Jellystone Park™ Waller — Hotel in Waller

Overall, our stay was great because the kids had a good time with activities and hanging out with family. The campgrounds are pretty well kept, and there are daily activities for everyone. Bonus: it's close to home for us Houstonians. We ran into some challenges on Friday's arrival, but Tammy at the front desk on Saturday was fantastic in recovering from the shortfalls. She deserves a friendly shout out for providing such great customer service to ensure that we were properly accommodated and enjoying our stay. I realize this isn't a hotel, but it's still the hospitality business. Reasonable, and seemingly basic hospitality still applies, in my opinion.

My family and I arrived February 9th to check-in and found out we weren't able to get the cabin unit we initially booked because we didn'tpay the "lock-in fee." We picked a cabin next to our family who traveled in an RV so we could all be together. We were there during NON-PEAK season, and there was plenty of availability, so I'm a bit lost on how it isn't first come, first served in such time periods. Why even have a lock-in fee during down times? I asked the lady at check-in if anything could be done since we were on the opposite side of the campground from our family now and she stone-faced said no because the lock-in fee wasn't paid. She also went on to explain that when my wife booked online there's a pop-up that asks if we want to guarantee the spot with the lock-in fee and said my wife chose "no." It felt a bit unnecessary to get into such detail, but I saw her point. Begrudgingly, I accepted this since we didn't pay the fee, but it still didn't feel right or make sense to me. As we enter, I find the park was VERY empty and AT LEAST TEN CABINS in the same row as the one we booked were entirely vacant. At this point it just felt like a money grab, unreasonable, and very unhospitable. I understand the one we wanted may not have been clean (at roughly 5pm arrival), but if it was available and checkout is at 11am, I'm not quite tracking how we couldn't have been granted the one we booked when the park was this empty. I could probably count on both hands (if it took both) the number of cabins in the park that appeared occupied all weekend. This was very upsetting because it seemed ridiculous that not even an attempt was made to accommodate us in any way when we arrived. We had to see the cabin we wanted within a few short steps away every time we went to be with my family at their RV. Just sitting there. Unoccupied.

As we were unpacking and settling into sleeping areas when we found there were no linens that we purchased (two sets, for two nights). We tried calling, but barely missed the front office as it was closed by the time we realized the linens were missing.

The next morning is where Tammy enters the picture. I went to the front office Saturday morning and she was ready to hear me, and do whatever she could to help. I informed her of the missing linens, she called housekeeping right away to take care of it. We were comped the linens, which I greatly appreciated, because they were missing for one of two nights. I also learned that an attempt could've been made to accommodate our request, so we were provided a golf cart for the day which seriously made the remaining time much more enjoyable. Not having to walk back and forth across the campground to be with our family made a huge difference. Tammy was redemption for our entire experience. Can't thank her enough!

*Five stars for Tammy! *Three stars for Jellystone due to how it started. I'm really wishing Tammy was there at check-in because it's the only thing in the way of a five-star review. She was an awesome Jellystone representative during our stay.

UPDATE 4.21.2025: I realized that I never came back to provide an update to my original review. As advised, I called the number provided in management's reply and no one on the other end knew who to direct me to as it was a call center. I emailed on 2/16 and 2/18 to follow up on management's response to discuss and received no reply to...

Let me start by saying that this is more embarrassing for me to post. It’s embarrassing to know that family and friends could read what we experienced and how much we paid.

I recently stayed at the Jellystone Yogi Bear Park in Waller, Texas, from August 1 to August 4, in Cabin 213. I paid over $1,800.00 for our stay, and unfortunately, we encountered several issues that significantly impacted our experience. I'd like to detail these concerns, especially since our group of 25 people rented five Lone Star cabins next to each other.

Upon our arrival on August 1, we inspected the cabin and discovered multiple issues. The upstairs den had roaches under the mattress, sand, trash, and a left-behind sock. We reported the roaches to the staff, but the issue was not addressed. Additionally, we were missing patio chairs and had to request additional ones, which were provided reluctantly.

That evening, I received a call from the Ranger Store stating that my card had been charged $20.77 without my authorization. They requested my card number for a refund, which I declined, suspecting it might be a scam. The next morning, August 2, I reported this to the reception desk, who confirmed they had no record of such a transaction or call and advised me it might have been a scam attempt. I also informed them that I had not received the additional wristband I paid for before arrival and was instructed to pick it up at reception.

