WDW First timer-What hotels should be avoided at all costs?

[Angelcatsmom]

Hello,

I will be making my first trek to the World in November and want to know what off sites besides the Days Inn should be avoided like the plague? I am planning to rent a car and stay offsite (unless I get lucky later in the year and find a good onsite deal) so any help you can give me would be appreciated.

[tednvon]

Hi....in the last year I have used a site weeklytop10-orlando.com they have some very good deals, especially some of the smaller "suite hotels" in Lake Buena Vista....as for the real bad ones, it is hard to define "bad"...Days Inns have obviously got a rep and the Comfort Inn LBVista is very old and very basic....Sheraton Lakeside is also older and basic, but goes for 20 a night on Priceline...our son stayed there (a single male, so a little dirt is not a problem) and he thought it was great for the money.....I am also a firm believer in Priceline..they have exceptional deals on hotels especially at the 3 star level for about 35 to 40 dollars a night.......Just keep an eye on these boards and heed the advice...it is usually right on...Ted

[Lewisc]

If you're plans are set in stone a PL 3* is probably your best bet. Knights Inn on 192 is one of the worst motels I've ever stayed in. Low opinions on this board, chain rated dead last with consumers reports. If your travelling with a family best value might be a timeshare rental (check hotelkingdom for Vistana).

[Topper]

Do not, I repeat, do NOT, stay at the "Best Inn" on 192 :eek:

[Angelcatsmom]

What happened to you at Best Inn?

Leslie

[Dopey & Grumpy]

I agree with Day's Inn and Knight's Inn....also, don't stay at Travelodge. We stayed at the Main Gate East Travelodge in Kissimmee last December and it was dirty and very poorly maintained.

[WebmasterBarry]

The Best Inn is now the Super 8 Maingate (I think). I stayed at the Best Inn once. It was more like the "Adequate Inn." It wasn't Portifino Bay, but it was OK. Nothing really special. I think the carpet looked kind of old and the room could have used an alarm clock, though.

[Babblin'Boo]

My input: Ramada Limited right at Universal's main entrance, Nikki Bird.

Why? At the Ramada the security codes for the doors are few and alternate. Someone already reported the fact that a stranger walked into her room in the night, thinking it was his room. If you want a safe place, avoid those hotels and inquire abotu door security codes at the desk before you reserve. They may all tell you that "nothing has ever happened", but take time to make sure it is not just a line.

At both, there were bad smells coming out of the sink. At the Nikki Bird there were dry, dirty towels left over by housekeeping staff when we first came in. Just poor cleaning habits.

[Emmyfaye]

Ants in rooms, grubby carpets, overflowing toilets, rude management.... need I say more?

[Lewisc]

Check the date of the hotel, any of the older lower priced properties on 192 should be avoided. Don't trust the renovation date, you don't how much of the property was renovated. Basically older properties charge low rates as an alternative to spending money on major renovations.
If you can live with all of PL restrictions and limitations a 3* PL hotel is probably your best bet, if you want to spend more money a timeshare type resort through a consolidator is also a good thing to look at.

[Margie J]

Silverleaf Suites near Universal (if they are still in business) - The units were large but not well kept. I was placed in a unit that smelled like a combo of pee, vomit and mold. Pleasant isn't it. The sheets were dirty, lamps broken. The doors didn't have deadbolts. The desk wasn't staffed beyond 10pm.

Delta Orlando Resort - They bounced me from their hotel to Silverleaf Suites when they said they were "overbooked" suddenly. It didn't matter that I made a reservation months prior. I've heard awful things about this place.

[Angelcatsmom]

Thanks for the help everyone. After doing some other research, I have come to the conclusion it might cost me less to stay on Disney property at one of the All Star resorts than it would to stay off and rent a car. So here's hoping for good November rates! ;)

Leslie

[Humpbacks1962]

That was exactly the conclusion I came to after staying at the Nikki Bird. I'd spent almost the same amount booking a room onsite, in a value resort, with a good discount and without going through the hideous routine of missing out on good service. The "free shuttle" to the parks was always late, sweaty and packed, the place was dirty and not the value I thought I'd get.

For about the same $69/night, I'd booked a much more decent room onsite with decent, air conditioned and frequent transportation. Staying offsite is not always worth the hassle.

Wanda

[AlicesAdventures]

Made the mistake of staying 3 nights at the Clarion Suites on Palm Pkwy, LBV in February. We didn't receive any housekeeping for our entire stay. Needless to say we went next door to the Hawthorn Suites LBV(we had stayed there in Oct. 2001) where the rooms were clean and very large for the price. Just booked 10 days on the internet for Sept. at $69./night. Palm Parkway,LBV is only about 2miles from Downtown Disney.

