Residence Inn by Marriott Orlando Lake Mary — Hotel in Lake Mary

Usually our stay at the Marriott is rewarding and relaxing but this trip was completely different. First off, the lead front desk agent that wears glasses and is a Caucasian male named Troy was very rude the entire stay. Whenever my children and I would come in and out of the lobby he never spoke unless we spoke to him first and he kept looking at us like "we don't belong." I have three teenage children and a 6 year old and they even said something about it. i told them don't worry just be nice and smile at him. Once inside the room we noticed the bathrooms hadn't been cleaned and a used washcloth was hanging over the shower rod like the maid either forget to grab it or simply did not clean it. The bathtub had a visible ring around it. Didn't want to seem problematic especially with the dirty looks from the front desk man "Troy". The room was in my uncles name and as a gift since we were in town visiting he and his family with my dad from Costa Rica so i didn't want to cause a bunch of drama so I cleaned the bathrooms. NO BIG DEAL! on Nov 24th I was told that long distance had been taken off the phone because of the $529 that had been charged to the room for calls. There is NOT ONE SIGN in the room that states long distance calls price per minute. Had I known this I WOULD HAVE NEVER USED THE PHONE!!!! I have been to many hotels outside of your chain and made long distance calls that were never charged to my bill. Also I've been to hotels that will forward you to the front desk and make you aware of the cost before continuing the call so the guests is aware or a simple sign in the room beside the phone. All your phone says is directions or HOW TO DIAL the numbers whether it was long distance toll free or local, etc etc. When I spoke to Troy about he was not sympathetic and he also didn't ask what he could do to help or offer to get a manager to see what could be done. He ADMITTED to me that he had the maid go up and check to see if there was anything that listed price and he admitted there was none. Long story short at the departure the manager Jamie Ross was upfront and I told him what happened with troy beside him and his mouth dropped when I told him Id been charger $529 for long distance phone calls. My father was very upset as well as my uncle. i don't even know when Ill see my father again being he resides in Costa Rica. Very very bad trip. Had a simple notification of hey we charge for long distance. Why would Troy not call the room and inform us before it got to out of hand. It was embarrassing and he was heartless when I was talking to him. A thanksgiving vacation turned family financial disaster. I'm appalled with the way your staff member handled this entire situation. My kids were hurt they saw my father and I arguing over money that was a misunderstanding on your company for not posting a simple price list in the room or by the PHONE! I am embarrassed and hurt that a beautiful vacation was tarnished over a simply advertisement issue your establishment failed to post a price per minute for calls. When I stay at other hotels the price for everything is listed by the phone and by the desk so you are well aware of what you will be charged if you use whatever. so much for happy holidays. I personally feel like Troy purposely left those charges on there because he wanted to make a racially gesture for us not to come back and it worked. My children and I we never greeted and stared at like we didn't belong and we ignored that but the phone issue seemed. intentional. How hard would it have been to remove the charges due to your establishments failure to post cost????? I would have known for future stays. Furthermore the calls were more expensive then the actually room itself. How would you feel if this were you? My mother died in march and my kids really needed this getaway especially to see their grandfather to have the entire trip conclude in arguing and...

PROS: The very nice woman who checked us in Friday, October 22. She was knowledgeable about the area and gave menus

PROS: Room was quiet. We never heard a neighbor or anyone in the hallways.

PROS: The insta-hot water system was amazing!!!

PROS: Did not have connecting door to next room.

PROS: Shower stall was easy to get in and out of......... but CON was that it was slippery and no tub mat was present.

PROS: Various seating areas.

CONS: The room was an odd layout. The bed was right by the open cut out to the sink/closet area. No way to use that area without waking up someone. There was a door to the toilet/shower. Room would be best for one person.

CONS: Bed was not as comfy as it could have been.

CONS: The room was not as clean as it should have been. We had to ask to have the wall washed off above the eating table b/c the wall had MANY gross food marks. Most of it was cleaned off. In general, the lightswitches and such need to be cleaned after every guest. Crumbs were visible in the desk chair cushion corners.

CONS: The bedding was not clean!! The top waffle sheet was clean, the sheets were clean, but the thicker comforter inbetween had visible black dirt on it, like dirty hands that pulled the comforter up guest after guest.

CONS: The 4 pillows were all the same--- exceedingly flat during use.

CONS: Some of the towels did not smell clean. Some smelled like dried cat pee.

CONS: Mystery cleaning schedule. We got the room cleaned on Saturday (probably b/c I stopped to ask if the wall could be cleaned). But did not get cleaning on Sunday. In the morning, I called to ask for just clean towels and trash emptied. That never happened. When we called back down in the late afternoon, we were told that we had to request room cleaning the night before. My husband took the dirty towels and the trash down himself. This was NOT made clear to us at any point in our stay. For the money, and for the Marriott brand, trash and fresh towels daily should be a minimum expectation.

CONS: There were not many seating areas by the pool. Basically a table with chairs and two sets of loungers with umbrellas. I would think it would be difficult for guests to have access to a place to sit if more than 3 couples were there.

CONS: VERY VERY VERY loud equipment (blower?) for at least 4 hours on Monday morning. Came from the parking lot below 410. We couldn't see anyone and the noise never moved left or right. What on earth was being done for 4 long loud...

This is the second time that I have stayed at this hotel for several weeks at a time. The staff interaction is always warm and pleasurable. No attitude with a single staff or cleaning person for six weeks total over two years. Check in is always easy and although I didn't completely understand my points award status, they kindly explained it to me without any attitude and spent the time to verify everything correctly. I left feeling appreciated and understood. I had called a month out and then a couple weeks out to verify my accommodations. The staff member maintained great communication and I felt confident that everything was in order. And it was. The room was always cleaned quickly and the maids are very nice. They also asked me if I needed anything when they saw me in the halls. The room had everything that I needed to cook my own daily meals once I had purchased my food supplies from the grocery store about 1/2 a mile away. There are also enough places to dine within five minutes of walking. The TV swivels from the bed to the dinning area to the living room area so that I was comfortable everywhere I sat when eating or doing work. The two tables/desks were enough to eat and do my paperwork with two laptops on the table. The internet was fast enough for watching my Netflix. I used the pool in January almost everyday. The Jacuzzi was always hot and the pool was warm and clean. Towels were always available except for one in three weeks, but a simple request resulted in towels being brought out in about two minutes. The pool is located where you have plenty of sun all day while a few palms allow you to find some shade if you need it. There is a nice bike and jogging path a minute walk away for 2.2 miles which was nice. The gym is small, but clean with a TV. Breakfast is always a clean and a well staffed area. Although I don't care for Turkey ham, there were enough basic other choices to eat anyway. Monday and Tuesday evening offers some food or snacks and they were great also. Great staff that quickly gets to know all guest and conversation with them is a pleasure. The older gentlemen and woman who maintains these meals keeps a good eye on making sure everything is right while always being a pleasure to have conversation with. I will plan on using this location again. This hotel was great for my needs. You may be able to find a fancier location, but the staff are...