Holiday Inn Resort Fort Walton Beach by IHG — Hotel in Santa Rosa Island

My family and I spent a total of 11 days at this resort so we got to know the property and the staff very well! I will start with the good! The property itself is amazing. The pool is great, the location is great, the amenities were great! 5/5

The location (as stated above) can’t be ignored. There is SOOO much to do all around you, and if you’re willing to drive 15ish minutes, there is tons more! We did so much in the area and had a blast! Check out the water park down the road if you get the chance!

The pricing, for what you get is extremely fair! Food costs in the restaurant and gift shop were what you’d expect, BUT it’s nice that they offer free kids meals with each adult meal. Not a bad deal! Also, it’s an extra $16 or so (per person) if you want the breakfast buffet. I ate there MAYBE once the entire time I was there as I wasn’t very fond of the actual food choices. My kids didn’t seem to mind as much and the wife absolutely loved the chocolate croissants! (Seriously, they were great).

With all that being said, there is one huge flaw with this place… and that is the STAFF.

The front desk ladies were never nice, and I mean never. It was so bad that over my 11 days there, I actually bonded with other guests on the property about how much we all disliked the staff. Literally almost every guest I met, made comment about it. They treated everyone with such contempt. Sure they’d accommodate you with what ever you asked, but they did it in a way that let you know that you were a burden. It very much took away from my entire experience here. I got the occasion smile from one of the newer ladies that was in training(wish I got her name), but she was about the only one. Most the time they looked at you like you just walked in there house and they didn’t want you there. I even witnessed a guest have a shouting match with some of the staff back in the kitchen because they referred to her husband as “boy” in a disrespectful way.

I myself had an incident where my bathroom tub had a leak and somewhat flooded my room floor (and Into the dining room below). So the staff called me and informed me about the issue and let me know what I could change rooms tomorrow (as it was already late) so we didn’t have to stay in the room that had the issue. So I said thank you and that would be wonderful. So the next day I went down to the desk in order to get my new room.. and the staff treated me like I was trying to get a free upgrade out of the hotel. They were so rude and disrespectful.. it wasn’t until I got visibly upset that, and explained that I was TOLD to come down to get a new room, that they finally changed there tune and wanted to help. It was infuriating, and frankly embarrassing to be treated like that in front of everyone.

The one exception to the staff being bad, was JOE. Dude is awesome! He is the inside bartender and I can’t praise the guy enough. He was always a pleasure to talk to and had amazing service.

All in all I really did enjoy myself here, and so did my family. The staff did put a big damper on things but aside from that, this place is pretty awesome. Would definitely recommend.

In...

Every time I stay at this hotel, I feel quite satisfied in many aspects. But unfortunately at my first night this time I faced some inconvenience. The room I booked was different from the photo that shows the view-wise. Besides, surprisingly around 7:30 at the hall, the house keepers shouted and made noise, chatting with. As I arrived at very late night like 2a.m., (after shower and unpack almost 3a.m.) I did want get some sleep quietly until late morning. Waking up too early, I didn't feel good enough. When I made a complained about this to the staff at front desk named Tamoy, she didnt seem to try to solve issues I had but "making explaination" and even kept me standing and waiting. She looked unprofessional, which made me feel embarrassed and disappointed. That's when I felt I needed to move to another hotel from next time. However, the staff named Ms.Apple showed up! She was super professionally taking appropriate measures, doing her best for customer! In fact, it went above and beyond! Her genuine kindness and attentive considerations made my disappointment and uncomfortable feelings TOTALLY REVERSED in opposite way from the way Tamoy works. It's the very moment that solved all these problems like a magic. I got so impressed by her touching words and all the gestures and made decision not to move to another hotel but to stay another night here with happiness. She is such a GEM at this hotel, I assure I am so sure she is not only perfect for me but also professional and exceptional to every guest visiting here! That's why I ended up remembering her even last time visit thanks to her genuine and impressive hospitality. Her great attitude made my day and was enough to make this hotel deserve my regular visit so far and future coming again! Ms. Apple, thank you so much for your incomparable service mindset! It goes a looooong way and I came to highly recommend this hotel to my friends coming to Okaloosa, sharing this moving experiences. Thanks for holding my heart and also my friends to this hotel! ( The restaurant at the first level here still quite great for food and service of employees there and everything in hotel room was clean and...

I've been staying at several hotels on Okaloosa Island over the past 10 years (on business). The front desk receptionists on this stay easily made this the best stay.

Everyone I interacted with during this stay was professional and caring. One of the people that stood out was Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn checked me in upon arrival. After a long day of travel, Gwen genuinely made me feel welcome on the property. During check-in, Gwen looked up my old IHG account and informed me that it was no longer active. She mentioned the benefits of having an account and asked if I was interested. Gwen was very knowledgable on the IHG One Rewards program and was able to answer all of my questions. She convinced me to sign up for the program.

During my week-long stay, I was in the lobby area waiting for friends on several occasions. I noticed how Gwen and Kerry-Anne always greeted the guests coming back in with a genuine smile and asked if their stay was comfortable and if there was anything they needed. The guests always smiled back. This small gesture created a very welcoming atmosphere. I caught myself smiling just watching these interactions.

Even though I've been to this area quite a bit, I still like to get recommendations for food and places to go from the front desk. Gwen and Kerry-Anne made several recommendations for places to eat (all were delicious). It was also pleasant to have small conversations with them when they weren't busy (waiting in lobby).

The Housekeeping team was amazing as well. They would always ask if I needed anything whenever I would see them in the hallways. They were very attentive to my and other guests' needs.

The room was very clean and comfortable. Lighting was plenty. I would recommend maybe having a few more outlets to charge devices.

Again, the entire staff on this property was amazing, with the standouts being Gwen and Kerry-Anne. They deserve to be recognized by management. They are able to create a very welcoming atmosphere. I will definitely be asking my company to book my stay here again in the near future.

Thank you Gwen...