Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando International Drive ICON Park — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

Embassy Suites I-Drive Review 060925, room 234||||I want to start by saying that this was a very last minute booking via the Hilton app. Had to go to Disney Springs to confirm some things, and the crowd sucked the energy I had left out of me. At that point the thought of driving several hours home did not appeal to me.||||This Embassy Suites has seen better days, (but Joshua at the front desk told me that they are about to undergo a major renovation of the entire property). I have stayed here a few times because of swim meets at the aquatic center, and I swear, this location is a time warp of sorts. I cannot wait to see what the changes will look like.||||So, made the booking via the Hilton app while walking back to my car at Disney Springs at around 10pm. Quite simple to do, however the app was not allowing me to do remote check-in. Sent a text via the app's chat feature, and Joshua explained how that was not available at this particular property. Soooo, into the lobby I walked and met with a very professional yet personable Joshua, yes, the same person who I was chatting with. He could tell I was tired, and check in could not have been easier.||||Took the elevator to the second floor simply because I did not know where the room was in relationship to the elevator. It was a distance, and I realized that if I had just cut through the cafe and took the flight of stairs by the indoor/outdoor swimming pool, my room was only a few doors down.||||The room smelled fine. Turned on all the lights, set the AC to my preference, and commenced creating the photos you see. Yes, they have screwed different types of light bulbs into the sockets and now provide visually confusing lighting.||||Yes, this room is VERY dated. Furniture is used and almost abused, and would be upset if I did not know that the property was about to undergo the major renovation soon. The only property that came close to having as scuffed up furniture was also part of the Hilton family of brands, the world’s largest DoubleTree, yes, the one down by SeaWorld. When the Hyatt Regency across from the convention center is too expensive, I like the DoubleTree by SeaWorld resort because it is just that, a resort. However, if you are not staying in the tower and placed in the "bungalows", you are treated like a 3rd world resident, complete with really nasty furniture, filthy carpet, and bathtubs that can’t be bleached enough.||||Back to the ES across from ICON Park. I knew I was only staying there for less than twelve hours, so I let a bunch of things slide.||||Both TVs accepted my FireStick via all the HDMI ports, however, the bedroom TV uses the electrical socket that is operated by the switch on the wall by the closet. It took me a while to troubleshoot why I couldn’t get it to work.||||The only downside to the bedroom was that the clock did not work. Yes, we all have our phones and the majority of us use them as our alarm clocks, but it is still nice having a clock to see the time.||||The furniture in the family room was as good as expected. I did not pull out the hide a bed.||||The bathroom was on the small side, and if you have the towel that you step on when getting out of the shower on the floor, the door will simply sweep it away since the door is nearly to the floor in length.||||As you can see in the photos, this property, like many Hilton family of brands, used the attached to the wall dispenser system. Yes, a car key will open the latch, which is why I never use the dispensers. I forgot to make a video of that.||||Slept great! The bed was comfy.||||Woke up, went downstairs to the buffet. OK, look, I know times are tough in the hospo industry, but there was nearly zero effort placed here. The breakfast buffet is one of the things that sets Embassy Suites apart from its competitors. This one, well, felt like they were doing the very bare minimum to retain branding rights. Literally scrambled eggs, sausage patties, potato fries, and an omelet station. That was the entire hot food selection.||||Yes, yes, there were bagels and assorted breads, grits/oatmeal (yes, I know they are hot as well), dry cereal, and some fresh fruit. But that’s it. No bacon, no sausage links, no cheese, nor cream cheese for the bagels. The employees blamed trucks not arriving yet. Breakfast started at 6:30am. I got there around 7ish. The omelet station had not been set up until 7:15. “A crash on I-4” was the excuse given when I asked if they were short an employee or two. A quick check of google, waze, and Apple maps did not show a wreck anywhere between ChampionsGate and Maitland Blvd. This was the ONLY time I encountered anything resembling a grouchy employee during my brief stay.||||The omelet was delicious, and since there wasn’t much other hot food, I ordered a second one. Yes, at home I have four eggs a day, every other day.||||I cannot wait until this property is renovated, and I’m sure the staff can’t wait as well.||||Again,...

Embassy Suites I-Drive Review 060925, room 234

I want to start by saying that this was a very last minute booking via the Hilton app. Had to go to Disney Springs to confirm some things, and the crowd sucked the energy I had left out of me. At that point the thought of driving several hours home did not appeal to me.

This Embassy Suites has seen better days, (but Joshua at the front desk told me that they are about to undergo a major renovation of the entire property). I have stayed here a few times because of swim meets at the aquatic center, and I swear, this location is a time warp of sorts. I cannot wait to see what the changes will look like.

So, on to the review, sorry, I often ramble, my readers at MarkLepow.substack.com don’t seem to mind, so, hopefully you won’t either.

