What is up with the Contemporary Garden Wing??

[CSLucas]

We just got back from a split stay between Contemporary Garden Wing (all the main tower rooms were booked, probably because of the limited supply due to refurbishment) and the Grand Floridian. We have stayed in the main tower and at Bay Lake Tower before and loved both experiences, but the Garden Wing was like stepping into a third world country. Bad lighting, roaches in the room (according to the front desk they don't spray for them - they only bait when they are reported???!!!). Is it always this bad? I mean, I realized it wouldn't be on the same level as the main tower, but I still expected basic cleanliness from a deluxe resort (or does the Garden Wing fall into the value category?). We got the heck out of dodge after night 1 and spent the rest of our vacation at the Grand Floridian which was bug-free.

 

[Marthasor]

I've stayed in the garden wing three times and I never experiences cleanliness issues. In fact, I prefer the garden wing over the tower as it's a shorter walk to the MK path, it's typically quieter, closer to the pool and I don't have to contend with the overly, crowded tower elevators. So, no, I wouldn't say it's "always" like this. I think building location at CR is just a matter of preference.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Yikes. I would think that roaches in the room wouldn't be acceptable at any resort level, value or otherwise.

 

[olive]

Granted I have never stayed in the garden wing, but I have never seen roaches anywhere at the Contemporary, not on the grounds at the pool area or the first floor of the main tower building or at BLT. I have stayed at the GF and Poly, too, and have actually only seen bugs in a first floor room at Poly. They did move our room to the 3rd floor, and we didn't have any issues after that, and while I was freaked out the staff very reasonably said it was highly likely that the people who had stayed there before us kept the patio door open and that some "friends" got in. Houskeeping can't notice everything, of course. Our stay was otherwise great. Florida has bugs, I get it, but I wasn't happy about it either at the time. The lighting sounds sad, though.

Was it like a swarm of roaches?? I am concerned especially because I am staying in the garden wing soon! How did the hotel respond when you raised this to them? Did they offer to move your room or make some other change beyond baiting? I don't think I would be comfortable staying in a room with roaches. Shudder. Sorry that happened!!

 

[CSLucas]

Granted I have never stayed in the garden wing, but I have never seen roaches anywhere at the Contemporary, not on the grounds at the pool area or the first floor of the main tower building or at BLT. I have stayed at the GF and Poly, too, and have actually only seen bugs in a first floor room at Poly. They did move our room to the 3rd floor, and we didn't have any issues after that, and while I was freaked out the staff very reasonably said it was highly likely that the people who had stayed there before us kept the patio door open and that some "friends" got in. Houskeeping can't notice everything, of course. Our stay was otherwise great. Florida has bugs, I get it, but I wasn't happy about it either at the time. The lighting sounds sad, though.

Was it like a swarm of roaches?? I am concerned especially because I am staying in the garden wing soon! How did the hotel respond when you raised this to them? Did they offer to move your room or make some other change beyond baiting? I don't think I would be comfortable staying in a room with roaches. Shudder. Sorry that happened!!

We got there around 10 PM, and within about 15 minutes there were 3 (they were different ones because my husband killed and flushed all of them). We were on the second floor so it's not like they were getting through from the patio either. I did call, and that's when they said they didn't spray for them but could set out some bait traps in the morning. About 30 minutes later guest relations called up and said they could find us another room if we needed to move (the way they said it definitely implied that they were annoyed by the fact that I called in the first place), but by that time the kids were way to tired to get everyone up and out of there, and we were leaving first thing in the morning anyways. Plus I wasn't super confident the new room wouldn't have the same issue since they apparently don't have preventative pest control. We did strip the beds to make sure they weren't in any of the bedding. Two of the three were in the bathroom.

I mean, I get that it is Florida and I definitely expect bugs outside. But I also live in SC where we have our fair share of roaches and although there might be the occasional one that gets in (and usually dies quickly because we do spray for them) I have never had 3 in a row like that. So while not a "swarm", definitely enough to indicate some sort of issue. I also wondered if maybe these are rooms that weren't used for a while when they were at limited capacity and maybe are now being reopened because of the refurbishment? If so then I think they might need to reevaluate their "pest control only when reported" approach.

 

[olive]

3 is swarmy enough for me. That is pretty terrible. And they absolutely should not have acted annoyed at you for calling! The problem was the pests, not your reporting of the pests. My goodness. I am really so sorry. I remember moving rooms over the bugs being such a pain. For some reason my husband was out of the room at the time and I ended up getting the kids ready to go and starting to pack everything up on my own. It was years ago by now but that kind of thing sticks with me. I will say, though, that Poly sent multiple staff to our room to do an inspection and talk to me about the issue, and they didn't get obnoxious about it. We have had problems with uneven service at various resorts over the years. It definitely sucks every time. I hope the rest of your stay at GF was much better. But I do not think this is typical. Or at least I really hope not. I think you had poorly trained staff at the very least, hopefully not slipping sanitation standards.

