Small rooms. Mostly clean

WOW! I wish there were more than 10 stars we could give to this amazing hotel! If you are visiting St. Petersburg, there is no other place you should stay but at the Hollander or Avalon Hotel. We had the pleasure of staying with them for almost three weeks after Helena and Milton visited the city and we lost our home. The staff is incredible and was so friendly, kind, and sympathetic to our need for a dry, comfortable place to stay as we navigated through the process of regrouping our lives. They continued to work with us as we had to extend our stay multiple times. The management for these two hotels is beyond awesome. You can tell by their staff, who are so friendly and happy where they work (most of the staff are long-time employees), and how efficiently the hotels are run. The added bonuses are the great food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and the drinks at the Tap Room, the specials each week (Monday Martini night), and the beautiful poolside bar. We thank the management and staff for taking such great care of us and all the others who needed a dry place to stay.

If I could give this place 10 stars, I would! From start to finish my short stay was incredible. I was greeted so warmly by Ethan, who personally walked me to my room and even gave me multiple room options as well as allow me to check in a bit earlier than check in time. The remaining staff we all also lovely (wish I had gotten their names but they’re amazing). The restaurant next door was lovely and all of the staff as well. I really could go on and on. Staying here during a not so great circumstance, as my nephew is there at Johns Hopkins children’s hospital starting the ever unfortunate battle with Leukemia, it was nice and refreshing to have this place to come back to to unwind and be greeted with love. I will be back. Katie from Baltimore xo

If I could give this place a 100/5 I would. The service was exceptional, everyone was extremely friendly, rooms were clean, and the amenities from The Hollander that you can use were a huge bonus. I was originally set to check-in Monday (7/15) and check-out Friday (7/26). With the IT outages on Friday, my flight was pushed to Sunday morning and I was able to stay a few extra nights. Here are a few of the things that stand out to me: 1. The first evening there I got in a little after 7pm, when their free wine social (that takes place from 5-7 every day) was done. As I came in with all my bags, the employee who greeted me, Larissa, told me I just missed it (without me even prompting) but she had some still out! With all of my bags in tow, I now entered my room holding a glass of pinot grigio which was an awesome way to start my stay! 2. One of the employees (I can't remember his name but he was working the morning of 7/17) explained to me how they feed the squirrels and cats when I asked why I was getting screamed at by a squirrel while I read a book. I learned they put peanuts out for the squirrels to eat and have a little picnic bench/tree rig set up for them on the other side of the building. 3. They serve free coffee until 10 am and I had run out of my cup. I asked if there was anymore when another employee, Brian, came onto the patio. He said I just missed it and I told him "no worries!," I'd go to The Hollander (where they serve Kahwa Coffee and pastries) to get some. But then he went inside and came back with a voucher for free coffee and told me to take it there and say Brian sent me. When I got there I was asked if I wanted a small or a large. I didn't even think I'd have a choice?! 3. After I came back with my free coffee, as I was sitting on the patio I was getting bit up by bugs like crazy. Of all the things I packed I forgot bug spray. I went inside and asked Brian where the closest place to buy bug spray was, and he said he thought he still had some left and gave me his bottle from behind the counter. 4. I checked out Friday (their check-out is at noon which is awesome) since I planned to be at the airport that afternoon. With the IT outages that affected the airlines and banks, I wasn't sure what was happening with my flight. I had been eating at the (amazing) hotel bar/restaurant at The Hollander next door and decided to ask Brian if they had any rooms for that night just in case I needed to stay while I waited to find out what was going on. They said they had one left (coincidentally the room I just left) and would hold it for me for a few minutes. I ended up needing the room and they booked me again with no issues. A little later I found out the next flight I could get on was early Sunday morning, so they were able too book me again Saturday night. Usually it's more on weekends, but because I had been staying there all week and due to the unprecedented situation, they gave me the discounted rate for both nights. 5. Sin

My wife and I haven’t stayed here in 4-5 years. We always enjoyed staying here. We just love the decor. We were bummed when we found out that John no longer works here. He was an incredible host. Everyone really liked him to a point it was not uncommon that his name was included in their positive reviews. Our stay was good. Live entertainment was at the restaurant next door Saturday night and it was really good.

