Wyndham Garden Fort Walton Beach - Destin Hotel, FL — Attraction in Santa Rosa Island

When I first arrived they could not find my reservation. It took some time, but we finally found out that my last name had been misspelled. I had caught this mistake in an email a couple weeks prior so I had called to have them change this mistake to the correct spelling. They said it had been fixed and sent me an updated email with the correct spelling, they unfortunately did not change it in their system at the hotel so it took some time to figure out why I "did not" have a reservation. The woman helping figure out this problem was very kind and helpful. After we finally figured this out we went to our room. The view was very nice, this was the only nice thing about the room. The room, hmmm, where to start, well the water in the bathroom, when you turned on the sink to wash your hands the water wouldn't come on. When it decided to come on, it would be for a moment because then it would just go off. The shower wasn't any better! If you could even get the water to come out of the shower head the water pressure was non existent. I didn't even bother washing my hair once while I was there because while I was in the shower the water would shut off with no warning. I'd be standing there with soap all ver my body with no running water. Finally after 3 or 4 minutes the water would slowly start to come back out of the shower head so I could quickly rinse off. Thank god for dry shampoo! If didn't have that my hair would have been a wreck that weekend! I did take a video to show how the water in the sink would just stop and the same with the shower. When I took the video of the shower, I couldn't even get the water to come out of the shower head! We called the front desk and they had sent someone but that didn't help. I don't think he even knew what he was doing. The shower just continued to make strange noises, like water was going to come out even when it was turned off. Next, the AC unit made the loudest and strangest noises that would not stop. I have never heard such a loud and obnoxious AC unit. Next, I had to go to a time share presentation where they basically try to force you to sign up and when you say no they ask why, why wouldn't you want to treat yourself to this all the time?? Like it's absolutely crazy for you not to want to join them with their timeshare group and if you choose not to join them something is wrong with you. I don't know how many times I said no, I don't want to do this. I literally just went to the meeting so I could get the deal on the weekend that I was there on, I could care less about a timeshare. I never wanted a timeshare and now I never will be joining a timeshare, that's for sure! They kept asking but why , why wouldn't you?? Usually it means you can't afford it or it's because and she just didn't say anything, she just let that hang out there. I found that hilarious, since I am 100% sure I make twice as much, if not more than, what she makes. The fact she questioned my income to sell me on a time share that I was not interested in was just low and insulting. To think that would actually work to get me to say or really you think I can't afford this, I'll show you and buy in to this crap! Ha! No way! I wanted to take my cousin to enjoy a weekend in Destin. Joining a timeshare is a joke. I don't want to stay at a Wyndham type facility for EVERY vacation for the rest of my life. I enjoy staying at a cottage or an AirBnBand or at authentic places in different countries, not a cookie cutter type resort place that was shoved down my throat by people who make money off these commissions. When I booked this vacation I was told I would have to go to this, but I also said to the woman who booked me on this weekend vacation, there was NO WAY I would be buying in to any time share. I was in no way interested in any timeshare and she said thats no problem you just have to go and listen. She said just don't tell them that. Well I did tell them that and I told them she told me not to tell them. I told them because they badgered the HELL out of me. I enjoy the way I travel now and I could care less if I will be spending more money in the future or if it's because of the place I CHOOSE to stay at. People choose to stay at specific places for the experience and thats something the people selling don't realize. They don't get that not everyone wants to stay in a Wyndham chain when they travel all over the world. I had never stayed at Wyndham hotel before this weekend and after this last weekend with the lack of water and hardly being able to shower after being at the beach all day I'm not so sure I'll choose Wyndham the next time I'm looking for hotel. I'll probably stick with the places I've stayed at in the past, that have been nice with great water pressure, quiet AC units and who could always find my reservation when I arrived because they had my name spelled correctly. What gets me is with all of the issues, not one time was anything offered to compensate, like free parking or something taken off for the trouble - I can't believe they even charge for parking but ok sure. When things have been wrong at other hotels something has always been done, but nothing was even offered here. Just disappointing, but you get what you pay for I guess. I did try to add videos of the water pressure of the sink and the shower but they wouldn't upload. I did call the front desk and they did send someone. He came up, but he had no idea what he was doing and didn't fix anything so it was pointless to keep calling them to fix it. The only positive thing I can say, is that we did have a room looking over the gulf, that was beautiful. I paid extra for that...