 

[CSLucas]

3 is swarmy enough for me. That is pretty terrible. And they absolutely should not have acted annoyed at you for calling! The problem was the pests, not your reporting of the pests. My goodness. I am really so sorry. I remember moving rooms over the bugs being such a pain. For some reason my husband was out of the room at the time and I ended up getting the kids ready to go and starting to pack everything up on my own. It was years ago by now but that kind of thing sticks with me. I will say, though, that Poly sent multiple staff to our room to do an inspection and talk to me about the issue, and they didn't get obnoxious about it. We have had problems with uneven service at various resorts over the years. It definitely sucks every time. I hope the rest of your stay at GF was much better. But I do not think this is typical. Or at least I really hope not. I think you had poorly trained staff at the very least, hopefully not slipping sanitation standards.

Good to know I'm not the only one! My husband is such a "let's not make waves" person, and then the way they acted on the phone had me second-guessing whether roaches were to be expected. But yes, the GF was wonderful and this past trip may have bumped it up to our #1 (a spot previously held by the Contemporary). I'm hoping it was just an off night for everyone!

 

[olive]

Good to know I'm not the only one! My husband is such a "let's not make waves" person, and then the way they acted on the phone had me second-guessing whether roaches were to be expected. But yes, the GF was wonderful and this past trip may have bumped it up to our #1 (a spot previously held by the Contemporary). I'm hoping it was just an off night for everyone!

Roaches are NEVER to be expected. My husband is also very calm about everything however I don't do bugs. He knows who he married.

Maybe consider reaching out to the CR and letting them know, in writing, how disappointing this was for you. They should want to maintain their own standards, as well.

 

[Brett Wyman]

It's Florida so was it german roaches or palmetto bugs(the big guys)? Either way being that close to the ground in a lush damp area like that will bring the boogers about. Im glad that don't spray the rooms personally but if the room had a lot, and not one random bug, Id have asked for a new room for sure.

 

[Dave006]

Since we have to go down the bug road. They don't generally spray for anything except for "bed bugs". They treat each room for other pests with baits to kill the entire nest from 1 - 100s of critters. They may spot spray for specific types of ants that are drawn to guest's food items.

Now to the "Roaches" they are most common in the bathroom as they use the pipes for transportation and to drink. Every-time you check-in your bathroom drains should always be closed. Stop reading now if you are really bug squeamish:
A cockroach can hold it's breath for more than 15 minutes. So if you flush it make sure it is dead first.

OK may be safe to read again...

Most arrive with guests items in carboard or paper bags ( Delivery service anyone). The larger "Palmetto bugs" are still cockroaches. However they can fly and often fly in from the patio or the sliders on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Were you on the 1st floor near any exterior doors?

Dave

 

[focusondisney]

OP, I’m sorry that happened & how it was handled. About 3 years ago, I noticed a huge amount of very tiny ants in our 5th floor club level room at the YC. There was a constant trail alone the baseboard behind 1 of the beds & going up the bedside table. This was at about 10:45 at night & the club level CMs were already gone. Remembering that phone calls go to a call center, I walked down to the lobby. The lobby CM’s response was immediate. He called a supervisor who accompanied me back to the room. The supervisor then called pest control to come right to the room. Their first concern was to be sure they weren’t bed bugs, which I knew they weren’t. Pest control identified them as Argentinian ants. He said they bait to make sure they get the whole nest. We were immediately offered a new room, which we accepted. It was down the hall a few rooms (same room category). It is easier to move when it is only 2 adults, but it wasn’t fun to move at midnight either. We were also credited 1 nights room rate by the housekeeping supervisor. That’s what I expect from Disney. I’m very sorry your issue wasn’t handled similarly.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm curious if there has been an uptick in roaches pretty much everywhere due to the reduced housekeeping, coupled with reduced dining options/availability meaning people or bringing their own food or ordering delivery/takeout to eat in the room. With trash only getting picked up every other day and people generating more trash, it could get yicky pretty quick--especially since I've noticed a lot of hotel guest seem to think for some inexplicable reason that it is socially acceptable to just leave a bag of trash or empty pizza boxes in the hall and expect someone to eventually clear it away instead of carrying their trash to a trash bin.

I also wonder if the major construction going on in the contemporary could be a contributor because if roaches are getting displaced out of the main tower due to the constructions, they could be fleeing to the garden wing. Have no idea if that is actual roach behavior or not, just speculating.

But yeah, three roaches in one night would likewise see me jumping ship to another hotel. Major red flag.

The only thing I would also comment is setting aside the roach issue, I agree with OP's assessment that the garden wing does not feel very deluxe. It is darker, rooms are drab, and has none of the cool factor of the tower seeing a monorail as you leave your room or a nice view of bay lake or MK.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Waterbugs look for water when it has been dry. They will come up through the shower/tub drain or even through the smoke detector/ceiling vents. Plus they fly, so being on the second floor won't stop them. Also when the weather isn't so hot, people will leave their sliders open for the fresh air and the bugs (and possibly even snakes - like black racers) may come in through the open door.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I haven't stayed in the Garden Wing since May 2018, but when I did my room was great. It looked recently redone and very clean. The hallways were a bit musty although I didn't think it was anything too bad

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Oh no. We are in the garden wing in June... this is making me want to switch....

 

[olive]

Oh no. We are in the garden wing in June... this is making me want to switch....

I don't think this is the norm. I am staying in the garden wing in June, too. Looking forward to it!