Zota Beach Resort

Rooms are a little better than average; great mattress - overall quiet when we went which I really appreciated. Staff is awesome: very friendly and really treat you well. Valet parking was great never waited. Fantastic location basically on the gulf. Lots of great restaurants not far away. Good value and I would definitely stay there again.

The hotel was impeccable. The extremely friendly staff were even more impressive. Hayleigh, the concierge, went above and beyond for us, booking events, and even gifting us champagne with a hand drawn card. The food was outstanding. The rooms were extremely clean and the bed was as comfortable as any we have experienced. The heated pool, ocean view balcony and gorgeous beach with chairs awaiting, made this property a stunning memory. This is a must property you will love.

The Zota is a beautiful hotel. We have been coming here for over 30 years (when it was still a sweet, little Hilton). They’ve done an amazing job of cleaning up the beach after two hurricanes this fall. We have enjoyed many nice dinners at Viento Kitchen and Bar, overlooking the pool and sunset. The food was very good this visit. The one thing that was a major disappointment was the lack of coffee. If you enjoy an afternoon cup of coffee—you cannot get one. The restaurant doesn’t open until 5PM., and, I believe, you need to sit down and have a meal to get a cup. If you sleep in or walk the beach or work out in the morning, you cannot get a cup of coffee after 10AM. There are not a few places on the island to get coffee (and they either close by 1 or 2PM or don’t have great coffee). Publix saved us during this visit, for our afternoon cup. My husband had to go down the street to the St. Regis this morning to get our coffees from their cafe. When you pay close to a $1000 per night (beach front view) you expect a really good cup of coffee (not a Keurig machine in your room cup of coffee). Zota needs to have a small cafe or good coffee available throughout the day.

A great extended weekend from time we arrived to the time we left! The staff were great…Haleigh went above and beyond!! Our room was perfect, The pool and hot tub were just what we need to take a deep breath and relax for a few days. Although we didn’t sit on the beach, we did enjoy morning walks. Lots of great restaurants near by.

Had a wonderful 5 night stay. I took other reviewers recommendations and booked a room in the new tower “Opal”. Partial ocean view is true and beautiful. Rooms are as presented on their website. Large bathroom and bed was comfortable! The water features throughout the resort gave an elevated feel. Things to know: (some I have listed are on their website) - Valet is required, bring cash for tips - Like guac, umbrellas are extra. They are not apart of the resort fee -Family popular resort, there are many children and they predominately occupy the pool -Pool access bathrooms available that are clean and modernized -If you are a beach comber their are fantastic finds -Convenient beach access with beautiful white sand and clear water. Service: As previous reviews share, the valet team is excellent. Front desk was friendly and quick through check-in and check-out Pricing: Resort stay cost was in alignment with my stay experience/expectation. Cons during stay: No active food or drink service walking on the beach. If you needed to place an order you had to go to the beach service desk. Resort Restaurant, Viento - Unfortunately I did not have a great experience. After numerous attempts to contact room service, I had to contact the front desk to be transferred through. The restaurant put me on hold and I believe, forgot I was there. The restaurant must of been busy, however I had to walk to the restaurant to place a room service order because I could not get through. Food arrived cold, substandard and expensive (a bowl of gluten free pasta with a condiment side container of sauce and butter was $26). I choose to eat outside of the resort for the remainder of my stay (Check out Triple Tail in Sarasota, worth the drive) Will be returning ✅Karen approved

I’ve taking staycation along west coast of Fl. and this is the worst! Some things like red tide with many dead fish along the beach of hotel, power outage, no cable and internet for long time on day one. The restaurant was terrible and service was extremely slow, food was disappointing we tried dinner couldn’t get soup hot on second try and focaccia disappointed too. Well maybe the breakfast would be different nope shouldn’t pour coffee if you don’t have milk to put it in it gets cold and giving a mug instead of a pitcher is weird, asked for pineapple juice got pink grapefruit then it took while to get waitress then 10 minutes later I asked another waiter about missing drink and why it takes 25 minutes to get breakfast. I did get ice water from the nice waiter and then juice. My “ creamy scrambled eggs on a croissant”was a folded omelette literally when I mentioned this is not in the description,I was told when you cook a scrambled egg it looks like that 😑as a customer and chef/ breakfast chef it was insulating. The decor is beautiful and staff are nice but sparse and slow. The pool bar staff were nice and drinks were good but small. The ⭐️ 4 star about the place was Valet not being a (smartass)from the time we drove up they were extremely nice,quick, friendly, helpful. If you are looking to relax and get away from kids this is not the place! I say this because it seems that it was promoted as a romantic and luxe getaway. I know it didn’t advertise as an adult only place but kids in hot tub and pool area was not relaxing. I did love the bracelet as keys for room so easy and quick with no problems. I gave low stars because I wanted to STAY and relax, eat and drink at the resort not go to Publix for dinner or leave property to eat. Not the 4 star experience for me and my guest

