Momof4girls
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2005
- Messages
- 735
We just got back from our five night trip to Orlando, where we stayed in the Nick Hotel. Here is our experience:
Check in - not too bad, lengthy "information" speech. They require ALL guests over 4 to wear a plastic wristband for the duration of the stay - if you lose it, you are charged $25 per wristband. It is required to participate in all "events" and activities.
Room - mid-quality. I would say that after staying in thirty-something Holiday Inn properties over the last few years, this was maaaybe a "3" on a 5 point rating, IMO. Our room overlooked the walkway to the mall and there were garbage dumpsters out there - which meant it stunk on the walkway every day. There are exterior entrances, very motel-like outside. The elevators were SLOOOOOOOW and the trek to our room was awful after a long day at the park. We were able to park in a lot adjacent to our building, but there were almost no parking spots left by the end of a park day and we often had to carry four sleeping kids across another parking lot, through the corridors, onto the elevator, and down another corridor before we'd get to our room. Twice our keys did not function and had to be reprogrammed. The parking gates were only accessible with the room keys and three times I had to call them to get them to open the gate.
Inside the rooms, the theming was nice. I don't recall themed bedding, but there was a huge Patrick cutout in the living room and a Sponge Bob mural in the kids' room. The kids room had very shallow shelves that seemed pointless (maybe four inches deep) and two VERY small night-stand size drawers. There was a TV with terrible reception (every channel was incredibly static-y) and the pull-out bed was not in functioning condition. The boombox tape deck was broken as well.
The adult room was a bit better, but the drawer space was VERY limited - only three drawers and they were maybe the width of two tee shirts, folded. There was a decent-sized closet for hanging, though.
The bedding was awful - stiff and scratchy, and the blankets had standard hotel holes and strange spots. The towels were thin and worn.
It was clear that this was a "rehab" on an old hotel - none of the towel rings were level with one another, there was plaster and grout smeared all over the tile floor in the bathroom, paint smeared across the ceiling in the lime green room, rusty hinges on the bathroom doors, dirty grout, water-damaged vanity in the bathroom, etc.
Housekeeping was fairly good, but failed to leave us shampoo three of the five days.
The pool was nice, insanely crowded, but nice - the bottom of it was very abrasive in the "zero entry" part and our kids still have pretty nasty red scratches on their hands and knees from it. The water slide area does *not* have heated water, which made for a VERY cold play area.
The character breakfast was good - long lines for omelets, french toast, pancakes, and waffles and they don't tell you that you have to get them there. The scrambled eggs are to be skipped entirely - hard as a rock and like old playdoh. But, the chocolate chip character waffles were great - and my veggie egg beater omelet was DIVINE!
Character interaction was good, Sponge bob does not come to the table, so he's harder to "see" but Dora, Cosmo, & Wanda were lots of fun.
Room service was GREAT - a wonderful chicken pot pie with puff pastry, fresh salads, etc. Counter service in the mall was awful - rude employees, high prices.
More later if I remember anything else
Bottom line, we won't stay here again - we used priority club reward points for most of our nights and they were "worth" $275 a night for our room - definitely NOT worth that for this hotel. But, free - sure
Check in - not too bad, lengthy "information" speech. They require ALL guests over 4 to wear a plastic wristband for the duration of the stay - if you lose it, you are charged $25 per wristband. It is required to participate in all "events" and activities.
Room - mid-quality. I would say that after staying in thirty-something Holiday Inn properties over the last few years, this was maaaybe a "3" on a 5 point rating, IMO. Our room overlooked the walkway to the mall and there were garbage dumpsters out there - which meant it stunk on the walkway every day. There are exterior entrances, very motel-like outside. The elevators were SLOOOOOOOW and the trek to our room was awful after a long day at the park. We were able to park in a lot adjacent to our building, but there were almost no parking spots left by the end of a park day and we often had to carry four sleeping kids across another parking lot, through the corridors, onto the elevator, and down another corridor before we'd get to our room. Twice our keys did not function and had to be reprogrammed. The parking gates were only accessible with the room keys and three times I had to call them to get them to open the gate.
Inside the rooms, the theming was nice. I don't recall themed bedding, but there was a huge Patrick cutout in the living room and a Sponge Bob mural in the kids' room. The kids room had very shallow shelves that seemed pointless (maybe four inches deep) and two VERY small night-stand size drawers. There was a TV with terrible reception (every channel was incredibly static-y) and the pull-out bed was not in functioning condition. The boombox tape deck was broken as well.
The adult room was a bit better, but the drawer space was VERY limited - only three drawers and they were maybe the width of two tee shirts, folded. There was a decent-sized closet for hanging, though.
The bedding was awful - stiff and scratchy, and the blankets had standard hotel holes and strange spots. The towels were thin and worn.
It was clear that this was a "rehab" on an old hotel - none of the towel rings were level with one another, there was plaster and grout smeared all over the tile floor in the bathroom, paint smeared across the ceiling in the lime green room, rusty hinges on the bathroom doors, dirty grout, water-damaged vanity in the bathroom, etc.
Housekeeping was fairly good, but failed to leave us shampoo three of the five days.
The pool was nice, insanely crowded, but nice - the bottom of it was very abrasive in the "zero entry" part and our kids still have pretty nasty red scratches on their hands and knees from it. The water slide area does *not* have heated water, which made for a VERY cold play area.
The character breakfast was good - long lines for omelets, french toast, pancakes, and waffles and they don't tell you that you have to get them there. The scrambled eggs are to be skipped entirely - hard as a rock and like old playdoh. But, the chocolate chip character waffles were great - and my veggie egg beater omelet was DIVINE!
Character interaction was good, Sponge bob does not come to the table, so he's harder to "see" but Dora, Cosmo, & Wanda were lots of fun. Room service was GREAT - a wonderful chicken pot pie with puff pastry, fresh salads, etc. Counter service in the mall was awful - rude employees, high prices.
More later if I remember anything else
Bottom line, we won't stay here again - we used priority club reward points for most of our nights and they were "worth" $275 a night for our room - definitely NOT worth that for this hotel. But, free - sure
