lookingforward
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2001
- Messages
- 3,065
We stayed at the HRH for two nights during the last hurricane. We were supposed to do a one night stay but changed to a two night visit after our Disney Cruise got delayed by one day. We had booked two adjoining garden view rooms at a Florida resident rate of $149 per night.
First, let me commend the HRH for doing an amazing job during the hurricane. The hotel was pretty full of customers and staff who had to live at the hotel since they could not travel home. The rooms were clean but it was a major dissapointment not to have those amazing bed linens with the down comforters like they had in the past. The maid said that they stopped replacing those a while back. Still, the rooms were clean and so roomy.
The first day we were there (Sept 25) we went to Islands of Adventure. The crowds were not too bad and the room card made everything even easier. We had lunch at Mythos and although the food was great the service was awful. That surprised me since we eat there every time we visit and had never had bad service. Still, that restaurant is awesome! The weather started to turn a bit ugly in the early evening as the hurricane approached. But we braved the wind and went to WDW Polynesian hotel for the Ohana buffet which was great.
Back to the HRH and the boys (both 11) made friends and played for a while with them. They announced a curfew and we knew that the next day would be in the hotel under lock and key. (literally! they locked the front doors and would not permit anyone to leave!). One interesting thing, the HRH has full generator power and will never lose power during storms so it is the ideal hideaway if you ever have to evacuate another part of Florida.
We woke up late and found a note slipped under our door. The hotel managment had planned all kinds of activities for the kids and adults (movies, popcorn, game room, trivia, etc). It was really thoughtful and fun for the kids. We went downstairs and had a wonderful breakfast at the Kitchen. It was a buffet and I was surprised at the quality of the food. It was also very expensive. I felt bad for those who did not plan on spending so much for food since there was no other alternative to eat (except for the icecream shop and gift store).
Back up the room while the boys played downstairs and we watched pay per view movies and napped. It was the most relaxing day I have had in years! The wind was whipping really hard and many trees in our "garden view" were taken down by the force. There were a large number of people in the lobby of the hotel just sitting around, listening to music, etc. A nice atmosphere.
Dinner was at the Kitchen again and although it cost $100 for five with tip it was very good. They had prime rib, calamari, etc. Very nice. We ate well!
All in all it was a lot of fun and we had great service from the staff.
How they messed up with the credit card!
I have stayed at the HRH many times and have been very dissapointed in their accounting system. They have double and triple charged my credit card on three occassions and it has always taken at least a week and many calls to straighten out.
Heres what happened...AGAIN!
I prepaid the first night as required. When I checked in I told them that I did not want charging privledges and to just use my credit card for the second nights room charge. I should have owed about $330. Well, since I had "added" another night to the stay they cancelled the original reservation and made a new one. She insisited that the prepaid one night deposit would be "transferred". HA! They charged my credit card for the first and second night twice, so they charged me over $1200. When we checked out they charged the second night $330. Then they charged the first night again. So now my credit card has over $1700 on "hold". While this was not an immediate problem we were leaving the country on a cruise that day and so the desk managment stated he would personally release the hold. Of course it never happened and that hold remaind for six days. Totally unacceptable! They held up almost two thousand dollars for a three hundred dollar stay. I can't even imagine what a tough spot I would have been in if that was my only available credit. I have written a letter to the manager of the HRH to let him know.
The only other dissapointment was that they would not give me any Loews Gold perks since I had a "Florida" rate. I think that policy is shortsighted. After all, how much does it cost to provide some milk and cookies or free newspaper, etc. to a loyal customer??
First, let me commend the HRH for doing an amazing job during the hurricane. The hotel was pretty full of customers and staff who had to live at the hotel since they could not travel home. The rooms were clean but it was a major dissapointment not to have those amazing bed linens with the down comforters like they had in the past. The maid said that they stopped replacing those a while back. Still, the rooms were clean and so roomy.
The first day we were there (Sept 25) we went to Islands of Adventure. The crowds were not too bad and the room card made everything even easier. We had lunch at Mythos and although the food was great the service was awful. That surprised me since we eat there every time we visit and had never had bad service. Still, that restaurant is awesome! The weather started to turn a bit ugly in the early evening as the hurricane approached. But we braved the wind and went to WDW Polynesian hotel for the Ohana buffet which was great.
Back to the HRH and the boys (both 11) made friends and played for a while with them. They announced a curfew and we knew that the next day would be in the hotel under lock and key. (literally! they locked the front doors and would not permit anyone to leave!). One interesting thing, the HRH has full generator power and will never lose power during storms so it is the ideal hideaway if you ever have to evacuate another part of Florida.
We woke up late and found a note slipped under our door. The hotel managment had planned all kinds of activities for the kids and adults (movies, popcorn, game room, trivia, etc). It was really thoughtful and fun for the kids. We went downstairs and had a wonderful breakfast at the Kitchen. It was a buffet and I was surprised at the quality of the food. It was also very expensive. I felt bad for those who did not plan on spending so much for food since there was no other alternative to eat (except for the icecream shop and gift store).
Back up the room while the boys played downstairs and we watched pay per view movies and napped. It was the most relaxing day I have had in years! The wind was whipping really hard and many trees in our "garden view" were taken down by the force. There were a large number of people in the lobby of the hotel just sitting around, listening to music, etc. A nice atmosphere.
Dinner was at the Kitchen again and although it cost $100 for five with tip it was very good. They had prime rib, calamari, etc. Very nice. We ate well!
All in all it was a lot of fun and we had great service from the staff.
How they messed up with the credit card!
I have stayed at the HRH many times and have been very dissapointed in their accounting system. They have double and triple charged my credit card on three occassions and it has always taken at least a week and many calls to straighten out.
Heres what happened...AGAIN!
I prepaid the first night as required. When I checked in I told them that I did not want charging privledges and to just use my credit card for the second nights room charge. I should have owed about $330. Well, since I had "added" another night to the stay they cancelled the original reservation and made a new one. She insisited that the prepaid one night deposit would be "transferred". HA! They charged my credit card for the first and second night twice, so they charged me over $1200. When we checked out they charged the second night $330. Then they charged the first night again. So now my credit card has over $1700 on "hold". While this was not an immediate problem we were leaving the country on a cruise that day and so the desk managment stated he would personally release the hold. Of course it never happened and that hold remaind for six days. Totally unacceptable! They held up almost two thousand dollars for a three hundred dollar stay. I can't even imagine what a tough spot I would have been in if that was my only available credit. I have written a letter to the manager of the HRH to let him know.
The only other dissapointment was that they would not give me any Loews Gold perks since I had a "Florida" rate. I think that policy is shortsighted. After all, how much does it cost to provide some milk and cookies or free newspaper, etc. to a loyal customer??
