Best Western Premier The Tides — Hotel in Orange Beach

**I'm changing my review from 1 star to 5. This says alot about a company being able to change a 1 star review into a 5. Michael, the manager, went above & beyond for our team. He made an adorable sign for the girls to sign with their photo on it & even ordered us cake to celebrate our National win! I retract my statement about it not being team friendly. I think that one employee made a mistake that she probably won't do again & Michael definitely made up for it! He deserves an award! Haha. Thank you Michael for going the extra mile for our girls... our team will never forget your kindness. ** I'm changing my rating from 1 star to 4 stars. The manager came and apologized to me and the guy who helped fix our room checked in on me. I really appreciated that. Also the fact that the owner, or whoever responded to this review, actually responded and followed up with staff in such a fast manner- that is impressive in itself. It says alot about a business the way they respond to a complaint & I appreciated the follow through. The other parts of this hotel have been great. The breakfast is AMAZING & the staff are lovely. The pool is a bit small for the price but does the job. The rooms are VERY clean and that is extremely important - so we are happy with that. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars was for a few reasons. 6 or so of our girls ordered virgin frozen drinks last night at 8:50 & the bartender told them the bar was closed. Then I sat and watched him serve drinks for at least another hour. I even went up myself to get one, to confirm. So I am not sure why he would do that...maybe he felt they wouldn't tip? Which they always do. And that's 6 paid frozen drinks the hotel is missing out on. Maybe he just didn't want to dirty the blender at that time? I dont know, but that was disappointing to see. The other thing is about the company that is selling beach chairs on the beach directly in front of this hotel. The line their chairs up on the ENTIRE beach front. So if you brought your own chairs, dont plan on sitting beach front. You will have large umbrella blocking you. Each hotel on both sides at least leaves room for guests to set up in between. If I owned this hotel, I would have them only set up on half the beach front, and then stagger the chairs into rows. So the whole beach isn't obstructed. Ill try to attach a picture. In all, this hotel is definitely worth a stay & I would probably return due to the service.

1 out of 5 STARS: -If you are coming as part of a large group or for a tournament- I'd go elsewhere at this point. We are on day 1 here & we have 7 to go. Since arriving we checked out our room- I always do a once over before getting things set up- and our mini fridge smell awful- so bad I didn't feel comfortable putting anything in it. No problem though- I reported it to the front desk and Miguel called a guy to come fix it. And he brought us up a new fridge. No worries. Then my son went to plug in his phone.... and all the plugs on the dresser between the beds didnt work. So I went back to the front desk and let a girl know - Robin. She called the same guy & he came to replace the plugs. That guy was very nice. Meanwhile, I had asked Miguel if we could switch rooms to a king room- same view. He got his manager, Michael Davis. Michael strangely asked me why I'd want a king room when I have a husband and 2 kids. And how old are my kids then. I didnt really feel thats an appropriate question. But I let it go. Then I was heading out past the pool heading in the elevator when I overheard the front desk talking. It was Robin complaining to her manager Michael about how these groups shouldn't be complaining- we are already getting free breakfast so we shouldn't need anything else. I immediately went over and asked for their names. Bad talking guest and large groups was very disappointing to hear. Especially in front of other guests. They clearly dont appreciate us being here. This hasn't been the best experience- we will see how the rest goes. I will update this if it...

3 Stars – Excellent Staff and Clean Facilities, But Not the Beach View We Paid For

We recently stayed here and paid over $350 for our room, expecting a premium beachfront experience. While the hotel does have a clean, inviting atmosphere and a truly wonderful staff, several things fell short of the expectations that come with that price tag.

We specifically requested and paid for a beach view, but our room overlooked a construction site and a busy roadway. The ocean was technically visible, but the view was mostly obstructed—hardly the tranquil beachfront balcony experience we anticipated. If beach views are being advertised, there should be more transparency about what guests will actually see.

