AC Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

I thought I had put a review on Google but realized I’d only put one on TripAdvisor at the time- I just came across photos/video when clearing out my phone that I took when staying in this filthy room last December so decided to put this review out.

I arrived a little after 5pm for a night away on Dec. 23…the entrance to the hotel was not the easiest thing to get to but the lobby was pretty- there were 3 cars in the whole entire parking lot when I arrived and I was concerned the hotel was actually closed because it looked like a ghost town…there were several staff all standing at the desk with a completely empty lobby .

Made my way to my king room on the 5th floor. Was happy to see no carpet because I have a very bad dust and mildew/mold allergy. I did a cursory glance around and noticed what looked to be a water bottle/wet ring on the left bed-side table that hadnt been wiped off and there was a crack in the ceiling but the room appeared to be tidy so I dropped my suitcase and left to find some dinner.

I returned back to the hotel around 7pm. I sat on the sofa and watched a movie. Over the next 2 hours I went from slightly wheezing to having a full on allergy attack and was clearly reacting to something in the room. I looked at the supply and return a/c vents and both were absolutely filthy. I took a wet wipes and cleaned both of them off and turned the a/c off thinking that might help. I took a video as I ran a wet washcloth over one portion of the large counter/shelving unit that holds the fridge and makes up a good portion of one wall of the room and the cloth was coated with hair and dust- I couldnt imagine what the cloth would have looked like if I had wiped the whole area down. I then took several wet wipes and using my foot, ran them one at a time across the floor and each wipe came away disgustingly filthy. I finally figured out what triggered me- the insane dust and filth in the room.

My wheezing had not improved and I had started to get a really bad cough and eyes started itching and getting puffy so decided it would be best for me to leave. I let the front desk staff member know what had happened and that I could not stay in that room. It was approx 9pm so I had literally spent less than 2 hrs 15 min in the room. I had not used the bed, I used the toilet once and only sat on the sofa and watched part of a movie. The staff member did not offer me any other options so I asked if there was a manager I could speak with concerning not getting charged for the room and the crazy $18 parking fee because the room clearly was filthy and there was no way I could sleep in it. I also showed her the pictures/video of the filthy wipes/wash cloth and she could clearly hear me having trouble breathing and non-stop coughing and see my aggravated, swollen red eyes. She said the manager was not on property but that she would make a note in my account (I’m a Marriott member and have been for years) and that she would get back with me. She didn’t really say much at all and I didn’t get any kind of apology. I was exhausted from a long day, the 1.5 hr drive there and now I had to make an unexpected 1.5 hour drive back home.

We waited several hours the next day to see if the manager would call and nothing…so finally called the hotel. We were informed the manager was “busy”, they were aware of our situation and that they would definitely call back within a few hours. 7 days later and still nothing -no manager reached out to us to rectify the situation and refund us and clearly had no desire to rectify anything.We should not have been charged for a dirty room that I could not stay in or the $18 parking fee. There were only 8 cars in the entire parking lot when i left around 9:15pm. We contacted Marriott to lodge a formal complaint and ask for our money back and they said that only the manager of the hotel could handle that…ridiculous if the manager never even bothers to contact you back or rectify it so they basically charged us fully and no one even stayed in the room- unacceptable and we have not returned to a...

