Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

JD W.

It’s a nice property and has some great amenities, but it was eclipsed by our dreadful check-in experience. We were caught in traffic for three hours, while our ill/elderly in-laws arrived on time They were both registered on the reservation and attempted to check in, but were refused entry. The only advice given at the front desk was for our in-laws to remain in the car and wait 3 hours after their lengthy journey until I personally arrived. I contacted the resort and tried to provide my payment details over the phone, but they declined to accept them. I requested a secure payment link or a credit card authorization form, and they informed me that such options were not available. I contacted the corporate IHG office, which confirmed that there was no problem with processing the payment remotely and permitting my in-laws access to the unit. I am aware of this because I have successfully done it multiple times. We were then redirected back to the hotel/property to complete the transaction, where they essentially disregarded IHG's policies. Subsequently, we were connected to a member of the management team who was exceedingly rude, stated that there was nothing they could do, and then hung up on us. IHG corporate later reached out to follow up on the situation, and mentioned that they would initiate a case to investigate the issue, which, at that point, we found irrelevant. They assured us that the hotel would at least offer priority and expedited check-in upon our arrival. Unfortunately, that did not occur. We were then instructed to go to another desk to 'activate' our keys, which they were unable to do. I informed the staff member that I had no interest in tickets, timeshare tours, or similar offers. Our sole desire was to get everyone settled into the unit after hours of travel. Despite this, they persisted in pressuring us to purchase additional items, while they tried to activate our keys - which for some odd reason seemed to be a significant challenge. Once we finally navigated the arduous check-in process, we arrived at our unit. It was impeccably clean, well-stocked, and situated in a beautiful part of the property. The wifi was pretty terrible so we ended up using our phone hotspots. The lazy river, pools, and other facilities are all very clean and well-maintained. The restaurants were as expected - just OK. Unfortunately we had one waiter dump soda on one of the members of our party by accident, then a totally separate waiter drop our son’s cheeseburger on him. Anyway, overall the place is nice, but it’s not great. I have been at other properties in the Orlando area that far surpass this one.

Lacy Smith

We recently stayed in a 2bd/2ba villa here and I cannot speak highly enough about it. I will say, from the outside look, I thought it was going to be dated, but it was not. Beds were comfy. I loved having a full kitchen and full sized washer/dryer. I loved being able to do my laundry before I went home. We didn't get to use much of the resort as we were there for Disney, but I've heard great things about the pool area and we can't wait to return. Loved being close to so many eating establishments and we had the convenience of a walgreens just across one of the entrances. Felt very safe and was quiet, with the exception of hearing something on our first night and then realized it was Disney's fireworks. We couldn't see them, but they were done and we were off to sleep just after.

Sabrina S

The grounds are nice and the pools are fun, but that’s about where the positives end. The rooms are dated and worn. The resort charges extra for almost everything, and the pricing for activities is outrageous—especially for families. Guests are only provided four towels and are told to wash them themselves if more are needed. At least the laundry is free and detergent is provided. There is only one elevator, located outdoors in an extremely inconvenient spot, which meant carrying our luggage long distances. Staff would not assist with setting up the couch bed, which required moving dinette furniture because the room is very cramped. There is also only one hot tub for the entire large property, so it is constantly overcrowded. We expected this to be a mostly family-friendly resort, but it turned out to be about 90% elderly guests. Children were frequently yelled at for splashing or being “too loud.” The room refrigerator was a small mini-fridge and did not work properly—it froze and ruined all the food we purchased for our trip.

Joseph Rapole

For the price and experience at the resort, I would firmly not recommend vacationing at this resort. The only way I could see a vacation here is if you planned to not leave the resort and have excess money to spend. Upon checking in you see instantly it is a timeshare resort, with many items segregated in that manner. Such as the check in line, having two lines, one for “owners” and another for “guests”. Throughout the resort the prices were much higher for guests. After a longer checkin period, we were directed to another desk for our cards. There we were instantly approached for a timeshare presentation. We have done many before and did not travel for a presentation. After adamantly saying no 4 times they finally conceded. We were given our keys and upon entering our room (which is normal 1 bedroom) we first had an unclean room. The pull out couch was dirty with hair and not cleaned at all. We approached the desk again, through the long line, to request a new, clean, room. After approximately an hour we received a new room. It was clean however the only window was interior, not facing outside. We were called a second time for a timeshare presentation on the second day, again vehemently saying no causing more distress at this resort. We had planned a Disney vacation, with choosing this resort as it was right against Disney property however they do not have a shuttle of any kind. They also do not offer any type of room cleaning, we were there for 7 days however was told it would cost $150 to have someone clean the room at all throughout that time. We were given laundry detergent and told if we wanted it clean we had to clean the sheets ourselves. For the 2 days (out of 7) that we were at the resort, we did go to the pool and relax however renting a tube for the lazy river cost $7 per person per day. More pricing gouging. They do have many amenities, such as golf, water sports, activities, pickleball, an arcade, and more however each is expensive to do. I would not recommend this resort and feel strongly there are much better, cheaper, and overall more comfortable resorts in the Orlando area.

Daniel Stiefel

We had a great stay at Holiday Inn Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee and would happily return. The room was spotless and very spacious, with a full kitchen, dining area, washer/dryer, and a screened-in porch, which made the stay extremely comfortable. The living space was beautiful and well designed. The on-site activities are excellent. We really enjoyed the pools and lazy river. While we didn’t personally use the water slides or miniature golf, they looked really fun too. A few minor notes: the pillows and blanket could have been larger and fluffier, and there was a sharp metal edge on the shampoo rack in the shower that caused a small cut—something that would be good to address. Overall, a fantastic resort with great accommodations and amenities, especially for families or longer stays near Disney.