Despite the disappointment with the view, the hotel did have some notable strengths. Kara at the front desk was exceptionally professional and welcoming. She went out of her way to assist us with arranging a car share ride and provided helpful information about the area. Her kindness and attentiveness left a lasting positive impression and truly reflected well on the hotel. Any hotel would be lucky to have someone like Kara representing their brand—she embodies professionalism, warmth, and genuine care for guests. I’ve checked into many hotels, and Kara was by far the most helpful, attentive, and knowledgeable receptionist I’ve encountered. She’s the first face guests see, and she sets the tone with professionalism and warmth. Any company would be fortunate to have her on their team. She absolutely deserves a raise for the way she goes above and beyond! Maintenance responded quickly when we noticed the mini-fridge wasn’t working, and the housekeeping staff was genuinely kind and attentive—they went above and beyond and deserve special recognition for their service. The room itself was very clean, and we appreciated that the hotel offered military discounts.

The pool area had a nice layout, with plenty of shaded seating, and the hot tub was a relaxing touch. However, it’s definitely in need of an upgrade. The water appeared clean, but the cracked and heavily discolored surface around the edges gave it a neglected, outdated appearance—not what you’d expect at this price point. A resurfacing would make a big difference.

Additional amenities like on-site washers and dryers, a coffee and water station in the lobby, and even a bike rack in the garage were thoughtful and convenient for travelers. Breakfast is available, but at $14.95 per guest, it really should have been included in the room rate—especially considering what we paid. It felt like another example where the cost didn’t quite match the value.

All in all, this hotel has potential. It’s modern, clean, and supported by a great staff, but the misleading room description, aging amenities, and unexpected extra charges made it feel like we paid for more than...

Our two-night stay was mostly ruined by a malfunctioning fire alarm system. When we first arrived, the seven-story building had only one working elevator. We waited about five minutes to take an elevator to reach the fourth floor lobby. Elevator trips to the garage and to our room with luggage had similar wait times. Staff suggested we use the stairs for faster trips (we were on the fifth floor). Around 9pm, we were in our room when suddenly, our hotel room door was opened by another guest. After going to the lobby, we found out they were checked into a totally different room number (501) but were inexplicably given our room number (515) and access to our room. When we returned to our room, our keycards no longer worked so we had to wait yet again for the one working elevator to take us back to the lobby to get new keycards.

Around 1:30am, the fire alarms went off. They were activated for more than an hour. The reason? The fire alarm panel itself was malfunctioning, and they were unable to disable it. The system would turn off briefly and then start sounding again, over and over again. The temperature in the middle of the night outside was in the low 60s with a strong wind, making it especially unpleasant to be outside. There was no fire. There was no smoke. There was no emergency. It was equipment malfunction.

The fire alarms were finally shut off by disconnecting the entire fire panel, disabling the system for the entire building. A staff member remarked that the hotel was now under “old school fire watch.” The system remained offline for the rest of the night and much of the next day.

After the extreme disturbance, we were not able to sleep very well and were completely exhausted the next day. My wife also developed a migraine from the ear-piercing alarm and lack of sleep. That meant our next day was also ruined. We spent about three hours at the beach before returning to the hotel room, completely exhausted. We finally went to bed early and woke up the next morning to rain and storms. The malfunctioning fire alarm basically ruined our whole trip.

The compensation offered by the hotel for the fire alarm malfunctioning? Absolutely nothing. No refund. No free night. No reward points. They wouldn't even waive parking charges. Despite being faulty equipment in the hotel (and not the fault of a guest or actual fire), the hotel demonstrated it did not care about the inconvenience of its guests. When I remarked about how inconvenienced we were, the manager said, “You and everyone else.” In another review, the General Manager said she "can only be thankful that the alarm sounded." That's great when there is an actual emergency. When the fire alarm panel is malfunctioning to the point that it can't even be reset and must be completely disconnected for almost an entire day, that is...