Power, Water Turned Off At Disney-Area Resort

[starwood]

How embarassing.

http://www.wftv.com/countybycounty/23784618/detail.html

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Utility crews shut off power and water to an entire Disney-area resort Thursday because of unpaid bills totaling more than $117,000. It isn't a small motel; it’s a huge, upscale resort, the kind of place with a health spa and concierge services.

The Saratoga Resort Villas is along Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee (see map), close to the theme parks. With no water and no power, the place had to shut down.

The main water valve to the resort has actually been chained and locked. Workers' golf carts were about the only things that still had electricity at the Saratoga Resort Villas on Thursday afternoon.

The Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) finally cut off power to the 150-unit resort Thursday afternoon and cut off the water soon after.

KUA says the bill has grown to nearly $118,000 over the last year as it's tried to work something out with the resort's owners.

“Payment plans that we made and then payment plans that were broken, and then they were remade and rebroken, and you get to a point where you just can't go any further,” said Chris Gent, KUA.

The utility warned guests at the resort a day earlier and no one seemed to wait around for the lights and air conditioning to go off.

KUA says getting things turned back on will require a $20,000 payment every two weeks, something the resort promised to start doing last week.

Managers wouldn't tell WFTV how many guests were staying there up until Thursday.

And the bills keep piling up. The $16,000 power bill for May is due in less than three weeks.

 

[Cherinva]

Wow...you have to wonder how something like this happens.

 

[doconeill]

Interesting name...even the web site adds "& Spa" in some places. Did they intend for there to be confusion with the Disney/DVC resort?

 

[Joshua_me]

A review of the place from "somewhere else", by "someone else"...


We have stayed a few times in the area, being from South Florida and taking over night trips to Orlando for shopping or attractions. I looked at the reviews and pictures of this "resort" and thought it sounded like a good deal. Boy was I wrong! When we pulled up and saw that the sign was broken, there was no guard at the "guard house" and the place was empty we should have turned around and gone to Star Island. If I hadn't prepaid or we were staying longer, I would have left the moment I went into the "villa". How these people manage to call this place a resort is beyond me. It is truly a crappy apartment complex that they have slapped some bright paint and a nice sounding name on and rented out as villas. Anyone who would consider a timeshare in this dump is blind. Everything was dirty, bugs in every single room of the "villa", the beds were tiny (we paid for a king two bedroom villa and our bed was surely a full-not even big enough to be called a queen) and very uncomfortable, the rooms were small and the bathrooms never had hot water. The pool which looks decent sized in the pictures is actually tiny and dirty, there were hardly any clean towels, and the bathroom for the pool was disgusting. The balcony was smaller than a bathtub with two old dirty chairs that could not be moved since there was no room. If you are used to dirty motels with tiny rooms and hard beds but just need a little more room to crash in after a day at the parks or a night at the clubs, this might be a good "resort" for you. If you want an actual resort that has an actual villa and a normal sized pool not just a kiddie pool, go elsewhere. The only upside was that the staff was nice and the bar drinks in the evening were cheap. I needed a stiff drink before going back into that room!!

 

[DisneyKevin]

Please dont confuse this with the Saratoga Springs Rseort and Spa on Disney property

This was a Doubletree at one time and it's not really in the Disney Resort area.

It's off Hwy 192 east of the intersection with SR 535.

 

[doconeill]

Oh, I know it isn't the Disney resort (I'm an SSR owner)...but I was wondering if they chose the VERY similar name intentionally in the hope of getting business of people confused over the names, and now further confusion could hurt Disney...

 

[Joshua_me]

Curiously, their Web site lists them as a "Disney 'Good Neighbor' Resort".

 

[Paul in CT]

I am surprised that Disney did not go after this "resort" for trying to confuse themselves with Saratoga Springs. Maybe they figured they would be out of business soon enough based on the reviews.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Oh, I know it isn't the Disney resort (I'm an SSR owner)...but I was wondering if they chose the VERY similar name intentionally in the hope of getting business of people confused over the names, and now further confusion could hurt Disney...

I thought it was intresting how they kept saying the phrase a Disney area resort. While it's true that this place is located not far from one of the entrances to WDW along 192, I thought it would have been better if they said a resort in Kissimmee. I guess they said a Disney area resort just to get people watching their news cast because of the word Disney, but the reality is they have nothing to do with this location.

 

[starwood]

I sometimes think the media uses the name Disney in their stories just to get people interested.

 

[sjsjbrook]

Please dont confuse this with the Saratoga Springs Rseort and Spa on Disney property

This was a Doubletree at one time and it's not really in the Disney Resort area.

It's off Hwy 192 east of the intersection with SR 535.

Thanks Kevin

I was very confused, about how it was possible tha Disney wouldn't pay their bills for just one of their resorts.

Now I am no longer confused.