DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando Airport {US-FL}
Jun 5, 2015, 12:52 pm
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando Airport {US-FL}
This is an airport, but nicer than most; seems pretty new. The shuttle bus services was decent; only minor complaint is that the hotel services a number of airline flight crews so the bus is often pretty full.
Check-in was quick and uneventful. The room I was given (not an upgrade) was very nice...good size, nice view of the pool. The wifi worked very well (once I got it started...you can only enter using the hotel's code, not through the HHonors login, which I found a little odd). One of my pet peeves lately is inadequate or inaccessible electric outlets; this room had plenty and they were convenient to the desk and tv. The bathroom was fine, great pressure in the shower. The AC worked great and wasn't as noisy as most hotel rooms.
Breakfast was available in the restaurant, no lounge. As a Diamond member, I got coupons that made the full buffet free, and my server took orders for omelets and pancakes. The food was pretty good. I didn't eat at the hotel any other time.
The exercise room was OK, nothing special. The outdoor pool was very nice and very pleasant on a hot sticky summer day in Orlando. There's some airplane noise but you get over it. I did not notice airplane noise when I was inside the hotel. Not a lot of kids, it's not particularly convenient to Disney.
The hotel is surrounded by other hotels mostly, but there are quite a few chain restaurants with a couple blocks--Chili's, Longhorn Steakhouse, Tony Roma's, Friday's, Cracker Barrel, Denny's, a few others. A decent find: there's a Mexican place across the street from the back of the hotel that looks like it's part of a gas station but isn't; it's very good, sort of a Chipotle kind of place.
All in all, I was very pleased with this hotel, I'd definitely stay there again.
Jun 5, 2015, 3:14 pm
Sep 21, 2015, 8:50 am
Sep 21, 2015, 9:18 am
Room ok,but dated,and was kinda "half-refurbed" here and there.
We where on 6th floor w inside-balcony.
No room-upgrade as HHGold,as we checked in 11AM
As all room (as far as i could figure out) under the 7th floor had balconies, there was ALLOT of dust "inside" the lobby,that you can see,from the balcony.
Free excellent breakfast as HHGold.
Free wi-fi as HHGold.
Horrible speed on room wi-fi.
DL Speed : 0.8Mb/s
UL Speed : 0.4Mb/s
A "ODD" note: I bought a Diet-Pepsi on the machine on the 6th floor (2$).
It EXPIRED 25 July 2014. CAN.
Traded that in,for a bottle at the front-desk.
Also the two ladies at the front desk seemed bored,and "hated their job".
The guy who was working there later,was excellent.
Overall,an ok stay.close to the airport (7 min free hotel bus).
Last edited by dznyboy; Sep 21, 2015 at 9:23 am
Dec 30, 2016, 7:31 pm
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport
5555 Hazeltine National Drive Orlando, FL US 32812
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport (6 Photos)
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport
I stayed at the Doubletree Orlando Airport for one night in late December, as I had a flight leaving from MCO at 9:00 AM the next day. I was HHonors diamond at the time of my stay, and was accompanied by my wife and son.
I booked a 2-doubles room for 20,000 points several months in advance.
Check In
We arrived around 2:30 PM (which is before the published check-in time of 3:00 PM). At the check-in desk they had a sign that said "Guest of the Day" and had my name on it. I'm not sure what exactly I did to get this honor, nor did it give me anything other than amusement from my son. But it was a nice touch.
The young lady checking us in was very friendly and service-oriented. She noted that our room was not ready but offered one that was. She made sure it was OK with me to change the room I selected with OLCI for one on the next lower floor (which was fine). She proceeded to give me 3 full breakfast vouchers, 4 bottles of water, 4 cookies, and 2 drink coupons for the hotel bar. So definitely a lot of goodies beyond the norm which was appreciated.
Also I had requested a digital key, and I was impressed that the app recognized my new room immediately, and the digital key worked right away when I got up to the room.
No upgrade was offered, nor were any upgrades being sold the day of arrival. A week prior I had noticed that NOR1 upgrades to a king junior suite were available (I honestly would have taken them up on the $14 but feared that this would screw up my "book via the app" promo).
Room
The room wasn't exactly large - it had 2 double beds as promised, and probably wouldn't have had enough room for larger beds. The bathroom was also pretty small, with a sink, toilet, and tub/shower combo. The room did have a desk.
This particular room faced north, overlooking the parking lot. An "atrium view" was a NOR1 upgrade a week or so in advance, but I fail to see how this would be an upgrade. This hotel probably doesn't have anything in terms of a "view."
Dining
The breakfast benefit was full buffet for all 3 of us. The breakfast was served from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM (this was a Thursday) so we were able to eat early before heading for the airport.
