Parkway International Resort — Hotel in Kissimmee

This used to be a lovely small quaint resort in the middle of a sea of high rises...they were working on updating the rooms a building at a time, but that has been delayed for a year or two. The older ones are dated but we're still clean and very spacious. Two bedrooms two bathrooms full kitchen living room with pull out sofa & screened lanai. If you are looking for luxurious accommadations this is not the place for you. If you like a spacious cozy resort where they all know your name then this is not the place you want to be anymore. There is no restaurant or bar on premises they say it's because of Covid, but that is just not true. The restaurant was closed long before Covid. The playground was being replaced when we were there last week. The sofa was peeling & just plain gross, the cushions were uneven and could barely be used. We covered with sheets and blankets because we didn't want to sit in it. The carpet was beyond dirty & there was no vacume cleaner in the unit anymore. The remote in the small bedroom had no batteries in it so we put in our own then it had to be programmed. My son laid down on the bed & the bed fell thru the frame & he landed on the floor. The kitchen was sparsely equipped. When I opened the refrigerator there was ice & water on the base of refrigerator and the drawers were full of water, I had to dump it out. After we went shopping we noticed that water was leaking from the top inside, maybe from the ice maker, not sure. There was rust around the seals. The water ruined quite a bit of food that was in there. The door to the Lanai would barely open there was something wrong with the hinges, master bedroom door also stuck badly. We walked down the nature path to get to the pool and came up to caution tape and could not get to the pool that way due to the replacement of the playground. So we went back and took the other (further) path & got to the pool & the gate was locked. I called the front desk from my cell phone & asked them to send someone to unlock the gate & they did. The security officer said that that the manager, Sarah W. Had decided that the pathway was unsafe. I responded to him that the walkway had been that way for the last 10 years, the only thing wrong with it this time is it had not been maintained, there were leaves, pine needles trash etc in it. It needed to be blown off, not a big deal. We noticed the next day that the gate was not locked and they had cleaned off the walkway. The pool was nice but very quiet, no music playing. In the past there was music by the pool and the Kenya kafe also played music, but we were told the music was "broken". Normally I would not go straight to review a resort without speaking to the manager. We went to the front desk & did ask to speak to the manager, we were told she was too busy to talk to us. So we asked for the other manager who was speaking to a contractor and while he looked at us & heard our request, just continued to do what he was doing & did not show any interest in speaking to us. So after waiting 20 minutes, we went back to the pool. No one called our room or attempted to contact us thru our entire stay. That is except for the sales Dept appointment maker that they call the concierge, Stephanie. She seemed pleasant but she flat out lied to us, using a horrible excuse that the only person who could do the owner update had an emergency & had to take his daughter to the hospital. She cancelled our update & did not try to reschedule, if you've been to these places with the "sales" pitches you know how aggressive they can be. So we went to our appointment on Tuesday at 1 & confirmed that we had been lied to. Then Carlos lied to us as well, said to call him the next day to confirm the update and when we did, that office was closed Wednesday and Thursday. We have owned here for 25 years we have never felt so dismissed. It used to be a really nice place where everyone knew your name and cared that you enjoyed your visit. Jose the front desk manager, Hunter the GM and before him...

First time staying here. The hotel is nice, and the staff members were all incredibly friendly and helpful, but this "resort" is in serious need of some updates and improvements. The atmosphere is that of a safari, which works outside and along the [unimpressive] nature trail, but the bamboo wallpaper and palm tree border inside the rooms just sort of screams 1995. The feel of the place is pretty comfortable and seems to be aspiring to greater heights, but it falls short in several areas--as if they were trying to make the best of an outdated and ill-suited facility with a facelift and some super sociable staffers. It actually kind of works though.

