Residence Inn by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

We were here just for a one night stay in Orlando, to visit aquatica. I cannot stress enough how important it is to call your hotel that you are booking & before you check in to make sure that their services, restaurants, pools and everything are in working order and open for the time of your stay.

The hotel was in a very convenient location, right off of Darrell Carter parkway there are a ton of shopping and restaurant options within a reasonable walking distance if you aren't traveling with small children, Or a very quick Uber immediately around. The grounds were very well kept, and the exterior of the hotel looked pretty nice.

Check in was easy, the staff was super helpful and quick. There is a large convenience area right next to the check and desk with all types of snack foods and microwavable foods and the other various necessities that one might forget while they are traveling and need to purchase. That being said expect to pay a pretty decent premium on any of those items for the convenience of getting them right at the hotel. If you feel like a short walk there is a CVS around the corner with much better pricing and selection. A short Uber puts you at a Target around the corner as well.

The interior of the hotel feels dated, carpets are worn, stairwells are dirty, everything looks like it could use a cleaning. However they must be piping fragrance into the halls and main areas because it smells oddly like Disney's Beach club around the property. So it doesn't smell funky or musty in the main areas and the hallways.

The rooms are okay, we really love having a small kitchen in the room It just makes life easier, even on short stays. We were traveling with a couple of children, so we opted for a bedroom suite that essentially lets you have the adult sleep in the bedroom and the kids sleep on a pull out sofa but be separated by a door. The room smelled like someone had smoked in it recently, We were just there for one night so I didn't make any kind of deal out of it other than to let the hotel staff know that we were not smoking in the room but somebody may have before us. When you're traveling if you notice an odd smell in your room notify the staff immediately, I have had some shady hotels try to charge me a monumental cleaning fee for smoking in their rooms when it was not me. It just keeps honest people honest. The shower was fine, the drains worked fine, everything seemed clean, the bed was really comfortable and I was honestly surprised given that it wasn't a premium hotel or room, The AC worked fine. Other than the smoke smell no complaints about the room except for maybe that it was fairly dated. It looked like maybe the bathroom area had been recently renovated but that might have been it.

As for the amenities offered on site This is where our biggest complaint comes in: The pool closed at 9:00 (Friday nights) despite being advertised as being open til 11:00. We were caught off guard when staff approached us and asked us to vacate The pool since it was closing and the sun had barely just gone down. The pool bar & restaurant was closed, despite being advertised on the in-hotel TV channel as being open. The jets around the hot tub weren't working, and the water features into the pool also weren't working. The breakfast bar was good for a free hotel buffet breakfast, but the lines were long. If you're big into eating breakfast make sure you get down there early, I would say before 7:30 otherwise you're going to be waiting. It was standard breakfast fare, scrambled eggs sausage waffles bagels muffins toast cereal oatmeal juice and coffee. If you're looking for a really good breakfast in the vicinity, there's a First Watch restaurant right around the corner, that's excellent. We weren't in town long enough to try the restaurant on site, but it looked like it wasn't open.

All in all I thought the price for the room was a little steep considering most of the amenities either were closed or closed early. The staff was friendly, and efficient. We would...

For those who like short reviews here you go. The place is in a great location. Lots of food options nearby and not too far from Disney or Universal. Staff is friendly but the service is lack luster and the hotel itself needs a huge pick me up. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is due to it's location. We had the room with kitchen and separate sitting area which was good for our family of 4 because you didn't feel cramped. Plus the two TVs let the kids watch what they wanted on one while we still had the other for ourselves. As long as you're ok with dusty and dingy, then this is the place for you.

For those who want more details about my stay, keep on reading.

I had no issues with the staff; however, getting a hold of them was a different story. Before my stay, there was a chat feature that I tried several times and after waiting over 15 minutes each time, nobody ever connected. Calling the hotel was also difficult as there were times when the phone rang and nobody answered. This trend continued after I checked in because when attempting to reach the front desk, the phone would ring continuously without anyone answering. To be specific, it rang for several minutes and not just a couple of rings.

My second issue was that I booked a rate that included 20% off coupons daily for food and beverage, parking, and a late checkout of 1 p.m. When I checked in I reviewed this with the staff to ensure I wouldn't be charged anything extra, they actually questioned where I booked that rate. After telling them that I booked it through the Marriott site, and showed them the details of my reservation, they did honor it. However, to do so they had to mark the system as if I didn't have a car so they wouldn't charge parking and they had to make the adjustment for the late checkout as it wasn't already part of my reservation. When I asked about receiving the coupons, they were also unaware of what I was talking about and told me to just ask the staff about it when purchasing food and they should be able to apply the discount.