[AlicesAdventures]

Made the mistake of staying 3 nights at the Clarion Suites on Palm Pkwy, LBV in February. We didn't receive any housekeeping for our entire stay. Needless to say we went next door to the Hawthorn Suites LBV(we had stayed there in Oct. 2001) where the rooms were clean and very large for the price. Just booked 10 days on the internet for Sept. at $69./night. Palm Parkway,LBV is only about 2miles from Downtown Disney.

[tinaluis]

I agree with the comments on the "Best Inn" on 192 -- stay away from it at all costs. We stayed there some time ago and it was horrible, so horrible, in fact, that we called the Best Inn chain to report it and were informed that it had been removed from the Best Inn chain. I understand that it's now a Super 8 but unless they've done extensive renovations and "additude adjustments" on all staff and management, it's not even worth a try.

[Tiger926]

We also stayed at the Clarion Suites - what a nightmare! We had no choice as we had joineda vacation club, that we have since dropped and received our money back from due to misrepresentation and fraud. Anyway, they did not tell us that this was a timeshare condo development and there was no housekeeping, security lights broken, very rude manager and timeshare sharks galore. We were lied to by the hotel (and I use the term loosely) since they sent a brochure and assured me that it was a 4 star hotel. The room itself wasn't bad, it was actually quite spacious, but for the price we could have stayed in Disney World, but like I said, we had no choice due to the parameters of the vacation club. We had never stayed at a Comfort Inn property and after this stay, we knew why! Good luck with your vacation, it sounds like you made a good choice!

Tiger

[cwrbc]

Add Quality Suites Maingate East to your list of DO NOT STAY AT Hotels. Needs Some major cleaning and painting. Staff Great but doesn't warrant dirty hallways, elevators and semi-clean rooms.

[cofey]

We were at WDW in March and also had a terrible experience at Clarion Suites (no housekeeping, pool was full of leaves, extremely rude staff, etc.).

After we got back, I sent a letter to Choice (or rather "Choice") Hotels expressing our concerns. Response: NOTHING. Not even a form letter.

Avoid this place like the plague. You can do better.

[Tiger926]

I am known as a consumer advocate to family and friends, and so immediately upon returning home, I contacted them due to our horrible stay as mentioned in a previous post. It took months, but eventually after many calls, letters, emails and faxes, the executive assistant to the president of Choice Hotels called to address the situation. To make a long story short, they awarded us several hundred dollars worth of gift certificates and several apology letters. We were reluctant to stay at another Choice Hotel property, but we did not want to lose all of the value of our gift certificates, so we stayed at brand new hotels in several other cities, and had no problems. They are a budget chain, but regardless of this fact, they need to desperately work on their customer service at both the hotel level and the executive level. You are absolutely right when you say avoid Clarion Suites in Florida. I have heard nothing but problems regarding these properties - especially since they market themselves as four star resort/suite hotels, when in fact they are timeshare properties with very few amenities (didn't even have a restaurant!), rude staff and less than desirable locations.

Tiger

[cofey]

Tiger926, thank you for your post.

Would you mind if I ask if you have any pointers you can share for how you managed to get those crooks at Choice to give you a well-deserved refund?

I sent a letter to their director of Marketing immediately upon our return. I was quite surprised that we haven't gotten any response whatsoever. I thought we would at least get a form letter. Maybe I need to send another letter to their president?

Of course, it will be a cold day in heck when we stay in a Choice property again, but I also think we deserve a refund or some sort of compensation. We had an extremely unpleasant experience there.

Again, thank you for your post and any words of wisdom you can offer.

Cofey

[Tiger926]

Sorry to hear that this has happened to someone else - I wonder when the people at Choice Hotels will improve their quality as well as customer service? Anyway, here are the steps I took:

1. Filled out a comment card at hotel (mailed it to head office because I figured they'd throw it out if I left it at hotel).

2. Sent an email to hotel directly and then sent one to the customer service department (check on website).

3. Followed up with a letter through www.planetfeedback.com (great customer service website).

4. Sent a letter to the vacation club (of which we are no longer members), with a carbon copy (hard copy) to Choice Hotels.

5. Followed up with several more letters through the website after receiving a less than satisfactory response - this generated a phone call from someone claiming to be an executive who promised a refund. Once I received a second call from Head Office, they denied knowing this person, and I had to start the process all over again. This resulted in a letter from the president, and a call from his executive assistant. They sent us several hundred dollars in gift certificates (with an expiry date no less!) to be used at their properties within the next year. They will not refund you money - no matter how bad your stay was. Gift certificates cost them nothing because most people probably don't use them, or forget about them. It also puts out a false perception that the company actually cares about you personally as a customer - it's a cheap marketing ploy, but it's better than nothing.