Hot selections were scrambled eggs (not great - obviously from powder), bacon (good, crispy), sausage (OK), breakfast potatoes (red skins, not fried, well seasoned), and biscuits and gravy (did not try). There was also the usual fruit, bread, pastry, cereal, etc. Overall it was a pretty decent spread. We were not offered, nor did we ask about, cooked-to-order eggs or omelettes.
Location
The location of this hotel is north of Orlando International Airport (MCO). It took about 7 minutes to enter the airport premises and the turnoff for terminal A, and 10 minutes to loop around to terminal B.
It has convenient access to the tollway. There are some "chain" restaurants nearby (we saw Chili's, Bonefish, and Red Robin) but as it's only about 15 minutes to Dr. Phillips with much more upscale choices, we chose to make the drive.
One thing of note: immediately to the north are two gas stations, one on either side, without price signs in front. We stopped at one to gas up the rental car and the price per gallon was over $4.00! After looking later on Yelp reviews, we found that this pricing is apparently their well-known "business model." We continued on 1/4 mile to Wawa, which was priced consistent with the market ($2.30).
Airport Shuttle
The airport shuttle leaves the lobby every 15 minutes (after 4:30 AM) and does not require a reservation. We took the shuttle and the service was prompt and efficient.
Pickup from the airport requires a call to the front desk. This is our main complaint about the hotel. I returned the rental car to MCO around 9:00 PM and then called for a shuttle pick-up. I was directed to a particular stall in the outdoor waiting area. It took 45 minutes from the time of my first call until the shuttle picked me up. During this time I had to make a total of 3 calls, and each time was given time commitments that were not met. It would be an understatement to say that I was dissatisfied with this situation.
Miscellaneous
The internet speeds are sloooooow here. At 2:45 PM, I got 0.55 Mbps down and 1.93 Mbps up, and at 6:30 PM I got 0.33 Mbps down and 2.10 Mbps up. I ended up tethering to my phone to get a sufficient speed with which to get some work done. I see similar reports of crappy internet speeds in prior posts, so it's safe to say they haven't invested in any changes here.
There is a $12/night charge for parking (and a more expensive valet option). The lot is behind the hotel and is guarded by the valets upon arrival. There is no place to park temporarily when checking in (unless you leave your car under the entrance canopy). Fortunately when I explained to the valet that we were checking in and leaving within the hour and not parking after that, he waved me through to the lot without charge.
Overall
Pros:
+ 20,000 point redemption
+ Great service from front desk upon check-in
+ Free full breakfast buffet for diamonds
+ Airport shuttle to the airport runs every 15 minutes
Cons:
- Slow internet
- Airport shuttle pick-up from the airport is inefficient
- Parking charge
Feb 21, 2017, 8:22 pm
Location: The hotel is located on Semoran Blvd. just north of the FL-528 Beachline Expressway. It's about as close to MCO as you can get, located less than a mile from the entrance to the airport grounds. It's surrounded by a number of other airport hotels and plenty of chain restaurants are an easy walk away. Universal and Disney are both fairly easy drives from here, as is downtown Orlando.
Hotel: As this is a Doubletree, you never know what style hotel you're going to get. In this case the hotel has an Embassy Suites type feel as there's a large central atrium area and a lot of rooms overlook it. The bar and restaurant are also located down in the center of the atrium and it actually works as a concept.
Check In: Handled by a very friendly agent who gave me extra cookies, explained breakfast and when I said I was leaving too early, gave me a drink coupon instead. I asked if there were any suites for an upgrade and she said the hotel was sold out (I looked and she was being truthful) but she said she'd put some points in my account because she couldn't upgrade me, about as good as a check in gets.
Room: Pretty standard but by no means uncomfortable room. Everything that's important was there: The wifi worked, outlets were near the bed, the shower got hot and had good water pressure and the bed was comfortable.
Other: Breakfast starts at 6 AM and the shuttle runs to the airport every 15 minutes, both good features for an airport hotel.
Do note this hotel is a steal at 20,000 points per night, especially as it often prices around $175.
Jun 21, 2017, 2:41 pm
Cutting to the chase: I was told this morning that the hotel changed management in January and the new management changed a number of policies. In particular, parking is no longer free (14/night for self park, 19 for valet). Breakfast vouchers for Diamonds and Golds no longer covers the full buffet but only the cold items. The full buffet is $5 more. I inquired about these changes to my breakfast server, who told me of the management change, and couldn't wait to bring out the restaurant manager to talk to me. She also expressed unhappiness about the changes, and offered to comp breakfast and take care of my parking. She basically said, they did this all the time for Diamonds who complain. So apparently, management believes they should tick off Diamonds before giving them what they want.
