Homewood Suites by Hilton

Before I go into my full on review. I have to give kudos to Kevin and the super sweet black lady who I think is a part of housekeeping (I think Linda??). This hotel NEED a complete makeover and management team. First, I asked if this was a full kitchen and I was told it was only to bring my items to make my daughter's birthday dinner to find out it was only a kitchenette. I had now figure out different things to make. Second, security is LACKING. We ordered pizza and waiting for the front desk to call like every other hotel we have been to. We heard a knock on our door, asked who it was and heard "XXXX Pizza". We really got scared and had to ensure it was the pizza delivery. The delivery guy said he was told to come up to our room. Which means our room number was given out without our permission and you allowed strangers up to paying guests' roooms. The pizza guy said that it was his 1st time he was ever allowed to guests rooms. One of the nights there was nonpaying (seems to have been homeless) guy who have some mental issues in the hotel for hours at the pool and kept harassing guests. But there were hardly any workers around not even the front desk. This was beyond scary but he was eventually escorted out by a manager. Third, there was a sticker that said the dishes were washed but they weren't as they were dirty and the machine wasn't started. I can live with that as I just hit start. However, the sticker on the door that said that the place was sanitized was not fully true as there was a dirty sock in the closet, the top sheet on the master bed had some stains and the table dusty. We were absolutely pissed as I had to request linens. The king size bed squeak nonstop and the pipe in the shower runs all day and night making a restless night. Yes we called maintenance. The guys response "the pipe had a little sand in it and he fixed it (but it wasn't as hours later we used it and kept dripping) and he cannot fix the bed as it was too damage but will tell them they need to order new ones". As a diamond member this is the worse one. The worse thing was my room number given out to a random delivery person.

We decided to take a short vacation and visit orlando. The hotel has a lot of visitors with no mask enforced in fact I saw an employee without a mask doing rooms. Also, our room wasn’t done when we came from the parks at night. I went to the reception and asked for towels and the person working in the from desk said that housekeeping was going to bring them but they never did. Also not having their employees wearing mask is not a good idea. It’s a shame that because of some employees some hotels get a bad reputation.

I cannot say enough positive things about my stay at the Homewood Suites International Drive/Convention Center. My son and I stayed at the all suite hotel in a 1br king suite from April 4 - May 5, 2020 at a fantastic rate. The hotel was spotless in every imaginable nook and cranny from the lobby to the suites to the pool that was cleaned early every morning (my room was on the 1st floor and looked right out to the pool) to the laundry rooms to the elevators to the grounds. Hand sanitizing stations were situated in locations around the hotel, and the lobby and other common areas always smelled so fragrant. The scent was not overpowering but fresh, clean, and calming like aromatherapy. The front desk staff was always polite and attentive even while maintaining CDC protocols. Although the housekeeping was limited, trash pickup and any requests for fresh linens were expediently addressed. I always received my fresh towels and bed linens with a hand drawn smiley face taped to the bag :-). That was an appreciated thoughtful touch. The hotel is in a great location on IDrive near almost everything (Icon Park, The Pointe Orlando, restaurants, souvenir shops, you name it. It is a great location for walking to the tourist attractions and restaurants as our city reopens. Overall, my stay there was a blessing during a stressful time in all our lives that could have been made even more unpleasant had my stay not been so nice. My son and I are in transition looking for a new home, and the Homewood Suites granted us comfort and solace while our search was temporarily postponed. I will definitely return to the Homewood Suites International Drive/Convention Center and will recommend it to all I know.