So, made the booking via the Hilton app while walking back to my car at Disney Springs at around 10pm. Quite simple to do, however the app was not allowing me to do remote check-in. Sent a text via the app's chat feature, and Joshua explained how that was not available at this particular property. Soooo, into the lobby I walked and met with a very professional yet personable Joshua, yes, the same person who I was chatting with. He could tell I was tired, and check in could not have been easier.

Took the elevator to the second floor simply because I did not know where the room was in relationship to the elevator. It was a distance, and I realized that if I had just cut through the cafe and took the flight of stairs by the indoor/outdoor swimming pool, my room was only a few doors down.

The room smelled fine. Turned on all the lights, set the AC to my preference, and commenced creating the photos you see. Yes, they have screwed different types of light bulbs into the sockets and now provide visually confusing lighting.

Yes, this room is VERY dated. Furniture is used and almost abused, and would be upset if I did not know that the property was about to undergo the major renovation soon.

Back to the ES across from ICON Park. I knew I was only staying there for less than twelve hours, so I let a bunch of things slide.

Both TVs accepted my FireStick via all the HDMI ports, however, the bedroom TV uses the electrical socket that is operated by the switch on the wall by the closet. It took me a while to troubleshoot why I couldn’t get it to work.

The only downside to the bedroom was that the clock did not work. Yes, we all have our phones and the majority of us use them as our alarm clocks, but it is still nice having a clock to see the time.

The furniture in the family room was as good as expected. I did not pull out the hide a bed.

The bathroom was on the small side, and if you have the towel that you step on when getting out of the shower on the floor, the door will simply sweep it away since the door is nearly to the floor in length.

As you can see in the photos, this property, like many Hilton family of brands, used the attached to the wall dispenser system. Yes, a car key will open the latch, which is why I never use the dispensers. I forgot to make a video of that.

Slept great! The bed was comfy.

Woke up, went downstairs to the buffet. I realize times are tough in the hospo industry, but there was nearly zero effort placed here. Embassy Suites are known for their bufffets. This one, well, felt like they were doing the very bare minimum to retain branding. Scrambled eggs, sausage patties, potato fries, and an omelete station. That was the entire hot food selection.

Yes, yes, there were bagels & assorted breads, grits/oatmeal (yes, I know they are hot as well), dry cereal, and some fresh fruit. But that’s it. No bacon, no sausage links, no cheese, nor cream cheese for the bagels. The employees blamed trucks not arriving yet. Breakfast started at 6:30am. I got there around 7ish.

The omelet station was not set up until 7:15. the omelete was delicious, I was told the reason the station was let to open was "a crash on I-4". Waze, google, & Apple Maps did not show a crash for a 30 mile radius along I-4

Again,...

UPDATE: Sadly I will probably not stay at this particular location again. Such a disappointment with this property and the third party company, equally at fault in my opinion. We had 2 rooms booked for April 27th, and 1 room booked the night before. We woke up on the 27th to find out the person booked for our 2nd room was in the hospital. I called the third party company on how to cancel the room. They said they would ask for a cancelation, but it was up to the property if they are to accept. They also stated that if they couldn't accept the cancelation/ refund, that I could request to move the room reservation for another date this year. Great! We are in Orlando for travel all the time, and we always stay at this location. There would have been a $50 upcharge for the date I was thinking, and I would have GLADLY paid that. I went to guest services at the front desk and informed them of the conversation with the third party service and situation at hand. The young man at the front desk said he was able to cancel the reservation and the refund would be through the third party, taking up to 14 business days. I waited those days and finally reached out the third party service. They said they never heard anything back from this property. I said that I had email proof of the cancelation, but they said they had to hear from the property. I called this property multiple times and they kept giving the run around and how Zack, the front desk manager, wasnt there. After countless emails and calls, I FINALLY was told I lost the reservation and there was no refund, after being told that I was receiving one. If the front desk attendant would have told me no refund would be given, why would I have canceled the room? I could have just used the room that night for a getaway from my room with boyfriend and kid. There was no reason to cancel is what I'm getting to. I probably only helped this property open up another room for the night so they got double for the room. I feel lied to by the staff at the front desk, promising a refundable cancelation. If he was honest and said, "it's too late to cancel, no refund", I would have asked the third party service to request a reservation reschedule and happily paid the $50 upcharge to do so. Very disappointed to say the least. We have stayed at this hotel for years, 4 times alone this year. Recommending this property to anyone traveling with us.

This is always our go to when we visit Orlando for concerts and sports events. We went with friends this time and they loved the hotel as well. We arrived 2 hours before check in and were prepared to wait in the dining area/bar. Front desk was very friendly and said we could check in as the rooms were ready. I was able to take a two hour nap! We received tickets for complimentary happy hour drinks, and Joel always is a pleasure at the bar. There were veggies and chips & Salsa as well. Joel remembered our drinks and we just decided to stay at the hotel and drink there until our concert. Breakfast was great and so many options. We will be back in April! Thank...