Stayed for one night and it was amazing. Service all around was great very helpful and polite. Food was amazing. I ordered the steak and it was cooked to perfection very well seasoned. The restaurant was very nice definitely would recommend. Definitely going to go back with the family for a weekend getaway

Very clean and nice sized rooms. You have to use valet but it is complimentary. The valets were absolutely the stars of the hotel. Very efficient and welcoming! Every day, we were provided with 4 complimentary water bottles, which was great. Our room had two fridges and a microwave. The pool was always heated so perfectly and we never struggled to find a spot to lay out. The food was nothing spectacular but it was good. Both at the pool and at the Viento. The pool was busier than the beach though. We were surprised to learn that the $40 resort fee didn’t include use of umbrellas at the beach. It was an additional $25 if you wanted an umbrella opened, which we found to be a bit ridiculous. The resort fee included towels and a chair but you didn’t have to pay to use the umbrellas at the pool, which is most likely why there was hardly anyone at the beach. The rooms did appear to need some updating. Our shower had some mold in it and cracked tile. The door to the bathroom is a sliding barn door, which came off the tracks once when we opened the door. My husband was able to put it back and it worked fine afterwards. One night the fire alarm went off at the hotel when my family was out. We immediately received a text notice, which was great. We had to circle the area for a long time with a sleepy baby before we could get back in. We did not receive a text when it was ok to come back in. We just had to drive to the hotel and hope it was open again. The same night, the elevators weren’t working. We had to walk up six flights of stairs with a sleeping baby. I’m not sure what less able bodied people did in this case…we did see a large group of people just sitting in the lobby.

Clean. Comfortable. Staff (every single person) super friendly and helpful. Pool is beautiful and being able to hang at the pool or walk to beach is perfect. Happy to have Ben able to stay here.

Excellent all round beach access ,great pool good Breakfast rooms great and beds comfortable A little overpriced 1 complaint Would like to have access to our car independent of door staff a little too much chaos and waiting

I arrived early and went to the pool bar to get lunch while I waited for my room. I am giving two stars for staff and service, zero for food. I ordered the turkey blt, which was lame, at best. The turkey was cold and unaltered (like not even folded, just a stack of slices right out of a pack) deli meat, two pieces of cold bacon, and the aioli wasn't even spread out just a blob in the middle. i had higher expectations for the food. The sweet potato fries were yummy but only slightly warm. The food also took way too long to come out.

This was a last-minute booking, and we couldn't have been more pleased with our choice! Large pool, easy beach access, lovely large room & bathroom, lots of amenities included in our resort fee, and wonderful attentive staff! Would definitely stay here again and would recommend to others.

This was a quick overnight escape - for a little beach, relaxation and a short drive to Maison Blanche restaurant. We were greeted warmly and enthusiastically by the valet and proceeded to check-in. The lobby was clean, bright and inviting with views out to the pool and Gulf. As we were earlier than check-in time we expected to hit the pool bar and grab some lunch - which we did - but not until we were surprised with an available room - an oceanfront upgrade at no charge! It pays to visit in off-season before the snowbirds arrive :) And what a beautiful room and view! A large balcony accommodates two chairs with a clear glass partition all that separates you from the beach. Everything from the fridge to the bathroom was spotless, and the room bright and comfy. The bar wait staff were terrific and we enjoyed a drink and super good food. After a nice walk on the beach we plopped down in some chaises by the pool, read and enjoyed the views. They have outdoor shower, foot bath, corn hole and a huge chess set between the huge pool and beach. Chair service is available and food and drink are delivered from the bar restaurant. Top notch all around. Cannot wait to come back for a longer stay!

This was a great hotel for our small conference. What makes it special is the staff. They all seem to enjoy their jobs and making guests feel welcome. We love the direct ocean views from front rooms in the south building. Housekeeping service was excellent. Food is where there's plenty of room for improvement. Thankfully there are many great restaurants close by.