Wyndham Hotel Fort Walton Beach FL Positive should always follow a negative. With that, here is my review of our stay at Wyndham Hotel in Fort Walton Beach, FL. June 19, 2025 – June 22, 2025 The negatives- -Room-The room I had asked for and paid for was not the room we got. I paid for a 2nd floor room overlooking the pool area. We were put in a 6th floor room overlooking the parking lot. The pillows were hard and very heavy. We had to kill a few cockroaches, praying nothing came home with us. -Restaurants-Didn’t find a restaurant but there is a coffee/donut café open for breakfast. Bar and grill open after 10am. No free breakfast included with your stay. Make sure you pack the kiddos their favorite cereals, snacks or breakfast bars. Pricey. Neither place serves iced tea, only hot teas. -Parking-Is NOT free, and it does mention on their website about paying $10 a day which is crazy since you pay to stay in their hotel and there is no other place to park. -Beach-Trash is not taken at the end of the day so wind blows it around and some end up in the water, only one trash can at each set of steps at the entrance beach area. Lots of trash piled up by night and still there in the AM. -Elevators-Are not reliable, take the stairs if you can. We had issues many times and reported them to the front desk; nothing was done. On our last day we were stuck inside the elevator. We rang the bell several times, which rang but the call button did not work. We ended up calling 911, which was very embarrassing. After 20 minutes in a very hot humid environment the firemen managed to open the doors. As a person with breathing issues, you can imagine how it was for me. I’m glad my granddaughter wasn’t with me as she would have had a full-on panic attack. We ended up walking the last flight of stairs up to retrieve our bags. As we came back to the elevators there was still no one there and no signs about a problem or out of order. Now imagine a big fire truck with sirens comes to your door and you don’t know it. That’s how it was when we went to the front desk. The man whom we told the day before about the problem had no clue there was a problem or firetruck outside. When we asked to speak with the manager on duty he asked if there was a problem. Again, nobody knew people were stuck on the elevator and the fire department was there. No, I’m sorry that happened, nothing. It wasn’t until after we had also mentioned having the wrong room that she comped us with one-night credit. We weren’t looking for anything free, although I would have liked the room I paid for, but it was the safety issue with the elevator. Bystanders also stated about the elevator problems, doors not opening, stopping on wrong floors, stalling before moving, suddenly dropping quickly. The manager said she would let maintenance know. -Pools-No towels by early afternoon. -Beach chairs-$$

The Positives- -Room-Clean. Fridge kept drinks cold. -Beds- comfortable -Shower-Great pressure, and hot. -Restaurants-The coffee and donut café have a good choice of food and coffees. Large portions. Manatees’ bartenders deserve tips; they are spot on for their drinks. The grill cooks up your orders quickly and are large portions, again enough to share. The food was good and flavorful. -Parking-Lots of spaces. -Beach-great views and not crowded. There are areas to wash sand off on the boardwalk and by the main pool. -Elevator-Large enough for a luggage cart. -Location-Quiet -Maintenance/Housekeeping-Very friendly and welcoming. -Pools-Clean, the water temperature was inviting. Pool areas were clean and maintained. -Beach chairs-If you rent for the day it comes with two chairs and a large umbrella. Go early in the morning to reserve, 7-8 AM. -Views-Views of the beach can be seen from the 3rd floor up. Or from the boardwalks. -Nearby Restaurants- Great food, large servings. Overall-Staff was nice, check in/out was good, comfortable size rooms, clean grounds, price is normal for the area and...

Update: The hotel deleted my comment, so I reposted it.

This was the absolute worst experience I have ever had with a hotel in my life. We booked a same day reservation, and the price was good, and after reading some not so hot reviews, I figured it couldn't be THAT awful. We booked 2 nights here for the weekend. The reservation confirmation said the check in time was from 4 pm to midnight. I knew we wouldn't make it until about 1 or 2 AM, I called ahead of time and let them know that I would be arriving late, but I would be there. They said no problem. We arrive at the hotel between 1:30 and 2:00 to be greeted by Regina at the front counter who could not get us checked in. She kept telling us that our reservation got canceled and she couldn't get signed in to the computer. After an hour of watching her struggle I asked if there was someone that had a master key that could let us in. She called security and gave me keys that she couldn't activate and asked security to meet us at our room. I go out and meet up with the security guard who walks me through the parking lot to show me where my room isn't. We got to the building and she explained where to go. I told her that I couldn't get in and the keys were not activated. She took my keys and we went to the room to try them and they didn't work. My family unpacked the car and brought everything up to our 5th floor room, where we sat in the hallway trying to get in. Security does not have a key to get in the rooms. So, Regina gave me keys that she knew didn't work, and called a security guard that she knew couldn't let us in, and sent us up to room 527.....all for what? Because we still couldn't get in. Judy went back downstairs while we sat in the hallway waiting. I ended up going out to the ocean to get my toes in the sand and calm down with my boyfriends 9 year old, only to come back and find that the hotel was now in an audit and we had to wait until it was done before we could do anything. We waited and waited, with no luck. Ended up packing our stuff back up in the car and my family napped in the car while I waited in the lobby, wet, until 7:30 AM when the maintenance man got in our room. We went back to the same room again, tired and miserable, to pass out. Still no keys. We barely made it through the door and we were all dying to get some sleep. I had just barely fallen asleep and maintenance started banging on the door at 8:15. He had a key that worked in our door, and I thought he was bringing us a key, but they were just checking the lock on the door to make sure the batteries weren't dead. At 10:00 AM, the front desk was calling to ask my name because they had no record of us being there. If you didn't know we were here, then why would you call this room? Slightly confusing, but whatever. After I hung up the phone, the full charge went through on my credit card. There was no way I was going to be charged for my family sleeping on the hallway floor. We then tried to make the best of the day we had after 2 hours of sleep. We gladly checked out Sunday. The next day, the manager Stacy, called me and said that she heard about what happened and is issuing me a full refund in 3 to 5 days. It's now been 3 weeks and I have yet to receive that refund, and I called my bank to make sure it wasn't pending as well. I've tried to call back several times and my calls go unanswered and my voicemails do not get returned. I also intend to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau as well. As for the hotel, it's outdated. Outlets don't work, it needs a major cosmetic upgrade, the arcade needs an upgrade and has a burning smell in it, very minimal parking which they charge you 10 dollars for, they charge you a 200 deposit as well that I didn't know about until after I made the reservation and saw it on my confirmation email, housekeepers vape in the elevators, the furniture is very cheap and...