DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando - Disney Springs Area — Hotel in Lake Buena Vista

Deeply Disappointed and Traumatically Mistreated by Hotel Staff – A Plea for Action

When I first arrived at this hotel, I was genuinely impressed. George at the front desk was professional, and made me feel truly welcome. The hotel itself is beautiful, comfortable, and the rooms are excellent clean, spacious, and thoughtfully designed. I was excited about my stay and felt I had made a great choice.

As a Hilton Gold Member, this one initially stood out in a very positive way. Unfortunately, that experience was completely overshadowed by what happened next.

I was told I could check in at any time, so that night, I left the person traveling with me at the hotel while I stepped out briefly for dinner. Out of nowhere, I received a call from a receptionist named Malisa her tone was shockingly rude and aggressive. She told me my guest couldn’t stay there, and when I explained I had given her permission and asked if there was a way to sort things out, she refused to help.

I asked to speak to the manager. Instead of connecting me, she told me to add the person through the app. I asked for guidance, and she simply said, “You’ll see the option there.” I asked her to wait a moment, and she hung up on me.

Shaken by her behavior, I immediately reported her through the app. About 10 minutes later, she called me again saying nothing had come through. I calmly told her that I had reported her for her terrible behavior including the fact that she had hung up on me and instead of acknowledging or apologizing, she hung up on me again

At that point, I had to leave my dinner and rush back to the hotel because this disrespectful and incompetent woman was refusing to resolve a simple situation. When I arrived, I asked her why she had hung up on me, and she responded with more attitude and hostility. I told her I was recording her, and she became unhinged shouting that I couldn’t do that. Knowing my rights, I told her I could. She ran and hid behind a wall.

I told her I would call the police. She screamed back at me, “Please do!” as if daring me to take action. So I did.

She then forced me out of the hotel like I was some sort of criminal. I stood outside waiting for the police to arrive, humiliated and angry. When they did, the officers sided with me. They saw the situation clearly and made her complete my check-in — past 2 a.m. while she continued to lie and deflect blame.

The following day, I spoke to the hotel manager, Zoe, who was absolutely wonderful. She apologized sincerely, took the situation seriously, and assured me that what happened was unacceptable and would be addressed. Her professionalism and empathy were a stark contrast to Malisa’s behavior.

But that’s not enough.

This isn’t just about a bad employee. This is about a violation of basic human dignity. No one — absolutely no one — deserves to be treated the way Malisa treated me. I was spoken to with disdain, dismissed, lied to, yelled at, and kicked out in the middle of the night over something that could have been handled with a calm, two-minute conversation.

I demand that Malisa be terminated immediately. She is a disgrace to your team and a liability to your guests. I also ask that this incident be escalated as high as possible — because what happened to me should never happen to anyone else.

A hotel of this quality — with such beautiful facilities, comfortable rooms, and professional staff like Zoe George and the other girls next morning— simply cannot afford to have someone like Malisa representing it. Her presence damages everything this hotel stands for.

To be clear: I would only consider returning to this hotel if Malisa is no longer employed there. The only reasons I would even consider coming back are the extraordinary service I received from Zoe, the manager. They represent the kind of care and professionalism every guest deserves.

I have the videos available if you need to see them. While I could share many more disastrous details, I kept things as direct and to the point as possible.

Please take this seriously, and...

