Days Inn, Orlando

...Buena Vista location of the Days Inn was too brief to either strengthen or dash my first impressions, but there is no reason why management should expose any guest to neglect of its property. Once someone pays for professional hospitality, a reasonable standard should be maintained. While I never felt I was in any danger at this particular location of the Days Inn, I was flabbergasted that the American Auto Association (AAA)* would promote a hotel ...
...planned for the first seven days of our visit. Although he had wanted to wing it, I much preferred having at least that part of our trip planned in advance. I'm at an age when the prospect of just walking in off the street to find a vacant room is not an adventure that appeals to me. Although our eighth night was still uncommitted by the time we arrived at Disney World, the first thing we did when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday morning ... more

When people stay at a lodging, they have certain expectations. Cleanliness and good condition of the property are usually tops on the list, no matter how low the rate is. Unfortunately, my visit at the Lake Buena Vista location of the Days Inn was too brief to either strengthen or dash my first impressions, but there is no reason why management should expose any guest to neglect of its property. Once someone pays for professional hospitality, a reasonable standard should be maintained. While I never felt I was in any danger at this particular location of the Days Inn, I was flabbergasted that the American Auto Association (AAA)* would promote a hotel that was in such shabby condition. As a representative for a big chain of hotels, the one found at 12799 South Apopka-Vineland Road in Orlando speaks poorly.

When Russell and I arrived in Florida last May, we had our accommodations planned for the first seven days of our visit. Although he had wanted to wing it, I much preferred having at least that part of our trip planned in advance. I'm at an age when the prospect of just walking in off the street to find a vacant room is not an adventure that appeals to me. Although our eighth night was still uncommitted by the time we arrived at Disney World, the first thing we did when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday morning was go straight to the AAA desk. Our pilgrimage to the temple of amusement parks ended Saturday and we needed a room for that night. Our requirements were simple; we just wanted something respectable, reasonably priced, and between Disney World and the airport. When the agent suggested the Days Inn, it sounded acceptable. She took a credit card number and we were set up for Saturday night.

Trying to cram as much Disney time into our last day as possible, Russell and I made a quick trip to Magic Kingdom as soon as MGM Studios closed on Saturday. Magic Kingdom was open two or three hours longer and Russell wanted to catch the Philharmagic 3-D movie we had missed on Wednesday. As a result, we left the Disney World playground quite late Saturday night. I was anxious to go to our room and rest my sore feet. I suppose part of my resentment over this hotel may have started with the miserable directions given to us by MapQuest. I had known MapQuest's reputation for helping drivers efficiently find things was dubious and our experience backs up this opinion. Because of the poor instructions supplied to us, we ended up driving five or six miles past exit 68 of I-4 when the hotel was right there. Unfortunately, the sign wasn't immediately visible to us and we spent the next half hour or so looking for the place. This, however, was not the fault of the hotel.

We reached its front door by 2 a.m. to find a handwritten sign saying the place had no vacancies left that night. Russell and I had guaranteed our room with a credit card, so checking in went without a hitch. The lobby was quiet, with a single front desk clerk looking restless with nothing to do. He seemed quite relieved to have something to keep him busy for a little while. When Russell noticed that the Days Inn had a brochure for a frequent guest program, he was told it would be no problem if he wanted to add this visit to a new account. We were given our card keys and headed for our third floor room.

I'll have to admit that my low regard for this establishment prickled as Russell was registering. I made a trip to the restroom while he was taking care of the paperwork. The room was a mess, but housekeeping had been closed for several hours at that point, so I was willing to give them the benefit of doubt. By the time we walked into the elevator, however, its textured brown linoleum floor looked liked it hadn't been swept for days. Crushed cigarette butts littered the floor, making it feel awfully dirty. Likewise with the corridor leading to sleeping rooms. All sorts of crumbs were visible on the dark carpet. It was in dire need of hoovering.

