UPDATE: Upon checkout we were comped some. I appreciate the proactive manner for compensation, and the staff was super friendly (why they get 2 stars) - but it doesn't change a bad experience for what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend.
Where to start.... With everything in life, there is good and bad.... So I'll start from the beginning. It's long, but hopefully educational and very mildly entertaining.
Before making this reservation, I tried to call the hotel to see what amenities were and weren't available. I had difficulty getting through to the front desk. Foreshadowing?
Checking in on the holiday weekend was pretty easy (I had already checked in through the Hilton App but am still have to go to the front desk. Plus, how else are you going to get your cookies?
Glad I did, they had changed my room location and I was now facing the pool in a room that turned out to have a Hilton Honors sign on the door.
Went in, the room is old. The couch is dirty. But, it's livable and I know I haven't spent a lot of money.
Can't brush our teeth. I mean, the smell coming out of the faucet is horrendous. Disgusting. My son starts dry heaving. So, we use our water bottles to brush our teeth. I don't complain because we've never liked Orlando water and know it sometimes smells like sulfur.
Sleeping is futile with all the late night poolside partying right outside our room.
We head to breakfast and can't seem to find a way to get into the restaurant. We see people sitting inside, but none of the doors will open. After wandering around trying to get for 10 minutes, we head to the front desk. Apparently, it's the first weekend the restaurant is open since COVID and they forgot to open the doors (how did the other guests get in)? Then our bill. And we are charged for a plate we never ordered and a drink that was supposed to be in my meal. Nice waitress corrects the bill.
We head to our cabana. There are three cabanas here, none have names on them, so I head to the only one with a reserved sign. (Side note: cabana purchase comes with 2 free waters, 2 free sodas, 2 free alcohol beverages and 15% off a food order).
Sleeping was futile with our poolside room and the partying going on at the pool.
No breakfast. I brought bagels. No sugar or creamer in the room, must trek to the restaurant for those items. But we can eat them poolside in Cabana day 2. Except someone has moved all the tables and chairs and left trash and no one has cleaned - and none of the pool towels have been cleaned and restocked.
Call the front desk. Ring. Ring. 4th attempt and success. They'll send someone to restock the towels and fix our cabana. No one sent.
Finally stop someone walking through handing out white room towels as cabana towels and he fixes our cabana area (mainly moving the umbrella I couldn't due to strength) and the tables. I had already cleaned the trash and wiped down the tables and chairs with my cleaning wipes (it's COVID, I carry them everywhere).
While sitting on the bed in our room during a pop-up storm, my son takes a sip of soda, throwing his head back to finish the can off and says "Mommy, what's all over the ceiling." Ugh. MOLD. All above the bed. In the corners. OMG. Now I've reached my disgusting last straw. I call, and FINALLY manage to get through to the front desk. I'm offered a room change. The thought of packing 2 kids up and moving rooms for one night has me temporarily hesitate - but no - MOLD.
So, the manager, April, nice woman, comes down and brings me my new room key and has upgraded me to a suite in the tower.
We all walk to the tower and get to the room only to realize the "this room has been cleaned" seal is not on the door. The housekeeper is right out front in the room across the hall and I ask her about it. Sadly, I can't really understand what she's saying but something about a spray and bleach and talk to the front desk.
We use my disinfectant spray and wipes to clean down the room. Try to call the front des. Try again. Give up and head back down to the pool where I try and succeed using my cell phone. The gentleman says he will contact the housekeeping manager and see what's going on.
Spend the day at the pool and back at the restaurant for dinner and then head up for our last night here (by this time, I'm ready to leave even after my upgrade, I'm just over all the effort my vacation is taking).
I get back up to my room and nothing is different. I call the front desk. No answer. Get the kids showered and start putting them to bed and there's old blood on my pillow. Call the front desk. April answered. She's by herself. The room was cleaned. She promises. No one is in housekeeping, just swap out the blood pillow for the extra in the closet.
Let's see what happens when I go to check out. Ugh. read more