Service staff is polite and work hard. Beach is nice, pool/hot tub are nice, but crowded and have to be there at 9 am to get a chair. The food is a joke for how much you pay, both for food & hotel - should be much higher quality. Quesadilla, fries, grilled cheese, spinach artichoke dip all terrible - looked like someone with nubs for hands threw them all together and were barely cooked. Improve your service, or charge less money.

Loved staying here at this hotel for my birthday weekend/Memorial Day weekend. We booked a premium ocean view room at the newer Opal building (built in 2017). The ocean view room has a view to the pool and the beach. If you want a full-blown oceanfront, you need to get a Ocean front room. Next door was construction but I didn't hear any noises. The service was wonderful. Dan the Concierge was amazing. He was so helpful. He even helped my husband plan a birthday surprise for me and he had a scented candle from the hotel as a gift for me. The service was great at breakfast and dinner. The pool was very nice with games for kids. There is a direct access to the beach. 2 beach chair are included in your hotel stay and you can rent an umbrella for $20.

When you would write a good review, but the hotel adds arbitrary and unexpected $40 RESORT FEES so thats all you think about at checkin beside actually relaxing. Make it stop and maybe it should go to your employees. The resort fee lists business center. Its actually just a desk in the middle of the hall way with music playing and your laptop camera is pointed at guests walking by.

My family and I came here July 2020 for 2 nights. We booked through a third-party website (I think booking.com). It was very easy. There was a deal going on so one of the main reasons we came. (: BEAUTIFUL area with private beach access. Beach is amazing. Sand is silky soft. Sunsets were the best... You have to see them here. I've truly never seen such a spectacular sunset! My sister-in-law and I tried to order from the outside bar and were overlooked 3 times. Many other customers waiting behind/next to us were served. After 20 minutes of waiting, another customer who had been watching us perpetually getting overlooked flagged down a bartender/server to help us so we could order to-go. Overall, would definitely come back!

We stayed 4 nights and really enjoyed our stay. Zota had everything we hoped for and exceeded our expectations. Very friendly and accommodating staff made our stay wonderful. Beds are comfortable, room was newer and updated (we stayed in opal building (south) side away from construction with partial gulf view, clean, really great view northwest. We really enjoyed our large patio for watching sunsets and relaxing. Food was good, not exceptional and expensive like most resorts. The private beach access is lovely! The ocean water in April 2022 was cool and refreshing. Amenities were nice and as expected for this price (pool, hot tub, exercise facility with beach view, poolside dining, beach view restaurant, umbrellas, outdoor games). Close to dining snd shopping via rental car (5-10 min). Couples and families seemed to be enjoying themselves equally. Cons (and these were minor to us): umbrellas $20/day (but a $39 resort fee?), low water pressure in shower, overpriced drinks, uncomfortable beach chairs (pool chairs were great) , valet required parking. We will be back next time with our kids. We loved it overall. High quality experience!

Wonderful stay, very clean, masks required on property, and masks available if you don't have one. Our king room with a beachfront sea view was perfect as it was also on the corner so we also had a nice pool view! My request for an easy check-in was fulfilled. There is a resort fee that includes complimentary valet, beach chairs, umbrella, and towels, among other things. Room service was very quick. They were not offering any daily cleaning, but if you needed something, you could always call and ask. The hotel is very pretty inside and modern. The grounds are kept up. The indoor and outdoor furniture looked new, clean, and trendy. The bed and pillows were comfortable. The shower was clean and the water pressure was enough to wash the sand from my hair. They also provided lots of little sanitizing wipes for your hands. The staff we encountered from check, to the pool bar, valet guys, and beach/pool attendants were all pleasant and friendly. I would come here again and recommend it to anyone wanting to experience Longboat Key or Siesta Key. Our first day we spent at the resort and hung out at the beach and pool. The water was warm, waves were calm, and the sand was soft and cool. The second day, we drove to Siesta Key Beach which was about a 30 minute scenic drive thru Sarasota. So, the location of the hotel was perfect. Also, there are many restaurants that deliver thru Uber Eats which is what we did on both nights since we are still uncomfortable with eating out at restaurants.

I love this hotel. It is a cute small boutique resort perfect for family vacation!! The restaurant is amazing and people is friendly. We will be back

Came in October 2021, way less busy on the weekdays. Be careful about the premium/ocean view rooms right now because there is construction being done Nextdoor. The issue is they don't disclose this when booking. Some of the ocean view rooms are fine but a lot of them are facing the construction. You would be better off paying less with a pool facing room. Once construction is done it will be beautiful. I did address this with them and they made up for it. Other then that, beautiful resort, pool, and beach. Beach umbrella rental was $20 a day I believe. Chairs are included with your stay. They checked in often to make sure we were enjoying our stay. We were in the newly constructed building. It was very clean and modern. Parking is included in resort fee but it is valet only. I'd rather self park.