Additionally, we encountered a significant issue with the refrigerator, which was not cooling properly. Our milk spoiled, and we had to store our food in the freezer. Although maintenance replaced the fridge, the process took about an hour.

On the night of August 2, while pulling out the sofa bed, we found food crumbs, trash, and what appeared to be a bedbug. I attempted to report this, but there was no one available at that time. The next morning, August 3, we discovered water on the floor due to a leaking air conditioner. While my family and friends waited at the pool, I went to reception to report these issues. The staff member insisted it wasn't a bedbug but said maintenance would inspect the cabin and fix the AC. Upon returning to the cabin, I called reception again and was informed that maintenance had fixed the AC and found no bedbugs. They also confirmed that my card HAD been charged by mistake and that I needed to go to the ranger convenience store for a refund. All these incidents added to the list of inconveniences.

Furthermore, my friend in Cabin 212 had reserved a cabana for our group, but it was scheduled for the wrong day, and there were no available cabanas when we arrived. Although a refund was offered, this mistake significantly disrupted our plans.

Throughout these incidents, I felt the staff was dismissive. When I checked out, I spoke with Tammy, who mentioned that the general manager was aware of the issues but had not provided any guidance. She said she would talk to him and call me back on Monday. Yet I didn’t receive a call back until I sent an email to them and to corporate. I spoke with Melissa on Tuesday who basically stated sorry and there’s not much that can be done. She would take it back as a training opportunity and would try to give me a call back. Yet as many times as I had to stop by the reception desk I saw a lady complain and get her lock fee, cabana, and cart comped and she didn’t have as many issues as I did. Which begs the question.. why her a not me? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Disappointing.

I have attached the receipt for the unauthorized charge, as well as pictures of the roaches, the sock, and video of the leaking AC. Although I don't have a picture of the refrigerator, there should be a record of its...

Our recent family stay at your cabin was unfortunately overshadowed by significant cleanliness and pest control issues that greatly impacted our overall experience. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a disheartening sight of spiderwebs and spiders scattered throughout the cabin. Despite promptly notifying the registration staff about the problem, the initial cleaning efforts proved to be insufficient, and the presence of spiders persisted. It was disconcerting to learn that nobody had inspected or cleaned the cabin prior to our arrival, indicating a lack of attention to detail and guest satisfaction.

Regrettably, as our stay progressed, the situation deteriorated further as we began to encounter not only spiders but also roaches within our living space. This not only caused discomfort and anxiety but also raised significant health and safety concerns, especially for our children. Despite multiple complaints and assurances from the staff that the issue would be addressed, the lack of effective action taken to resolve the pest infestation was disappointing. The inconvenience of having to shake out bedding and clothing before use or bedtime detracted significantly from our ability to fully enjoy our time at the cabin.

In addition to the cleanliness and pest control issues, we also experienced a miscommunication regarding a bear visit arranged by the recreation staff that did not unfold as expected. However, amidst our frustrations, we must commend the exceptional efforts of a kind lady at the registration desk who promptly escalated the issue to the supervisor of recreation Sam. Her proactive approach in addressing the situation and going above and beyond to ensure our children's enjoyment through alternative activities, including laser tag, cotton candy, souvenirs, and a special visit from Cindy, demonstrated outstanding customer service and a genuine commitment to guest satisfaction.

While we are grateful for the exemplary service provided by the Recreation Supervisor Sam and her staff member who took proactive steps to rectify the bear visit mishap and ensure our children's enjoyment, we are deeply disappointed by the overall lack of concern and effective action taken to address the cleanliness and pest control issues that marred our stay at your cabin. The presence of spiders and roaches within the cabin not only tainted our experience but also posed serious health and safety risks for our family.

We urge the management to take immediate and decisive measures to address these critical issues and implement stringent cleaning and pest control protocols to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The lack of proactive communication, follow-up, and resolution from the management concerning these significant issues is unacceptable and falls short of the standards of cleanliness and guest satisfaction we expected during our stay at your establishment. We sincerely hope that steps will be taken to rectify these shortcomings and ensure a more pleasant and hygienic experience for all...