Star Island Resort & Club — Hotel in Kissimmee

We stayed here 6 years ago and the place and service was wonderful. Now it is a dump inside and outside. I would not recommend this place to anyone not even a homeless person. The customer service is the absolute worst and they are extremely unprofessional. I checked in on June 6 around 1:30. We were checked into room 2256. We knew from the outside of the building this was not the same place we had stayed at 6 years ago. The outside looked like a cheap Motel 6 and trust me when I say the inside looked like it had never been cleaned at all. There was HAIR everywhere. I immediately called the front desk and told them of my findings. I was told they would send the housekeeping manager up right away. As I looked further around this dump of a room. I found hair on top of the sheets, in the sink, underneath the sheets, on the sofa, on the bed skirt, on the couch, the sofa, the comforter. EVERYWHERE. It was a dead bug on the comforter, I looked in the dresser drawer and found 5 used Q Tips and hair everywhere. I repeatedly called the front desk and told them I wanted another room. I was told only after the head housekeeper looked at the room and she say the room was not up to standard, she would let the front desk know that I needed a new room. I could be moved to another room in the same unit on the 3rd floor. I called the front desk again and again, I kept telling them the housekeeper hadn't shown up by then it was over an hour. The front desk operator sounded shocked when I asked where was the housekeeper. She said she has not shown up yet, I kept telling her no. No one has. After over an hour and a half we finally loaded our vehicle and went back to the front desk. I spoke with Antonio a supervisor and I told him I wanted my money back due to the condition of the room and the housekeeper never showing up. Antonio was shocked and even said it was unacceptable as he was writing down my many complaints. Another woman behind the desk went to and open door and I guess she told another manager to call security. I told them I wanted my money back immediately because of the complete unprofessionalism and the condition of the room. We were going to find another place to stay. We had driven 12 hours. I was told I would get a refund but I would lose my one-night deposit because I did not give 24-hour cancellation notice. I kept asking how could I give 24-hour notice when we had just checked into this filthy room. The room was witnessed by my husband our daughter granddaughter and son-in-law as well. I asked to speak to another manager and was told he was in a meeting he was off duty at 5 that day. I left my name and number and asked to have him call me as soon as he got back. I also told the man who was wasting my time to give me something in writing showing I was getting a refund. He printed and gave me a paper showing me my refunded amount minus the one-night deposit. I asked for the corporate number and address because I was going to escalate this matter. Of course I was told there was no corporate information. I was given a piece of paper with the front desk and general manager names and email addresses. The only way I could reach anyone higher was through them. I called back before 5 to reach Guillermo Arroyo, front desk manager. I updated him on everything and told him I wanted my one-night deposit refunded. Guillermo told me he heard I was at the front desk screaming and I was not getting my one-night deposit back because I was allowed to check in early, I declined another room. I asked him the same thing how could I decline another room when the housekeeper never showed up and we had waited over 90 minutes by then. I was never given the opportunity to see the other room because the housekeeping manager never showed up. He sounded shocked over the phone when I told him the housekeeper never showed up. Then Guillermo continued making excuses. I let Guillermo know my husband daughter granddaughter and son-in-law all witnessed the filth in room 2256. Either a dog had shed its hair or someone had just blow...

I want to preface this review by saying the four stars is based on the fact that we paid around $100 per night, including resort fees. That's a steal! This is very likely the best deal going in all of Florida at the moment, minus some 1 or 2 star motels that you wouldn't want to find yourself staying in.

If the price were $200+ per night for this resort and in the room we had in building 11, I would have rated it a three (see why below). However, I'm a strong believer in you get what you pay for, So I think four stars is fair for the the good things you will find here (see more below).

First, a description of the property: as you drive up you know you're in a very nice place because you have to pass a security guard who has your name listed under your reservation. That makes me feel safe 🙂. You also see a big lake with a fountain and a golf driving range and then a lovely fountain inside a circle where you drive up to check in.

Our check in experience was fine. The folks working the desk were neither excellent nor poor - they were efficient but not welcoming as you would expect.

We were excited to see that beyond the check-in counter where doors that led to an awesome pool/ bar/ whirlpool/entertainment area. It was more than we expected, especially considering the price we paid. We were actually a little bit nervous because of how low the price was, so we were pretty excited about the lovely pool area. There is a deli/ convenience store in the pool area as well. Food was very good.

Our room was in a building (11) fairly close to the check-in area and it was a little outdated, but extremely clean and functional. We were very happy with it! We had the mini suite and we had two stovetop burners, a dishwasher, a small sink, and a decent size little refrigerator, along with a very long nice counter top with drawers underneath and cabinets above. Across from the counter was a full-sized couch and there were also two dining chairs with a small table where we ate. There was a coffee pot and toaster as well as a microwave over the sink. There was a Whirlpool tub in the bathroom and it was delightful , although you need to turn it on with a dial that is across the room , which I did not know before I got in lol. All in all... Very good!