We absolutely loved the resort. I thought I wouldn't like doing valet but wow, was that a huge benefit! Loved the valet guys and they work SO hard! We really loved our ocean view. The room was beautiful and modern. Only recommendation is a grab bar in the huge but very slippery shower. The beach is private to resort guests and not overcrowded at all. It's an easy drive to St. Armand Circle/Sarasota to the south and Bradenton Beach/Anna Maria Island to the north. We will absolutely be back!

OMG This resort is amazing. Checked in a few hours ago the grounds are so modern and clean. The staff so far has been very attentive too. They even txt me when we got in our room to make sure we had everything needed. We love coffee and almost never can find non dairy creamers in the room- but they have them. It's called the Opal Collection Condiment Kit . Thank you so much. And the robes are super fluffy. I feel like a queen.

So far, not great ! This place is way overpriced for what you get, especially service wise. The rooms in the new building are nice, except when you open the door to the patio overlooking a construction project and you listen to machines running.... Then, the valet lot is in the same side.... Followed by the hotel being under the primary flight path. In short, loud !!! Front desk check in Experience was flat, not very warm, and transactional. Our room was not ready, but we were a tad early and staff said they would call when room was ready, guess what.... No phone call !! The Resturant was a joke. Under trained staff, pasta Bolo dish was pathetic - so bad we sent it back. The worst part was what I witnessed with the two tables next to us. One table took 70 minutes to get their salad.... The other table with two young children waited 20 minutes to place a drink order. Then they ordered food.... Drinks never arrived, their food never arrived, and they left them waiting for an hour.... The family just got up and left. As I departed, all we noticed was all the wait staff and what appeared to be some Junior manager talking and laughing and having a grand old time ! Meanwhile people had no service at their tables !!!! Totally unacceptable. The pool staff was amazing, showed great attitude and desire to make it a great experience.... Everyone else could care less ! I'm general, it appears management is non existant, not involved, and not taking charge. For $700 a night, Not at all worth it !

Please beware. When making a reservation online, it will require you to give your credit card. The resort advertises a certain rate but adds almost double the amount in "fees". They warn that you must cancel 7 seven days in advance or they keep your money. The resort, however, provides no way for you to cancel and forces you to call the resort. I called well before the deadline to cancel one of the two nights I reserved. I was told it was taken care of and that I only needed to refer back to the same reservation number. Unfortunately, this was false. I have now been told (well after the deadline to cancel and get a refund) that no changes were made and I must pay the full amount. I requested to speak to someone else but they refused. Talk about a scam. Awful service. I would greatly recommend you look for a more honest place that wants to earn their money by treating its customers well.

The breakfast buffet was excellent. Unfortunately the service is awful. No water, no juice, no coffee despite our asking several times. Literally the worst service of any restaurant I have frequented. Such a shame since this place has such great potential

Overall it's a nice resort but we had a very negative experience with one of the guys who handles the beach chairs. He's the one who is wrapped on his head and neck with a covering from the sun every day. He is rude and aggressive and made me and my daughter feel uncomfortable. As long as he works there, I won't be coming back.

We liked it but minor detail : room was dirty it took a 24 hrs to finally get someone to clean it . We were impressed with restaurant food. Let me clarify: FOOD. It was done amazing. We are breakfast and dinner there and definitely recommend. Pool and beach were clean and staff was friendly at the bar. We will come back and I'll update our review.

Property had everything I was looking for in my weekend getaway. Beautiful pool, hot tub, beach, games, drinks, food etc. Staff was lovely starting all the way from the top with a wonderful manager named Roy. Would definitely recommend. My one complaint is the tv in my room was horrible.

Paid over 500 per night (king oceanfront) for a crappy room and subpar customer service. Only nice was the view. Worn out and dated furnishings....esp in the bathroom. Caulking worn out. Good thing I brought my own toiletries because they provided tiny supplies. I asked for half n half cream for coffee...front desk lady said we don't have that. I asked to purchase some from the lobby store...she said they also had none. I just paid 500 a night to not get half n half for my coffee? Plus...front desk lady was curt and annoyed. I love staying in nicer to luxury hotels...thought that was what I was getting when booking Zota. I will stay at another luxury resort near by that I have been super pleased with in the past. The interior decor looked like it was from the 80s. Slightly dirty too. Yuck.