While I understand the hotel is listed as a 3-star hotel, I would assume cleanliness would still be at a "Marriott" level. The top of the microwave and refrigerator were covered in dust. The knobs for the cabinets were loose and the cabinets were all scratched up. There was what appeared to be dried-up gum on the rug. The rug was lifted going into the bedroom. Not to mention while we were there, the light from the bathroom stopped working and would turn on or off on its own. Then there was the AC that leaked and the carpet by the AC which was by one of the beds was completely soaked.

The timeliness of the requests could also be improved. When I reported the light and AC issue, I had to contact the front desk twice because an hour had passed and nobody had come to the room yet. When I got back to the hotel one day, I asked the front desk to have housekeeping send more towels to the room. Hours passed by and nobody came. We ended up scouting the halls and finding someone who gave us some more towels.

On the last day, after confirming several times about my late checkout, housekeeping still knocked on my door in the morning and asked if we were leaving. I had to tell them we were leaving at 1pm and they said they would come back.

Considering how the staff was unaware of my type of booking, slow to respond to requests, and difficult to get a hold of, I didn't attempt to resolve any of this with them to avoid any further frustration from my end. I will not be staying here again.

The only pros to the hotel is the room size we booked and its location. Having a separate room with kitchen and sitting area gave us more room for our family. With traffic you're just under 30 minutes from Universal Studios and about 20 minutes from Disney. Without traffic it goes down to about 15 each way. There are plenty of places to eat that are a short driving distance away. The highlight for me was the White Castle only a half mile...

Trip type: Vacation Travel Group: Family

Ratings: Cleanliness: 2 Rooms: 3 Service: 3 Location: 5

Positives: The property is huge and well-kept. Hotel was recently renovated. A great location that’s close to Disney, great restaurants and also not too far from Universal and I-4 and one of the better outlet malls. Front desk was friendly and understanding Beds were super comfy, some of the best I’ve ever slept in. Brand new gameroom in the lobby was a pleasant suprise Paying for parking using TPark was an easy process (even thought $26 a night is steep) Room rates were decent and not overpriced.

Negatives: Room was not ready for the requested 2pm early check in. Normal check-in time is 4 pm, but we didnt get a room until nearly 5 pm after having to leave and then return. Room booked was not room that was assigned, and front desk never even alerted us to the downgrade of the room. We booked a “Suite, Bedroom 1: 1 King, Bedroom 2(Loft): 2 Twin, Sofa bed”. We were given a “Studio, Bedroom 1: 1 King, Bedroom 2: 2 Twin, Sofa bed”, which is listed as a cheaper price on the Marriott website. After travelling since 4 am that morning with a child, we decided to just live with it. At the end of the trip the bill reflected the studio room so the price was less than expected. Room was missing simple kitchen items like dish towels, baking dish etc. (stuff you would normally find at Residence Inns) Upon check-in, there was a smell in the room, after a brief search we found dirty used socks on the upper rack under the bedding for the pull-out couch. The hotel is for extended stays, and usually families… but based on the new renovation, there were no dressers in the rooms and we had to use the limited closet space and one drawer night stands to store clothes. Walls are thin: We woke up to the sound of the family next door’s alarm at 5:30 and their dog barking for several mornings. Hallway noise is a major issue. The rooms are not soundproof proof so you could hear everything in the hallway, even people having normal level conversations sounded amplified and like they were next to you in your room. Laundry room not cleaned regularly. Both times I used the laundry room facilities at least one of the washers or dryers was filled with dirt or much or powder detergent. I went to use it the next afternoon and it still had the same mess… meaning no one from the staff cleaned it overnight or the next morning. Housekeeping only came to our room once during our 8-night stay despite the hotel policy saying every 2/3 days. I had to request new towels and toilet paper because of the lack of housekeeping. Also, for some reason the entire time we were there, housekeeping was still working until 7/8pm at night. Towards the end of the stay, there were workers in and out of the building and for 2 days, the door on the bottom floor leading to the parking lot was propped open all day using construction material. After those 2 days, the door no longer locked and anyone could enter the building without needing a room key to get in. This made the property feel less secure. Finally, as a Bonvoy Gold Elite member, I got none of the perks… not even an acknowledgment. There were no bonus points, or welcome gift.

Overall:

As someone who's been staying at Marriott's for the last 20 years... I wanted to love this hotel, I really did. But there were issues and the good outweighed the bad. We spend several weeks in Orlandao every year and wanted to try something different than Marriott Vacation Club since this was one of our shorter trips. Sadly, the experience at this hotel is not what we were hoping for. This hotel is a great location and has a lot...