My parents booked a trip to Orlando Florida to visit Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Universal Studios. This would have been a higher rating if we were able to visit the last two parks listed however we were unable to since we were kicked out two days early with no acceptable reason for why. My parents reserved the room and upgraded it to get it on the first floor so it would be less of a struggle for my elderly mother and veteran and handicapped father to get the pool for Sunday night through Friday morning, but kicked us out Wednesday morning. We made the reservation through AAA back in April, which is apparently frowned upon. We discovered that we were being kicked out Wednesday morning, on our way out before getting breakfast and heading to Epcot because my parents wanted to change the card our room bill was being charged to for the remainder of our stay, when the lady at the desk said that we either needed to leave or book another room and pay more money instead of helping to solve the problem. She claimed that on her computer our stay expired today, despite showing her both digital and printed confirmation receipts for nearly $900, which was supposed to cover 5 nights instead of 3, that’s a terrible rate for the type of hotel given the number of nights we actually stayed. She even stated that our receipts were typos and treated us like idiots for other guests to see. She did also say that she called her manager, and he was looking into it, but when we asked to speak with him directly, she said that he works from home. Which truly shows how much of a sloppy shop they run at this location, given every time we walk up to the desk the worker isn’t there they are sitting back in a room area behind the desk not taking care of their responsibilities. Makes it seem as if guests needs are below them. I would hate to assume that this was a racially motivated altercation, but given that she was a woman of color and how she treated us, it seemed highly likely. We then proceeded to pack up all of our things unexpectedly, because if we would’ve went about our day as we originally planned our things surely would’ve been thrown out. Once everything was packed, on our attempt to leave another member of staff was stalling us to try to get us to stay and pay for another reservation or wait for another member of staff to come in and handle it at 8, which after his stalling of us it was past 8 and this coworker never appeared. After about 40 minutes on the road into a 16-18 hour trip back to Ohio, we received a call saying that we were right after all and that our reservation was through Friday. Overall this was about 3 hours after we were first told that we needed to leave, we called back and said we wouldn’t be returning due to their showing of disrespectful tendencies to a handicapped veteran’s family and that we wanted a full refund on the nights we didn’t stay plus the two parks that we paid money for that we couldn’t go to due to DoubleTree’s stupidity. They then contacted us back and said that we will get a refund for the nights missed, but not the parks since we choose to leave, which is a continuation of their disrespectful behavior towards us by changing the terms of the situation in order to fit their narrative. I am extremely disappointed in my stay at this location because as well as missing out on the parks I really wanted to try to go to their gym facility that they advertise as apart of the hotel, rent a DVD from their kiosk, and me and my family really wanted to go swimming in the provided pool, but those opportunities were stolen from us as well. I, personally will never stay at another DoubleTree location ever again for the rest of my life due to this experience, as my first time in Florida the stay was a major disappointment. They stole roughly $1,350 from a veteran, multiple opportunities from my family, and a Disney World and Universal experience I dreamt about for my whole life. Due to character limit, I must end now, but...

We recently stayed at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando – Disney Springs Area while on a famil trip, and it turned out to be a fantastic base for families visiting Disney. There are so many little touches that make it work well for parents and kids.||What We Loved:| • Spacious Suites: Unlike many hotels around Orlando, these are true suites with a separate bedroom and living room. For a family of four, this layout is a game-changer – plenty of room to spread out, stash park bags, and still have space to relax.| • Location, Location, Location: Being right inside Disney grounds makes life so much easier. You can walk straight into Disney Springs for food, shopping and entertainment, or head the other way to Vineland Road (SR-535) where budget-friendly options like Denny’s, IHOP, Olive Garden and Miller’s Ale House are just a short stroll away.| • Disney Hotel Perks: Because it’s a Disney partner hotel, families get early entry to the parks. This is such a win – fewer crowds, shorter lines, and a little more breathing room before the parks get busy.| • Free Daily Bus Services: The hotel offers complimentary shuttle buses to and from all the Disney parks every day. Given how large Walt Disney World is, and how far some of the parks are from each other, this is a massive time and money saver for families. It also takes the stress out of driving and parking.| • Fresh Feel: The hotel went through a refurb in 2024, so the rooms and public spaces feel cleaner and brighter. The updated bathrooms and furniture make the stay more comfortable and modern.| • Breakfast Fun: The buffet was a highlight every morning – especially the omelette station and Mickey waffles, which became our family’s daily tradition. Staff were always smiling and made mornings feel cheerful and easy.| • Pool Time: After a long day in the parks, the pool was the perfect family escape. Kids could splash and play while parents lounged nearby, and the jacuzzi spa was just what tired legs needed after clocking up thousands of steps.| • Pricing & Value: Compared to other Disney Springs hotels, the rates here are extremely competitive. For the suite layout, Disney perks, and location, it’s possibly one of the best value-for-money options in the area.||What Could Be Better:| • HVAC Noise: An area for improvement is the in-room HVAC system. The unit is located in the master bedroom, and we experienced noise from the compressor kicking in throughout the night due to the thermostat settings. This disturbed sleep and could easily be fixed by offering an “always on” or “fan only” function to keep the airflow steady without the loud cycling.| • On-site Dinner Options: Breakfast was excellent, but the restaurant menu later in the day felt limited. Families who don’t want to venture out at night might wish there were more choices.| • Resort Fees: As an international traveller and travel agent, I’ve never been a fan of resort fees – they feel like a hidden charge. While the hotel is competitively priced, the overall value would be clearer if this fee was simply built into the nightly rate. This would make the “great value” aspect even stronger and more transparent for families booking from overseas.||Overall:|This hotel ticks so many boxes for families visiting Disney. Spacious suites, free shuttle buses, early park entry, competitive pricing, a pool kids love, and staff who make mornings fun all make it a really smart choice. Add the easy dining options at Disney Springs or along Vineland Road, and it’s a stress-free base for a Disney holiday. With just a little more variety in evening dining, a rethink of resort fees, and a tweak to the HVAC system, it would be...