Recently stayed at Zota and have mixed feelings. I loved that it was a quieter hotel. The beach is very close and our balcony was huge. The reason I can't give 5 stars is that the room needs updating badly. Our blinds were broken and the ceiling had water stains. This hotel could be so very nice if they would take the time to update the carpets and drapes. I would stay here again.

Clean , modern and highly satisfied! Would definitely recommend and come back. Conveniently located on Longboat beautiful beaches. Complementary valet parking made check ins and outs very fast. All staff we were professional and friendly. Overall can't wait to be back.

Zota is far from great but certainly not bad. Very over crowded with very young kids. Pool was very dirty and very poor pool maintenance daily / did not see them vacuum the pool once and very little chemical balancing. Water very cloudy! Staff are all very friendly except poorly staffed so everything is beyond slow. Food is average at best - drinks were so so and rooms very motel like for the $610 nightly fee. The beach was ok yet poorly maintained and more like a free for all than a resort style and policed beach resort. I have been to many Florida resorts and this place is on the lower end of the list and we will not be returning. Not a miserable stay - we enjoyed it to a point but certainly lacked certain points in quality - food - and very slow and low staffed. I heard more people complaining than I did people talking highly of the place. Def need some work and management to step in and fix the slow bar service and cleanliness of the pool and surrounding areas. Also the putting the towels on all the pool lounges come 8:30am and no one around and no one policing this was miserable. More negatives than positives.

Highly recommend. Beautiful hotel, great accommodations, excellent location. Wish we could have stayed longer. Will definitely go back.

Too busy. Felt like spring break in Daytona Fl. Loud music playing at the pool all day. A lot of wanna be players sleeping 4 to a room. Wait until the federal unemployment benefits run out then book a room. Tip of the day: Get the rum floater in the pina colada. It's. $2 dollars more but 2x the liquor. Also ask for Douglas at the pool bar. Great guy.

What makes a stay exceptional? People! This whole resort is full of great personalities that make your stay memorable. Anyone can build a beach resort, staffing it with engaging, professional and happy people is a much more difficult endeavor. I had a tremendous time here and it was due to the staff being happy and going above and beyond. I HIGHLY recommend this place!

Abysmal. Definitely no where near a 2 star other then first glance design makes it appear so. My family of 4 booked a room with two queens for a weeks stay. After an 8 hour drive, we were checked in to a king size room, which we didn't realize until we actually walked into the room. Katlyn, the rude, condescending and unprofessional girl at the front desk could not have been worse to deal with. Her disdain and indifference is the opposite of what you hope for when trying to alert someone to their mistake. Do you want to drive 8 hours with your two teenagers on spring break and arrive to a small king sized bedroom? Hotel is lackluster, unorganized, dirty and in need of major customer service overhaul. They double booked our room and had the audacity to be argumentative rather then accommodating. Don't stay here. Invest elsewhere. Completely ruined what should have been a relaxing welcome get away. Crammed us into this room and left us with no other options as everywhere else was already booked. Not at ALL the welcome and vacation expected. Side note-4 separate people had similar issues that were standing behind me as I spoke. Later that night Katlyn was rude to another guest and I acknowledged him and said, she's awful isn't she, and he enthusiastically agreed. Point being, the only thing this hotel is consistent at is its inconsistency's and lack of customer service. Book elsewhere. Trust me on this one.

Our trip was ruined when Southwest Airlines cancelled our flight. I contacted Kaitlyn Clark, the Operations Manager at Zota. She was kind and sympathetic. Our booking was non-refundable but she agreed to give us 100% of our money back due to Southwest canceling our flight. While I wish we could have made it to Florida, it was great dealing with Kaitlyn and I would highly recommend Zota to anyone. Treating people like humans instead of forms of income is hard to come by.

There isn't enough I can say about this place. My husband and I wanted to take our youngest children (college students) on a family get away so I did my usual homework and found this gem. BEST DISCOVERY I EVER MADE!!! This place surpassed all of our expectations! From the time you pull up, you'll receive A-List treatment. The entire staff is phenomenal!!! We had the most wonderful time here. Now, here's the reason I'm giving this place 4-stars: I am huge on showers. I need to feel the water beat up my skin. When I saw the shower, I was so hyped. I just kneeeeewwww this was going to the epic. Maaaaaan, I turned that faucet on, and it was a vegetable sprayer. My baby feelings were so hurt. I'm just saying. After a day at the beach, a person needs to feel every piece of that sand come off their body. My husband and the girls were all about it not having microwaves in our rooms, which was shocking -- considering it had such large refrigerators in each room. Overall, it really does deserve 5 stars, I'm just being a tad extra when it comes to the shower.