The changes don't stop there. I got the sense that management has hired less experienced, less expensive employees. I used express check-in, and was assigned a room other than what I had reserved. I went to the front desk to ask if they would change me to what I had reserved, and while they were at it, upgrade me (I had checked my app, there were suites and other premium rooms available). The desk clerk initially acted like I was from Mars. She finally got it together, and announced that she would put me in "one of our best rooms." I have previously stayed in some very nice rooms in this hotel. The room she assigned me did not fit that description. It was a room. A room that lacked sufficient electrical outlets to plug in a laptop (or anything else) at the desk. I had to unplug the lamp to plug in my laptop, but who really needs light anyway? By the way, the other lighting in the room was inadequate as well.
The carpets on my floor (the HHonors floor) were dirty and frayed.
The breakfast was not well presented, at any price. They previously made omelets and pancakes to order; nobody said anything about that to me when I arrived, so I went to the buffet, which was more or less a Hampton Inn style arrangement, down to the make your own waffle. The syrup came in a pitcher which was covered in syrup, so my hands got sticky from using it. The rest was nothing special. While i was eating, I overheard my server telling someone else he could order an omelet. I asked why he hadn't offered that to me; he told me that it was because I had a Continental breakfast voucher. So....people with vouchers get fewer options and less service? And those people would be Diamond and Gold HHonors members...That's when the discussion about the changes ensued. I also overheard someone ask for Earl Grey tea, only to be informed that they didn't have that, only "black" and "green" teas.
So, management changes, cost cutting, reduced service. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. The new Hampton Inn up the street is really nice!
Jun 21, 2017, 4:24 pm
Even though you didn't get much response to your reviews here, your time wasn't wasted.
Jun 22, 2017, 2:35 am
Cutting to the chase: I was told this morning that the hotel changed management in January and the new management changed a number of policies. In particular, parking is no longer free (14/night for self park, 19 for valet). Breakfast vouchers for Diamonds and Golds no longer covers the full buffet but only the cold items. The full buffet is $5 more. I inquired about these changes to my breakfast server, who told me of the management change, and couldn't wait to bring out the restaurant manager to talk to me. She also expressed unhappiness about the changes, and offered to comp breakfast and take care of my parking. She basically said, they did this all the time for Diamonds who complain. So apparently, management believes they should tick off Diamonds before giving them what they want.
The changes don't stop there. I got the sense that management has hired less experienced, less expensive employees. I used express check-in, and was assigned a room other than what I had reserved. I went to the front desk to ask if they would change me to what I had reserved, and while they were at it, upgrade me (I had checked my app, there were suites and other premium rooms available). The desk clerk initially acted like I was from Mars. She finally got it together, and announced that she would put me in "one of our best rooms." I have previously stayed in some very nice rooms in this hotel. The room she assigned me did not fit that description. It was a room. A room that lacked sufficient electrical outlets to plug in a laptop (or anything else) at the desk. I had to unplug the lamp to plug in my laptop, but who really needs light anyway? By the way, the other lighting in the room was inadequate as well.
The carpets on my floor (the HHonors floor) were dirty and frayed.
The breakfast was not well presented, at any price. They previously made omelets and pancakes to order; nobody said anything about that to me when I arrived, so I went to the buffet, which was more or less a Hampton Inn style arrangement, down to the make your own waffle. The syrup came in a pitcher which was covered in syrup, so my hands got sticky from using it. The rest was nothing special. While i was eating, I overheard my server telling someone else he could order an omelet. I asked why he hadn't offered that to me; he told me that it was because I had a Continental breakfast voucher. So....people with vouchers get fewer options and less service? And those people would be Diamond and Gold HHonors members...That's when the discussion about the changes ensued. I also overheard someone ask for Earl Grey tea, only to be informed that they didn't have that, only "black" and "green" teas.
So, management changes, cost cutting, reduced service. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. The new Hampton Inn up the street is really nice!
Jun 22, 2017, 9:36 am
Even though you didn't get much response to your reviews here, your time wasn't wasted.
To add to my last line: my previous stay near MCO earlier this year was at the new Hampton Inn & Suites Orlando Airport @ Gateway Village, which I don't think I reviewed but thought was very nice, better than your average Hampton Inn. And, in booking my most recent stay, I noticed that the ES, which I've stayed in before, is newly refurbished. So there's other Hilton options near MCO. (I've not tried the HGI or the older Hampton.)
Jan 25, 2019, 11:34 am
Jan 25, 2019, 1:39 pm
Jan 25, 2019, 2:02 pm
Jan 26, 2019, 8:51 am