I wanted to love this place, I really did. Everyone said if you are going to St. Petersburg, the two places to stay are either the Avalon or the Hollander. We went with the Avalon. Everyone raved about the Avalon. So I felt happy and comfortable with our booking. I loved the idea of the hotel. I love boutique hotels. I loved places with history. I did love the detail on top of the elevator in the lobby. I loved the platter of water bottles in the lobby. I did enjoy the pool and that the Hollander is right next door. The restaurant, the Tap Room, also lovely. Unfortunately, that did not make up for the things I did not love. The bed, it also felt like the mattress had history. The mattress, just not comfortable. The closet was HUGE, and there was no safe? Or fridge? There was certainly room for it. I did like the decor, but the room was a little too small for it. For instance, there was only one night stand because the one on one side of the bed was so big, there was no way it could fit on the other side of the bed. Which brings me to the biggest issue in the room - the lighting. There was a light on the nightstand and the light with the fan. It was fine when it was light out, and we had the sun shining in, but once the sun went down, well, my cell phone flashlight gives off more light. That room is DARK and getting ready to go out was difficult. It needed at least one, if not two more lamps. The light from the ceiling fan is basically nonexistent. Which brings me to another issue, the AC was nice and cold, but, it smelled kind of mildew-y. Probably just need a filter cleaned, but my allergies went haywire. The last issue, and this might just be that it's a super old building with probably 100 year old pipes, but the water in the shower. My husband would be sleeping, and I got up to shower, and frequently during the shower the shower would just go BURNING hot, before going back to the temperature I set it. Like at least 2-3 times. Loved St. Petersburg though, and hopefully we will be back.

I stayed here in 2019 and enjoyed it, so it was my first choice for a recent trip. I believe I booked the last available room, which was an apartment style studio suite. At first I thought it would be more than I needed, but I like the Avalon’s location and vibe, so I reserved it. Now, if I find myself in St. Pete, I will always book this type of room. I liked the extra space, fridge, coffee pot, and private patio! Also, I arrived much earlier than my reservation. I was able to park in the lot. When I was out walking around the Pier, I was notified my room was ready - still ahead of check-in time. Thank you! I had some time to enjoy the pool and front porch. The water with citrus, bottled water, and the wine is a nice addition. I had dinner at the Tap Room. The grouper was fabulous. The beer selection looked great, but I didn’t partake. This is a great location to walk to the Saturday Market, the Pier, Central Ave, downtown, Sunken Gardens, etc. It will always be my St. Pete go-to hotel.

If you're looking for a spacious room with good lighting and a desk at which to work, you will not find it here. The hotel was built in 1930, and rooms were smaller then. There is only room for one bed, and the room is tight if two people are staying in the room. The lighting could be brighter, and the room could have been painted a lighter, brighter color to give the illusion of more space and light. However, if you just need a place to stay that's convenient to everything with no exorbitant parking or early check in fees, then this is a great place! The staff was very helpful. I arrived around 1PM, which is earlier than the standard 3 PM check in. They were able to work it out so I could check in early with no fee. I was told if they couldn't, that they would at least store my luggage for me so I could go downtown or visit their sister hotel, The Hollander, next door. (FYI, friends who stayed at the Marriott were told it was $50 to check in early, and they have a $35 day valet parking fee, even if you don't move your car!) Parking can be tight, but I arrived after some people had checked out, which helped. I spoke to someone on the phone before the trip, and I was told that there is additional parking available on the street or in a few other lots on that block. Also, people parked in the middle of the lot - see photo - unusual, but it worked. I was in St. Pete for a wedding at Sunken Gardens. Another friend also stayed at the Avalon, and we met up with other friends easily by walking from one hotel to the other. There was a full sized mirror in my room, but unfortunately, a chair was in front of it, making it hard to check the outfit I wore before going to the wedding. There is a blank wall on the other side of the bathroom that would have easily accommodated the mirror, but that's not a deal breaker. We took a shuttle from the Hollander to the rehearsal dinner and wedding, so that service was wonderful! Although I didn't use it, there is a trolley that goes downtown and stops right by the hotel. It's free, so no need to move your car unless you plan to leave the downtown area.

Based on some recommendations I decided to give this hotel a chance. First, the positive: the staff. The staff are all pleasant and helpful. The negatives: my room was small and the furniture was ancient. There is no desk to work on. I had to place my laptop on the bed and bring over the sole chair to work on it. Plus, the bathroom is far too small and lacks any counter space. I had to put my shaving equipment and Dopp bag the the toilet seat. There is a ledge over the sink but it is narrow and suitable for only one person.