When we were no longer able to stay at a friend's condo we searched for something comparable. We didn't want to leave LBK and luckily found this GEM! Zota blew us away! Where do I start...the rooms are beautiful! The staff was SO helpful and kind! The food was even good. The rooms are very private and quiet, it's a non smoking property, it's directly on the beach, has valet parking and even housekeeping staff was fantastic! Besides staying in what felt like an art gallery everything about Zota makes you feel special! The ONLY suggestions I would make would be for the pool bar area. The bar stays open until "dusk" only which meant 7pm whether there are customers there or not. The drinks were REALLY good but it's a little hard to enjoy when bartenders are "counting down the mins" to close and removing items from the counters. Food service at the pool also ends at 6pm which is strange. Zota is absolutely not a place to sit at the bar and get sloshed (which I appreciate) but for those that would like a casual drink at 9 or 10pm it's not happening. All of that said Zota is worth every penny, fabulous, and we didn't want to leave!! There is no place else we will ever stay in LBK! Kudos to Opal on their resort ventures!

LOVE THIS PLACE!! will definitely go back, our room was cleaned at least twice a day. Which is so helpful considering we had two small children with us who were like little tornados. The valet was extremely helpful and always when above and beyond to help with luggage, bags, opening doors and more. The pool was amazing and the service was outstanding. Easily able to walk to the beach and the views and the beach were the best! My son wanted to heat up his leftovers and the brought up a microwave to our room! I have so many great things to say about this place. The whole environment was relaxing and fun! We really can't wait to come again. The ONLY reason I was somewhat bothered would be when we first got to our room there were tons of little bugs, which I thought were sand fleas crawling on the little table. When I called down to the front desk. The lady gave us two options 1. Have an exterminator come or 2. Leave this room for a worst view room. We had someone come in and spray. Super disappointed with the tone and the response. My husband wanted to stay in our room for the view and I'm glad we did because once they sprayed we didn't see anymore. Totally understand it's Florida, it's hot and there are bugs which is why I am deciding to give this place a 5 star review!

I was greatly disappointed when I checked in, read the fine print and saw they do the "resort fee" scam. I asked for it to be removed, they said no, that it pays for amenities like WiFi. What? Their daily room rate doesn't already include WiFi? Even Motel 6 does. This is just a way for them to hit you with an extra $10 per day charge. It's sneaky and greedy. The rooms are fine, but there was a major construction project happening next door which was loud all day long. Of course, they didn't tell me that before I made the reservation or checked in. The breakfast at the hotel was flavorless. Waffle House or IHOP blows it away. The hotel is too far away from any restaurants. You have to drive to them, too far to walk. The style of the hotel is modern boxitecture. Or is it architorture? I do not recommend this hotel.

The wait is long, but definitely worth it! We ate here two nights in a row. The first night we were fortunate to sit outside on the patio and watch the beautiful sunset. It was perfect! We absolutely loved the crab garlic fries. We ordered them both nights. We ordered a dozen oysters and they were so good we ordered another dozen and a half. Those days were from Louisiana and by far the sweetest most delicious oysters I think I've ever eaten! The service was good. We would definitely go back!

The good... the pool, the location, the breath taking waters. The expected beach towels, clean rooms, loungers quality customer service. What really happened loungers are not included in the resort fee along with umbrellas (this was a disappointment but it is on their site so my fault) the sheets in our room were dirty like severely stained with what seemed to be coffee and lipstick at least we hope. Pool side service was impossible but its ok I'm on vacay I walk up to Douglas and I say Hi can I please put in an order he says sure with my order of food and adult drinks I asked for water and he says sure they are at the bar grab them.... ok I said thanks but can I have some help I cant carry four waters back and he said well two at a time.... for a hotel of what is supposed to be 4 star caliber.... and with a pool side wait staff I mean at least offer to help me to my seat with the waters but no... we had issues with the valet being less then honest and confrontational basically threw our keys at us while wearing gloves (Covid 19 is real we get it) we will leave it at that. To be honest no one we came across seemed super friendly, outgoing or eager to help in any way but when you are on vacay you are just chilling and just full with good vibes or at least tying to be but it puts a damper when you expected to have a high end stay with quality customer service. If you don't care for any of those things then stay here the place itself is cute so they get three stars on the location and establishment.