Unfortunately, we found that this particular hotel did not meet our expectations and we would not return for the following reasons. On the positive side: The check-in and check-out were quick and efficient. The mattress was comfortable, there were 4 pillows per queen sized bed. I would have liked firmer pillows, but these pillows did the job. The parking costs $18 plus tax per night, and it was very conveniently located within steps from the hotel entrance. We always found parking spots available. The parking lot area was also well lit after dark. Breakfast is served, but it is minimal. Cost is about $16.00. Other options in the area include IHOP and Denny's up the street. I do NOT recommend the Waffle House outside the hotel. If you are going to Disney, the hotel is located across from the Disney main gate entrance. We only went to Disney once, so this area was inconvenient for us to drive to other areas near I-Drive. We did not get a good impression of Lake Buena Vista. I thought it would be more upscale, but it resembled Kissimmee, which is not good. On the negative side: The main reason I have to give this a hotel a low score is the low quality housekeeping: There were few to no amenities provided. There were no bathrobes and no slippers. No clock or radio, no information on the hotel services, no magazines or tourist guides on restaurants or local attractions at all. No free newspapers. It was cold at night, and no blankets were provided. There was a tiny bottle of body cream and the 3 inch bar of soap. When we stayed at AC Marriott hotel in Spain, and that hotel provided more amenities such as a comb, shower cap, shoe shine kit, sewing kit, toothbrush, etc. The housekeeping staff did not replace anything over the course of our 7 day stay. I had to ask at the front desk for toilet paper, Kleenex tissues, soap bars, etc. See picture of empty tissue dispenser below. The housekeeping staff entered our room without knocking on one occasion. This should never happen. The housekeeping staff only made the bed and emptied the garbage cans. They did not change the sheets. The housekeeping staff have no idea how to properly make a bed. Please look at the pictures I took of the bed after we returned to our room and found the bed improperly and poorly made every day. This is shocking for a major hotel chain. They were either not instructed how to make a bed properly, or, in any case, there is no quality control or supervision of the housekeeping staff. They never washed or cleaned the floor even once. The same debris, lint, etc. that was on the floor when we left the room, was still there when we returned. See the picture below. When we arrived, there was a dirty glass in the fridge, that had a white substance at the bottom of the glass. Glasses were not washed or replaced. They left glasses where we left them when we left. If we left a dirty glass by the bed, it would still be there when we returned in the evening. See photo. Staff did not replace the last bits of bar soap we left in the shower with a new bar of soap. See photo below.

Management needs to improve the housekeeping by training staff better and exercise some supervision and quality control so that higher standards are maintained. They also need to be more generous with the amenities and toiletries and stop trying to save money by by not replacing toilet paper, tissues, and bars of soap. Management and ownership should show they care about customers by improving standards at this hotel. There are many other options in Orlando, and we would not stay again in this hotel. The overall experience was that of a 2 star hotel, so we were disappointed and would not return to the AC Hotel Orlando Lake...

I am a Bonvoy Gold elite member and seek to stay at a Marriott property if available on my travels.

There were a few issues regarding my recent AC Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista for a visit to Disney with family and friends.

#1 - We have a family friend with diabetes. Thus, when traveling, she needs to find proper refrigeration for her medicine for proper storage. Any common refrigerator will do. When asked at the front desk there was no protocol for this simple but important request. They were reluctant to execute the request. They suggested we wait to check in to use the room fridge. They suggested to leave it in the mini fridge in the mini store up front with no security and potential risk of theft. I do not have diabetes and it is clear neither of the front day staff does either. Their lack of problem solving and empathy for my family friend soured our first impression of this Marriott property.

#2- There was more confusion as we were using the friends and family rate. There was confusion of whether we had the associate rate or family and friends rate even though the forms were preprinted and verified to have the [x] marked next to the appropriate class. I literally said “I do not want to argue with you” and said to charge me whatever they think the correct rate is. There were three people now assisting our party to check us in because of the confusion of these two issues.

#3 - First time my gold elite status or any benefits were never mentioned. Usually they welcome you and thank you for being a loyal member and review any benefits we were eligible for that day. Nothing. Instead I felt I was an inconvenience to their day.

Other than those glaring, unexpected, and contrasting issues to my other Marriott stays - the property was clean and renovated. It was in a seedy area but I could tell the janitorial staff, housekeeping, and bar service was hard working and great.

Summary for management:

-Educate your day time front staff on common health needs for your clients including diabetes and proper storage of their life sustaining medicine while waiting for a room.

-Educate your day time front staff on how to recognize the different explore rates and limitations.

-Educate your day time front staff on how to appreciate loyal customers who feed your business.

I do not recommend this hotel to friends and family if visiting Orlando.

In response to your reply:

"we did offer to check you in early giving you the opportunity to store the medication in your room fridge and you declined that option."

I accepted that option when you failed to offer another appropriate solution in a timely manner.

"we asked if you were the employee and when you told us you were"

I am not the employee. I am sorry there were miscommunication issues during our check in and that is the point of "Educate your day time front staff on how to recognize the different explore rates and...