All in all, this took several months and has been one of my biggest "cases" to date (the only other customer case that took this long was the major problem I had with Northwest - but it turned out very well!). I used to work part time at a major Canadian department store, and this has made me a very well informed and well educated consumer. I am also an English teacher, and so I love writing letters. I always suggest to people that they don't send letters of complaint, but letters of concern. Highlight postives (if possible - this was basically impossible with Choice Hotels, so I made sure that I wasn't too negative) about the company, and then focus on one or two concerns. You need to be patient, but be persistent. With Choice Hotels, I was very thorough and concise (one or two concerns only - if letter is too long , they won't read it) and this greatly helped us come to a resolution. Remember, companies hear from thousands of people a day, requesting freebies, and basically telling them what a terrible job they have been doing, etc... In order to be taken seriously, you must use names & dates, follow up with emails, calls, faxes, etc... and always be prepared to offer positive solutions as to how to rectify your situation and make you a happy customer again.

Good luck with your letter. If you want more specific info you can PM me and I can give you a quick outline to the last letter that I wrote that made it's way to the president. I wish you lots of luck - it's too bad that so many companies get away with offering subpar products and awful customer service. What do you think they would have done if neither of us offered to pay for our stay? We both know the answer to that one, don't we! That is why you should try to be persistent in order to air your concerns. I only hope that one day, companies like Choice Hotels will realize how far they need to go in order to improve the quality of their product and service. Good luck!

Tiger

[cofey]

Thank you so much for your reply, Tiger926. I really appreciate your taking time to post this EXCELLENT information (which I have printed out).

Your success has inspired me to take up this battle again. I am going to start with letters to the president, the hotel, and the planetfeedback site.

I am very glad to have a game plan again. I was so flabbergasted that they ignored my initial letter that I really wasn't sure what my next step should be and was planning to grudgingly let the matter drop.

Again, thank you very much for your reply and great suggestions. I sincerely appreciate your help!

cofey

[Tiger926]

No problem. Make sure you post to keep us updated about your battle. Good luck!

Tiger

[eeyore0062]

I agree with the Super 8 Maingate, and the Days Inn Maingate. We did like the Ramada that was Maingate... it is somewhat across from the Holiday Inn Family Suites, on a little side road. We stayed there for a 1st night, and if push ever came to shove, we could stay there longer.

[wheeler]

I thought the Delta Orlando was horrible, smelly & filthy. This was in '97, but I would never try it again! They also overcharged me and I had a real hard time at the front desk getting it fixed.

[susy]

Angelcatsmom,
We stayed at the ASMovies in Jan and loved it!!! It was DH, DS (age4), my mom and her DH and myself. We had two conncecting rooms on the first floor (NS) in the Toy Story section (on the quiet side). This was an amazing location. We had a FL Resident rate of $49. I'm sure there will be good rates for Nov (value season). It was our first on site stay and it would take an UNBELIEVABLE rate to ever get me offiste again. The rooms were nothing fancy, but the furniture, bedding, and and carpeting were nice and new (nothing peeling, chipping, or fading). The amenities were basically soap, but the housekeeping staff did cute things with our stuffed animals, towels, and washcloths. They were very generous with towels,etc. The pool area was very nicely themed and had three lifeguards. There was a pool bar and hair wrapping. The food court was great! It was open by 6:30, so I would go down and get breakfast for everyone and bring it back to the room on a tray. You could have a Mickey waffle in bed , if you like. We also did this at night (fruit, wine, cheese, etc). There was a huge disney store and arcade. The bus was convenient in that everyone could do as they pleased. Don't forget the refillable mugs! I will be at CBR in 26 days ($84 Fl Res rate).

[bigs1923t]

I agree with others, your best bet might be to check out one of the All Star resorts. They have rates that are decent in Nov, you wont need a rental car. If you arrive early in the am and a room isnt ready they will hold all you luggage so you can go to the parks and when you return your luggage will be in your room. They have food courts with reasonable priced foods. Also they sell mugs for $9.99 that you can keep refilling at the food court for the length of your stay. I have heard that the mugs can also be used on return trips. You get Disney clean rooms. Disney transportation system will get you to any of the parks. Also with Disney they will provide pretty much anyhing you need. I had a relative forget a blow drier & they brought one to her room for her stay. I was staying in Wilderness Home in Fort Wilderness one Xmas. After driving through some bad weather our car was covered with salt. I had taken a pan from the kitchen & was trying to rinse the salt off using the pan and an outside faucet. The staff went by in a golf cart and asked me if I needed a hose. They returned with a hose & pail so I could wash the salt off. They also told me to use a washcloth & towels from the bathroom if I wanted to. We have been going at least once a year for about 13 years now & have always had good service at WDW. One last note on All Stars I had heard alot about them and had never stayed there. We did stay there last month for the Americheer Nationals. The rooms were Disney clean, mabey a little small but still comfortable and each room has a table & chairs in it. I would stay there again for sure.