Where to begin? Bad on many levels. We stayed here Fri-Mon starting on 7/23/21. First off let me say that most of the staff were doing their best and some of them were outstanding. Some of them were not. The views were great. The location speaks for itself. The problem is with the lack of amenities & maintenance and careless attitudes of some of the staff toward their guests and the services they are supposed to provide. Cascades, the pool side bar/café doesn't open until 12 noon. That's not too bad but I did want a Bloody Mary around 11. The worst part of the pool bar is that it's filthy. Bar mixes sit open on the bar with dropped fruit garnishes in the heat with the flies circling. The bar and the deck around it are always a mess with spilled sticky drinks and no one seems to understand that this is what is causing the incredible problem with flies and yellow jackets. The flies are relentless and they are all over this area. Zota: if your bartenders are too busy to keep the bar area clean then you need to assign someone to handle it. Leaving it a mess is a bad option for your guests. At $28 per round of 2 drinks you should be able to afford it. The indoor bar/restaurant closes after breakfast so there is no going in out of the heat for a drink or a break from the flies during the day. There is no room service. Well, they call it room service, but you still must go get your order and the hours are insufficient. Viento, the indoor bar/restaurant is closed for dinner Sunday thru Wednesday and closes at 10 Thursday thru Saturday. That's pretty early for the only bar on the premises except the aforementioned pool bar with the flies which closes earlier anyway. Breakfast starts at 8 am and the only coffee available prior to Viento opening at 8 am is from the in-room coffee setup. No thanks. Even the most basic hotel chains have decent coffee available 24/7. How hard is that? The food and drinks were very average and overpriced. Do yourself a favor and drive the 8 miles south into town and have dinner at The Columbia or Shore Diner by the traffic circle. You're welcome. The room would have been fine but was not properly maintained. Rooms are not cleaned or restocked daily. Garbage is not picked up daily. Some of the room anomalies included: robe hook missing from bathroom door so no place to hang a towel, unfinished drywall repair, adhesive smeared on tile and left to dry in a clump, filthy luggage cart, base trim peeling from wall corner. It just goes on and on. As some others have said it was more like a spring break than a resort. Spring break is fine, but I signed up for a resort, not spring break. The pool had 60+ people in it and there were never enough chairs. It was a huge disappointment considering the expense and definitely not what I expect from a resort. I will not return. 2 stars for the staff. 0 stars for inept management.

I will start out saying that the Food and wait staff was AMAZING! The guys that ran the rental hut on the beach were beyond friendly and helpful. these 2 areas deserve a 10 star! Room was disappointing over $600.00 a night and it was dirty. Furniture was stained(beyond bad) couch was stained and carpet was stained. It took 2 days to get the filthy ottoman out of the room. dirty couch and carpet were left, i was "asked" if I wanted someone to go clean it?????? Hello at $600 a night it should have been cleaned instantly without asking. Also do NOT book here if you are wanting a quiet, relaxing, romantic stay. There were more kids here than a Disney resort, so woke up to kids screaming and tried to go bed with kids screaming. kids in diapers in the pool needless to say we never went in the pool or hot tub disgusting! if it wasn't for the amazing food and restaurant staff we probably would have left.

Wonderful resort right on the beautiful beach on Longboat Key. The accommodations were excellent and the staff was so accommodating.

Umm YES YES and YES! Book it now don't wait! Make sure to book on the premium side! Literally right on the beautiful beach! Such a serene area with some amazing food near by! The breakfast at the hotel was amazing! The blackened salmon near the pool was also great! The rooms are clean and so spacious! The pool area is very clean and well kept! The staff is AWESOME! We been twice in a year and usually we don't repeat or go to the same place but if I were to book even one more it wouldn't be too much! I can't wait to get back! My husband and I love this place and you will too!

This is a hidden gem - truly feels like you've stepped out of the USA, and to a wonderful resort where service, environment, and rooms take you far far away. International guests complement this getaway and the staff at very attentive and happy to provide excellent service. The guys at the beach are the best. We will be back.

Still using Covid as an excuse to not clean rooms..... I'm sorry but this is a luxury resort. Get your act together ASAP. When checking in we were assured by the front desk our rooms would be made up everyday since we requested it. This is beyond unacceptable. DO NOT STAY HERE. $400+ a night for nothing. Resort fee for what? You didn't clean anything!