Pros:  The price was low due to the special they were running at the time.  Live entertainment every night and every day at the pool.  Bar at the pool. The convenience store with grill was great.  There is an awesome lake with tons of wildlife, mostly fowl, at the edge of the property.  The place was very clean all around.  Many activities to take advantage of and they were not charging silly fees for things that should be free. All you had to do was show your bracelet and you were given balls and tennis rackets and so on.  One of the pools was very nice and warm and the other one was nice and cool for those getting exercise. The whirlpools were beautiful and nicely kept. The lounge chairs were clean and were plentiful. The towels and their system for handing them out were great.  The fitness room was quite well done.  The arcade was well appointed. The bingo was a cash bingo which I understand is hard to find. The jackpots ranged from 170 to $350 per game while we were there. They played several games so you had a good chance of winning. You pay $1 per board per game.  They ran a buy one get one drink special during bingo everyday. The live entertainment was very good. They also had live entertainment in the form of karaoke a few nights of the week instead of the one-man bands we saw. A lot of people come here seasonally so you can get to know people year after year if you are a frequent visitor.

Cons:  We extended our stay and apparently their system is antiquated (their words), so we had to book it in two additional reservations and then we had to come down on the mornings the new reservation started to check in all over again. They were able to keep us in the same room though, but I had trouble with one of the staff at the counter when I asked if we could get...

For fairness, I'll start with the positives: Check-in was probably the quickest/easiest I've ever experienced. It was straight through, no BS , and no presentation hassle. This could be because I'm a Wyndham owner already, but they usually still ask me to go to a presentation or a "review". There were ample towels in the unit, but really only because it was a 2-bedroom with 3 separate bathing options. This is a good thing since they CHARGE for towel exchange (WTF!). When I called for more supplies, it took a while, but they sent more than I expected. Now for the bad.... For starters, the unit was not as advertised. It was supposed to have a garden jacuzzi tub in the main bedroom, but instead it had a non-jetted soaking tub. This wouldn't have been quite so bad, but it was facing the wall, so you couldn't even soak while watching TV. The "jetted tub" that makes the advertisement technically true was too small to enjoy comfortably, as it was just a standard sized tub, only narrower due to the jetting mechanisms taking up space. I tried it once, but my knees were pressing against the sides and the jets were blasting into just one small area of my legs/hips like a pressure washer, and was actually painful instead of helpful. I couldn't stay in more than about 10 minutes. This was a big disappointment because I was there to do some mountain biking, and was really looking forward to the jacuzzi to help with recovery. But the biggest issue with the unit was that the dishes were not clean at all. And I'm not talking about water spots or smudges or common things like that... there was grease and cooked food bits in the frying pan, like someone made bacon just a few hours prior and stuck it back in the cabinet. And there was food chunks on several other dishes as well. Not only were the dishes not cleaned, but this also proves that the room wasn't inspected properly. Moving on... 3 days in a row, the extremely loud and ear-damaging fire alarm went off for no reason at all, and we had to evacuate for about 20 minutes until the F.D. came to shut it off and say there was no fire. This seems to be an ongoing issue because there are other TripAdvisor reviews that mention the same thing. So this has been happening for a while in this particular building, and the problem hasn't been fixed and the rooms are still being rented out. Clearly money is more important than hospitality. Another day the water was turned off for 4 hours as well. I plugged the coffee maker into the nearest outlet from where they left it on the counter, and it didn't work. I went to unplug it to try a different one, and the entire outlet started pulling out from the wall. MIGHT be why it didn't work! I didn't go to the pool at all. My building was at least 3/4 mile away, and there didn't seem to be any designated parking for the pool. The only spaces I saw were a few handicap spots, and parking for their fleet of golf carts. I guess I was expected to walk the 3/4 mile in the heat. No thanks. I don't smoke or vape, but I really disagree with their policy preventing the activity on the balconies, and charging a hefty fine if you're caught doing it, citing an "excess cleaning fee". Last I checked vaping doesn't leave a mess, and ashtrays can be put in a dishwasher. Leave people to their freedoms! They have designated smoking areas around the grounds so you can go stand out in the heat to partake. The balconies were nothing special anyway. My view (if I could have seen through the thick trees) would have been of a swampy looking lake. And there's no separation or privacy from the neighbors. If they're on their balcony at the same time as you, you're basically sitting right next to them. You get more space in some restaurants. This was my worst experience with Wyndham by far! There are too many other options in the Orlando area. Definitely will not be returning to...