Maggie S.
Yelp
This should be a five star review, but I had a one star experience.
Do yourself a favor before booking and ask if there are any special events happening during your planned stay. If I had done this, I would have booked elsewhere. I get it, they have a convention center, there will be conferences, weddings, etc. But...my visit aligned with the 13th Annual Summer Faceoff Lacrosse tournament. The sign in the lobby said there were over 180 schools participating in the tournament. The resort was completely filled with children! Staying in Orlando at a resort with child friendly activities, you would expect kids to be there. But, this was a whole different level of chaos and noise.
Arrived around noon to the hotel and there was a line of cars to get in. We went to the Valet parking and that was a complete mess. Fortunately, we were able to checkin early (after waiting forever in the giant line). The guy at the front desk said the kids shouldn't be an issue and they will be at games all day (not true). Our room was in the Sunset building away from the main hotel. So, we were told to get our car out of Valet parking and drive to where we were staying. Our room had a lovely parking lot view despite having requested a different view.
The room was clean and had a lot of relaxation amenities; noise machine, pillow mist, meditation books, robes, etc. But...for trying to present a tranquil atmosphere, I just heard children running and screaming down the hallways. The noise was nonstop.
Checked out the pool, it was way too crowded and thought maybe it would be better after lunch time. Went to Eagles edge to experience their new brunch and the resorts version of Top Golf. When we booked the hotel, we added the golf bay option, however, they didn't have any record of it. Food was ok, service was slow, and there were more poorly behaved children.
Went back to the pool and I took one lap around the lazy river and moved on. Too many unsupervised wild children throwing things and screaming. They were literally coming out of the bushes and jumping into the water or throwing things at their friends from the bushes. Moved over to the adults only (18+) pool and it was jam packed but better. Problem with this pool, the kids would come in to talk to their parents or scream over the fence to get their attention. A lot of the parents let their kids run wild and unsupervised while hiding out in the adults only area. The pool required wrist bands to show you were a guest, but I think it was a free for all for the tournament and this was not enforced. Lots of yelling around the pool and to add to the noise, you could hear the tournament noise and constant whistle blasts. Everywhere you went, kids running wild, yelling, swinging golf clubs and Lacrosse Sticks around.
Went to David's Club for dinner...huge mistake. Wild children running around in their swim suits and pool towels screaming. I blame the parents for the misbehaved children, however there should be some rules enforced by the resort.
Wanted to stay at the OMNI resort and not leave the property because there is so much to do there and it seemed like a relaxing choice, but leaving the property was all we wanted to do. Didn't golf, again lots of youth running around swinging clubs and hitting balls everywhere. Ended up watching a movie in the room and avoiding the chaos.
I am very relieved we didn't stay in the main building, I'm guessing this is where the group reservation was made. The main building was too crazy and at some point, there were probably 100 people in line for the elevator.
From the tournament webpage:
"Hotel Behavior Policy: Due to past incidents, we have asked all club directors to acknowledge our policy per hotel behavior for event participants at hotels approved for the event. Club Directors and parents are expected to ensure that their children are well behaved while on hotel properties. Behavior and actions that result in damage to hotel properties and/or disruptive behavior may lead to the local authorities becoming involved and teams possibly being removed from the event. Your cooperation in this regard is greatly appreciated." OMNI has a code of conduct form they are required to sign, but it doesn't seem to be enforced. "Due to past incidents," so the resort knows this event is a problem that guests will experience.
Checked out the next day and the resort was peaceful. Hotel staff was busy collecting mini golf clubs from the bushes and excess trash thrown everywhere. Overall, the experience was stressful, not relaxing and I regret staying there.
Looking back, we should have moved to another hotel when we realized this place was a nightmare. Super disappointed in hotel management for acknowledging this event is a conduct issue, not disclosing this to other guests, and just letting chaos ensue. But, it comes down to filling rooms and the bottom line. Beautiful property, friendly staff, terrible experience.