My new wife and I enjoyed our stay at zota beach resort. To be honest based on the reviews we expected more. For the "resort view" we enjoyed a beautiful view of the parking lot. Be prepared to pay an extra 39 dollar fee upon arrival for "extra services". There is complimentary valet parking included in the fee, however this is non optional so be prepared to tip. Also we called ahead and asked for champagne and strawberries in room upon arrival for our honeymoon and were told that our request would be fulfilled, but strawberries and champagne were nowhere to be seen. Now that I got the bad out of the way.. If you are coming for the beach, zota has a nice secluded strip of beautiful well kept beach with a beautiful view. The pool and hot tub are spotless and the room is well kept. The concierge Dan provides exceptional service and should be praised as well.

This beautiful hotel, located right on the beach, was extremely clean with a very friendly and attentive staff. We had a beachfront room and the view was fantastic. The food was delicious and the drinks were cold and fabulous. The employees that really stood out were Gia at Cascades - she was so nice and great at recommending food and drinks, Johnny at Viento - he made perfect eggs for us each morning and had the best smile and Deion on the beach - he made sure we had everything we needed and made us feel welcome. We will be back!

Was there a month or so ago with family. The resort itself was pretty nice. The beach access can not be beat. Nor can the concierge there (he was quite friendly and helpful). The room I stayed was nice. Though perhaps it was just me and my family, we initially had a hard time learning to work the respective showers. My families rooms faced the parking lot. The restaurant there was pretty good. Not that we ate there. Yet the breakfast buffet had just about everything you would want. The bar at both the restaurant and the pool was good as well. The parking there is only valet. Yet there seemed to be no problems with it.

Rooms are ok but for price would expect more. Customer service is just terrible. Restaurant upstairs doesn't even know what meals they are serving and all tables are left with food on them because they don't have any staff. Pool bar is slow and 5/5 times would get the order wrong. Would not recommend staying here!

Ultimate relaxation meets here. The social distancing was mantained everything about this property spells quality. From cleanliness to the location and pool amenties. The Architecture is so contemporary. Food on property delicious!

Times are definitely different in the world of travel. And I think some people just need to adapt or understand. My partner and I just wanted to get away for the weekend so we called reservations and booked a last minute stay. It was a super quick and easy booking. We arrived to zota about an hour before check in, and were greeted vastly by a wonder valet, they took our luggage and were very hospitable. We walked in and turned the corner to be greeted by a wonderful gentleman at the front desk. I wish I could remember his name. It was all very clear and we were given a sheet advising of the covid changes so there were no surprises. Along with sea turtle precautions. There is no turn down or maid services during your stay but upon arrival there is enough towels, soaps, bottled water stocked in your room for your stay. He had our room ready ( yes an hour early) and to our surprise we headed up to the 5th floor to tap our wrist and open our hotel room door to be blown away by such a view. It was incredible! We unpacked and immediately headed down to the pool bar where all the action was. We ordered some delicious frozen beverages off the menu with of course an extra shooter. During our stay, there was tall bartender and of course I didn't catch her name but she was so memorable and on top of her game. She really made our stay and time at the pool that much more enjoyable. She blew my partners mind with an amazing banana daiquiri. While swimming we immediately starting meeting guests and chatting. We found out the restaurant was closed but we weren't to worried because we are foodies and definitely had a plethora of reservations booked. That next morning knowing the restaurant was closed we called and ordered breakfast to our room. To our surprise, it was EXCELLENT!! The crab Benedict's was such a treat and prepared so well. The waffle was above what we expected. The food from the pool bar and in room dining was honestly more flavorful and 5x better then 2 of the restaurants in town we spent quite a pretty penny at. This definitely made us hope they will soon open the restaurant for dinner service. The Togo boxes was a sad touch because food isn't just food to me, it's a photo opportunity and well nothing in a box photos well. But the flavors just reminded me to put the camera down and enjoy! During our stay and in and out of travels to town, the front desk gentleman was always making sure we were enjoying our stay or if there was anything we needed. It was so nice to feel so welcome. All in all, with covid there is definitely going to be some hiccups with any property and this property for our stay just really went above and beyond to make our stay that special. I'm already trying to book our next get away for my birthday. It seems reservations is too busy to pick up but I do realize it's a busy weekend for them. So hopefully we can get ahold of someone later this week to book our next stay already. Thank you so much to the team at Zota for just really making us feel special BRAVO