If nothing else, at least room 324 was clean. I was able to walk over its carpet in my bare feet without something sticking to them. It had two beds. The decor was cookie-cutter, but I found its colors appealing. The walls were beige and the carpet was blue. The curtains and bedspreads had a matching multicolor print, kind of reminding me of stained glass windows. The room also had a table with two chairs. A blue couch that could comfortably seat three adults was pushed into the back corner by a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony. (I had little time to check, so this couch might have had a fold-out bed.) A four-drawer dresser completed the furniture suite. A coffeemaker was available on the table.

What put me off was the condition of the room. The tracks on one of the dresser's top drawers was broken and preventing it from closing all the way. The bulb in the lamp on top of the dresser was burnt out. As I was looking for something in my duffelbag, I noticed the wallpaper was peeling away from the wall behind the couch. One of these problems on its own might be tolerable, but combined they made management look sloppy in its care of the property. Dealing with these minor problems made me look a little closer at the rest of the room and hotel, which was showing general wear and tear throughout without any apparent effort to spiff something back up. After staying someplace like the St. Francis Inn, a 213-year-old Spanish colonial house B&B where the antique furnishings were fully functional and looking sharp, in St. Augustine, Florida, the comparison makes the staff at the Days Inn appear lazy. One website indicated that this eight-story building opened in 1984. I paid the same nightly rate to stay at the Vagabond Inn, which was more than 10 years older, in Santa Clara, California, and I was given a room that quite pleased me.

The sleeping portion of the room included a TV with 67 cable channels, clock/radio, phone, and a control unit for heating and air conditioning. Considering we only spent about 10 hours in the room, I can't judge how functional these features were. The TV turned on. We gave the coffeemaker a try. It worked fine. I forget how good the coffee was, but I did end up going downstairs, where additional coffee supplies were always available in the lobby, for half & half.

Unfortunately, I lost a page of my notes with the details of the bathroom, so I'll have to rely completely on my memory for this aspect of room 324. Like the other two rooms I had stayed in during the course of my Florida trip, the toilet and bathtub were kept in their own room by the entrance. Across from it in the foyer, the sink vanity was in the main room. A hairdryer was bolted on the wall to my left as I faced the mirror. It's hard to recall what toiletries the hotel supplied its guests, but two foil packets of shampoo stand out.

Since we only stayed at this hotel for one night, it's difficult to say what the room cleaning service is like for stayovers. As we loaded up the car the following morning, it looked like three or four members of the housekeeping staff were busy at work. With so many, I did wonder why the hallways and elevators were overlooked. Unlike the other two Florida lodgings we visited, uniformed women were cleaning the rooms.

Even though we weren't able to take advantage of much of what the Days Inn offered, there were a few things that are worth considering. They do have some rooms where pets are permitted, but they must be arranged for in advance. They do have a restaurant in the lobby, where kids 12 and under can eat breakfast for free when accompanied by an adult. It offers free shuttle service to Disney attractions, but there is a fee to be taken to the airport. A game room can be found in the lobby and a playground and outdoor pool are on the property. An ATM and business center with a fax machine and copier are available. It also had a laundry room where it cost $2 to wash one load. Check-in time is 3 p.m. and checkout noon.

When Russell went through checkout in the morning, he had no problem with the bill itself. Another arose when he tried to put in for the credit on the chain's frequent guest program. Although the clerk on the graveyard shift said Russell would get credit for that stay, the day clerk said no and that his application would take two weeks to process.

With all due respect, my visit at the Days Inn was awfully short, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. My opinion might have altered if I had stayed a little longer. They may have been quick to repair the malfunctioning items in our room if I complained and other aspects might have made up for its shortcomings. However, this was the first time I have stayed at any location of the Days Inn and those crushed cigarette butts burned an ugly image in my mind. One of the disadvantages for big chain businesses is that one location can speak for all of them. Perhaps if I had good experiences with others, I'd feel more charitable. Because of my visit at this one, I'll consider other options before going to another Days Inn. This has also lowered my faith in AAA's recommendations, if this one slipped by them. The Lake Buena Vista location is definitely not for neat freaks.

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Originally posted at Epinions.com on 31 July 2004.

*The UK equivalent is the Auto Association (AA), http://www.theaa.com.
 

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