SOME POSITIVE Location is, perhaps, the best part of Parkway, especially if you're in town for WDW. It's conveniently located right off of Interstate 4, and is probably as close as you can get to the parks and not actually be on Disney property--about a 10 minute drive to Magic Kingdom. The size of the suite is commendable. 2 bedrooms: 1 king bed, 2 doubles, plus a pull out sofa in the living room. It felt spacious for a family of six, with plenty of room to cook, eat, or do whatever you need to do while on vacation. The kitchen is big enough and useful enough for a week's stay. There's a coffee pot, full sized oven/stove, toaster, washer/dryer, microwave, and full sized refrigerator. There's even an iron and ironing board. The pool, hot tub, and playground areas are very nice, and many of the rooms have a back door that opens up right into the swimming area. There's also a small, shallow pool for children that works well for non-swimmers. There are large, flat screen TVs in the bedrooms and living room. They work ok, but few channels are available and only the living room has a DVD player. The staff were very courteous and extremely helpful! The front desk people, the concierge, and even the maintenance folks were more than happy to assist and greet with a smile. "My pleasure" seemed to be their most common response for the week.

SOME NEGATIVE Ran out of hot water before the master bath giant-sized Jacuzzi tub filled up, so if you like lukewarm baths with grungy jets blowing out at you, this is perfect. There's a neat little checkers table in the living room, but no actual checker pieces to play the game. Decoration? Minimal supplies in the kitchen. There were 2 pans, 1 skillet, and just enough glasses and utensils to run out on the first day and have to run the dishwasher. This place is not stocked like a privately owned condo would be, more like a hotel with a small kitchenette. There were several parts of the room that were broken or looked worn out, grungy, or severely outdated. Shelving built into the wall of the bathroom was water damaged, warped, and just sort of gross. The closet doors didn't close or open well because the track screws were loose and in the way. The retro fitted bathroom fixtures look new and clean, but obviously were an after thought and don't physically fit the appliances. The TV in the master bedroom was too big for the armoire and was, therefore, always cocked to one side of the room. Power outlets in the bathroom didn't work, so you'll have to blow dry your hair in the bedroom.

None of these issues made a week's stay unbearable. I mean, you don't spend a lot of time in the condo anyway, right? But, there were definitely some things that were below expectation and needed some attention. Overall it's a clean place, in a great location with some notable amenities and a really...

MY REVIEW.... As a nearly 40 year old Puerto Rican woman with a African American partner along with two daughters I will say from the bottom of my heart the International Parkway Resort is the worst stay we ever experienced while staying in Orlando/Kississmee. My family reserved our stay a month ahead of time to celebrate my daughter’s birthday as both are in the month of September. We couldn’t wait because alittle getaway from home in Jacksonville, Florida is always worth it. Orlando is like our second home. We arrived to the resort that afternoon about 6pm on a Thursday checked in with the front office clerk by who I believe with the name of Jose. He wasn’t very welcoming or courteous, I wasn’t going to let that ruin my stay so I obeyed to keep from starting any problems, so I played it cool. Then he hits me with a surprise of a $200 security deposit. I was in shock because I wasn’t aware or informed, if so I would have prepared myself for it because the money I had was all planned for. So this cut out some events for my family BUT it was all good. A heads up would have been nice though. Once we finally made it to the room, two bedroom, kitchen, and living room which was okay looking. I went into my kids room to a nasty sour wet clothing smell, unsure if it was the carpet, the sheets, or whatever. The curtain was falling off the hook of the wall leaning, where they could close it all the way. Once again I didn’t let it bother us because I am a peace seeker and the workers seemed like they didn’t care about the guest and I didn’t want any problems. To add the tub water took 2hrs to fill up and the toilet took forever to flush, you had to hold it down for a good flush. Now to top it off, it’s located near a wooded tree forest area where you are welcomed to raccoons running around. The patio is over looking woods and raccoons. You can tell it had to be people who owned the resort such as timeshares because the crowd wasn’t diverse the entire resort if full of Caucasians, at least 65+ who look at people of color funny. (No I am NOT a racist, again I am a mix breed). Everyone watch you like they know everyone out there and recognize when someone comes out there who does not belong. They reported us for playing music on our speaker while at the pool which wasn’t too loud and they also has strict watch on you while at the 4 equipment gym. Plus, no breakfast or dining area. I will end by saying this… my family WILL NEVER stay there AGAIN!!!! This was the WORST stay ever and experience while EVER in ORLANDO/ KISSISSMEE! I will give this resort a -0 and the middle finger up. Sorry to end on a negative note. FYI This resort needs more diversity in workers and English speaking people who actually care for the guest and not just their owners!!!! I guess my money wasn’t good...