Hi I recently visited Solterra Resort with my family. The racist unhinged practices of the front desk were ghastly. It was obvious discrimination against me and my African-American family. The Resort House was fine, but what drew us was the amenities included in our stay. These we didnāt require until our penultimate day. Our experience at the front desk near the pool was unrivaled. Our family and the kids went ahead and were in the pool when we arrived because the children wanted to play in the pool. We had issues getting in after them when we arrived although we stayed in the same house because the owner of our stay had given us a code instead of the required card. A nice young man instructed us to go in and that it could be fixed at the front desk. We waited patiently behind two families in line, and when we approach the desk, the young lady who later said her name was Bree had snatched off her name tag as we approached The family in front of us had gone through a similar situation so I hooked it would be an easy fix as she offered them pass for the until they could communicate with their host. I attempted to tell her what the issue was(That we had our amenities included with our rental, but we didnāt have the right access information). She cut me off a number of times, so much so that I could never finish my sentence. I could see the trepidation in one of my younger family members as she slowly backed up. I tried to show her the information on my phone since she would not allow me to speak and she told me to move out of her way so she can take care of customers. As she caught the next family for she stated it was not her fault the owners didnāt do what they were supposed to. My family member moved aside while she attempted to take care of people behind us while I was still trying to get help. She was extremely condescending, rude and discriminatory the entire time I asked if there was someone else who could help us and she told us she was a supervisor and that we needed to leave and our children in the pool should leave as well because they didnāt belong there. I have never been treated with discrimination from start to finish. I told her that her tone was very condescending and she told me she didnāt care She was a supervisor and there was nothing I could do. After dealing with that level unprofessional behavior I stepped out to exit and stopped to tell the two workers at the gate I appreciated their candor and kindness. She proceeded to follow us out saying cruel things. And she explained because I called her condescending and she had to come and follow us outside with a smirk. I am a working professional in GEORGIA but I have never seen someone be unapologetically outwardly racist in-person. After I told her, I was there to think the nice staff at the front gate and sarcastically invited her to follow us back home. After she asked me if I was done, my family from the pool was right on the other side after hearing her remarks Everyone thought it would be best for everyone leave.
After decades of vacation in Orlando, This was my worst resort experience ever. I would not recommend this place as long as they endorse staff who practiced...
Ā Ā Ā Read moreThe resort on its own wasnāt bad. The house we rented was nice and the pools were good. Food was a bit expensive.
There was one cockroach in what was a garage that they turned into a game room and a few super small ants. Nothing out of the ordinary for a place in Florida where cockroaches are common place. Definitely wouldnāt call it an infestation or anything like that.
On to the one star.
The A/C barely worked and other people mentioned it and we should have believed them. The resort had rules about only being allowed to set it between 78-75 which is not ac in my opinion. Even when we set it to 75 it wouldnāt get that cold. Our entire stay was an average temperature of 77 which isnāt horrible but for a home claiming to have A/C it doesnāt live up to it.
The white/Hispanic security guard (in a sling) is on a power trip. I mean worst customer service Iāve ever encountered. The guest lane was backed up so we drove through the resident lane as we had seen others do for days. He was working and screamed at us for choosing to use that lane instead of blocking traffic. Okay, fine our bad. Bit of an over reaction but whatever. We used the correct lane going forward.
The next day however, at around 5 pm more people chose to do this while we were leaving. He instead made every driver trying to go through the resident lane with a guest pass turn around outside the gate and come back in. Except his rule meant about 6 drivers had to. And the loop was too tight and it stopped all traffic. Cars could not enter even if they used the correct lane and cars couldnāt exit either. It was incredibly dangerous. After everyone sat without moving, people began exiting their cars after 20ish minutes to complain. He gave up and started letting the cars waiting to turn around and re enter go through the resident lane. We finally were able to leave another 15 minutes later. We couldnāt turn left because the people he made turn around were blocking the road so no through traffic could pass and we couldnāt turn. We turned right instead and he had stopped traffic all the way back to the light. I would estimate about 100 cars were stopped in standstill traffic because this man chose to take a power trip on guests who likely did not know any better. Im all for correcting people but that was not the way to do so. Especially when itās only a two lane road and youāve not inconvenienced not only residents, but guests and complete strangers who were simply trying to drive on the road. Not to mention how dangerous it is to completely stop traffic and potentially prevent emergency response vehicles from getting...
Ā Ā Ā Read moreDuring a recent visit to Solterra Resort in Davenport, Florida, I encountered an unfortunate situation that I believe reflects a misunderstanding of the needs of individuals with disabilities. Upon arrival the staff assured our leaders ( a scout troop of 13) that a cooler would be allowed due to medical needs, this was on Tuesday, if I presented myself at checkin prior to use of the resort pool and facilities. I presented at check in counter on Tuesday and was given a dietary restriction card with no guidelines. Then visited the Cafe Sol and purchased dinner from their selection with no nutritional values and dosed on guesstimation. Wednesday upon arrival at the gate I presented the non restricted card and was informed by NOT DOCTORS that I had packed too much food for my 10-year-old recently been diagnosed with T1D,(TYPE 1 diabetes) so I removed items from the cooler and returned them to my vehicle and returned to our cabana and I was then AGAIN approached by staff , in front of the child already feeling some sort of way about the new diagnosis, again not doctors demanding that I allow them to look in my cooler and I complied. Again advised that it was to much food for a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic 10 yo in the heat and swimming with no idea how the body would react to activity and heat. I was then advised to relocate her cooler which carried insulin and snacks away from the child by the manager which raised my concerns. The manager then shared her background as a long-term diabetic Type 2 and takes a pill everyday and inquired about the medical condition in a way that felt a bit intrusive. When I showed them blood sugar levels, which were dropping rapidly, I expressed my worries about the individuals health, especially considering swimming and in the heat could require a variety (again 10 yo) of food options to stabilize the highs and lows. To my surprise, I was informed that if I didn't comply my group wouldn't be allowed to return the bext day. I found this response troubling, especially as it involved a child coping with a disability who is already feeling "not normal" it was disheartening to hear the child felt singled out and to know that there were feelings of discrimination and then to hear my group share their worries about the implications of speaking up, as they felt it might jeopardize the others experience. I believe it's essential for places like this family resort to recognize the importance of inclusivity and support families dealing with health challenges, ensuring everyone feels welcome and respected. Not how the child or myself...
Ā Ā Ā Read more