Storey Lake Resort — Hotel in Kissimmee

I stayed at a condo Airbnb at Storey Lake Resort hosted by Concierge - DecoNova Vacation in September 2024. I do want to disclose that I received a partial refund; however, due to the response by the host company and their emergency contact, I feel I should share my experience. They continue on Airbnb to make it seem like the issue was minimal compared to the severity of the issues.

Upon arrival, the unit was decent, clean and appeared as pictured although slightly smaller than we thought. We were visiting the Disney parks so we weren't planning to be there a lot of the time.

On the 3rd night, we were awoken by the fire alarms going off. After stumbling out of bed, I did not see smoke or any fire. We tried to contact the management company, which didn't answer understandably as it was the middle of the night. There was an emergency contact number so I tried that number. I called 4x before I received a text in response in which I was asked if it was an emergency. I responded that it was an emergency. Still, they couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone and call me back, check on us or offer any support. After I explained the issue, the emergency contact brushed off our concern and said it’s likely the batteries and to remove them. I sent a video of the alarms going off and then I explained that we couldn’t reach them as they were on the ceiling, we were told to climb up on a chair to reach them, which is a safety hazard.

At this point, we contacted the local emergency services and the fire department was dispatched. At the direction of the dispatcher, we vacated the unit for our safety. Once the FD arrived, they went into the unit and took down the alarms. The first one that they took down, dumped water from it so if we had followed the emergency contact’s directions, we could have been electrocuted. The FD then walked through with a device that showed there was water damage in the ceiling and wall and determined that half of the alarms had been short circuited due to water. The FD couldn’t tell if the leak was from this unit or the unit above. The FD also advised that they had been called out numerous times for the building we were in and another so there were known issues with some of these units.

So we advised the emergency contact that it was no longer safe for us to stay in the unit. We didn’t receive a response for 3.5 hours after advising this. When they finally responded, they said they could “move us to another property if need be”. At that point, we’d already paid out of pocket for alternative accommodations at a hereby hotel. We had an infant with us and were unsure if we’d be able to use the water in the unit at all for fear of starting an electrical fire and we still had an additional night stay of our trip.

The lack of concern for our well being or any support from the emergency contact was very upsetting. They did not even ask if we were ok throughout the entire ordeal. I understand that things happen that are out of their control, however, if they'd have had a shred of empathy or provided the slightest bit of assistance, we would have felt differently and this experience could be still be pleasant. By the time they'd reached back out, I’d already contacted Airbnb support who were much more helpful and I appreciated their assistance. I will not stay at a property managed by this company again and I would advise others to steer clear of some of the condos at this resort...

To start off we come to Florida every year. This year we decided it’s time to look for something to buy. We saw Story Lake Resort and decided to stay there see if we like it before we commit and buy. I’m so glad we did. This is the worst place to stay period. Getting into this place is a nightmare. They give you a slip with a barcode on it for gate access. There scanners don’t work and you will sit there for hours while an employee watches you struggle instead of hitting the button and open the gate. The traffic backs up to the road and there is no organization at the main gate. But you have to use that gate because the gate in the back only has the scanner and no employees. You hit the call button and they don’t answer. This is an every day event and we are in a slow season. Now to the lazy river complex. The lady that works there makes you sign in and PROVE Residency. Ok I understand once is ok but not every day for the entire 2 weeks. Extremely rude. So make sure you have your paperwork with you. There are only 2 pools that we can find and no map of the place. There is allegedly a third one you must drive to however with no map l we were unable to locate. One of the pools (brand new in the project/low income side, if you stay here you will agree), has no hot tub. They claim this is resort living but no hot tub, in a brand new pool build in Florida. Seems like a basic over site or lack of care. So no one uses that pool. The condo building itself is Dirty. Not to be confused with the unit we are staying in this is only for the Story Lake complex/management. Would it kill them to take a broom or mop to the common areas. Maybe add some shrubs. Two weeks we were here and not once did any employees come by to clean common areas. There is very little outside lighting on the property if you wish to stroll around after dark bring a flashlight. The walk from the new (project side) to the lazy river complex is a hike. You need to cross 3 falling apart wooden bridges with boards rotting out on all sides. I heard a father and son mention how they have gotten even worse than last year. Easy lawsuit waiting to happen. This apparently is an ongoing issue and deferred maintenance/ safety is not a priority/ concern . In conclusion, You could not pay me to stay here again. You’re much better off staying at a real resort like Westgate, Sheraton, Diamond property, ect. The difference I noticed at a real resort vs here is the kindness of the employees who should always greet with a smile and not make you feel like you’re not ann inconvenience. The cleanliness. And most importantly the value of your time. We are away for a set period of time and to keep people stuck in a line for an hour and then tell me it’s not your fault. Well if it takes me longer to pull in the “resort” than to drive to the amusement parks it’s a problem. This place is not about customer service. It’s a cash grab. This place is not a resort. It’s low income housing they sprinkled a lazy river on. Please keep that in mind when you spend your family...

We stayed at Storey Lake Hideaway Club in one of the condos which we rented through Airbnb. This gated community is very large with a lot of units very close together. As far as I can tell, each unit's amenities and niceness are dependent on the condo owner. The place where we stayed was clean but also very basic and had one of the smaller and unheated pools.

The Storey Lake community itself has nice sidewalks and boardwalks you can take walks including a park area for kids to play. The community is also very clean and has a club pool which consists of a very warm heated pool, a lazy river, a splash pad, and two water slides. It also has dry activities in this area that consist of a basketball court, volleyball court, and miniature golf. You are also not allowed to bring in your own flotation devices for the lazy river, and there aren't nearly enough tubes for the number of people using it. They also have cabanas you can rent for 4 hours or all day. The prices of the cabanas are dependent on the quantity of time and the day of the week. We rented twice and the cabanas were very nice to have especially to help with the very hot sun.

In addition, the club pool area also has mocktails, cocktails, water, soda, ice cream, chips, and some food available for sale. These items for sale are good but very overpriced. I purchased a hotdog with fries that cost more than a hotdog/fries at Disney World. You are not allowed to bring in your own food or drink unless the drink is formula or water. The bar/food area was very understaffed although there were plenty of employees who were standing around not working, which made for extremely long lines/waits.

The Storey Lake Hideaway Club is also nicely centrally located. It's a short drive to the Disney parks and Disney Springs. It was less than an hour's drive to Universal Studios. It's also very close to a plethora of shopping, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

Overall, we were happy with our stay at the Storey Lake Hideaway Club and would...