Red Lion Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista South

Grisel Franco

Stay Dates: July 23–30 Red Lion Hotel Orlando Booking Platform: Priceline Input on the Positive, The Minor Issues and Disappointments to be alert of: We arrived at the hotel and found it just as shown in the photos. It’s lovely both outside and inside, and very clean. We were greeted professionally, even though I arrived late at night. POSITIVES: The hotel feels safe — you need a key card to enter the building and your room. Rooms are spacious and clean. There are elevators and luggage carts on the main floor, which made check-in and check-out much easier. The ceiling fan in the room is a nice touch for those who prefer a light breeze instead of heavy air conditioning. Housekeeping is available daily, but you can request privacy by placing the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Laundry facilities are clean and easy to use. It’s $2 for washing and $0.50 -1.00 for drying (45 min is drying. I didn't pay attention on the amount. Just noticed it hit 90min so I stop adding quarters). Just a tip: you’ll need to add both detergent and softener at the start of the wash cycle. The pool is fairly clean. Some minor paint touch-ups on the bridge area would help. The water was warm due to the hot weather (98–110°F), which is expected. MINOR ISSUES: Ice machines are only on odd-numbered floors. I had trouble finding one with ice, so I ended up buying ice at 7-Eleven. No complimentary breakfast. The breakfast offered costs $15 and isn't worth the price in my opinion. There’s only one waffle machine for everyone, and the rest of the buffet is minimal — sausage, bacon (a bit hard), eggs, toast (DIY), hash browns, and some yogurt. You’d get more value going to a nearby Denny’s, McDonald’s, or similar. DISAPPOINTMENTS: The biggest issue was the pricing discrepancy. My reservation through Priceline listed taxes and fees as $175. However, on July 29 (a day before checkout), I was charged $244.05 for taxes and fees, plus a $200 deposit. This was frustrating, as the hotel did not honor the amount listed in my original booking. It left me disappointed and I hope this can be addressed. Overall, the stay has been good so far, and I will update this review after I check out and even add photos. UPDATED POSTING: After Red Lion contacted me on 29th day prior to my leave to inform that I was not going to be able to use my Key card because my leave was on that day. I explain I leave the next day. I was in a themepark at the time of such call. The Rep suggest I call Priceline for they have me with a different Company - the one I cancelled way in advance before due date and not show the Priceline with date of leaving of 30th. I had to call Priceline for a period of 30 min about to have them help me on the error or hiccup that was presented. I was then informed that issue was resolved. A few minutes after I received call from Red Lion confirming it was all fixed and that I will need obtain a new Key Card. I was so relieved because my fam and my belongings were in the room. We overall are happy with our stay. Thank you for the memories we obtain.

Miosdove1

My Stay at Red Lion Hotel Orlando (July 23–30, Booked via Priceline) Input on the Positives, Minor Issues, and Disappointments: We arrived at the hotel and found it just as shown in the photos. It’s lovely both outside and inside, and very clean. We were greeted professionally, even though we arrived late at night. ✅ ¤ POSITIVES: The hotel feels safe — a key card is required to enter the building and access your room. Rooms are spacious, clean, and well-maintained. Elevators and luggage carts are available on the main floor, which made check-in and check-out much easier. The ceiling fan in the room is a nice touch for those who prefer a light breeze over strong A/C. Daily housekeeping is available, or you can opt out by using the “Do Not Disturb” sign. Laundry facilities are clean and easy to use. Washing costs $2, and drying is between $0.50–$1.00 depending on the time needed. Tip: Be sure to add both detergent and softener at the start of your wash cycle. The pool is relatively clean. Some cosmetic touch-ups (especially on the bridge area) would improve the look, but overall, it was enjoyable. The water was warm, which is expected in 98–110°F weather. ⚠️ ¤ MINOR ISSUES: Ice machines are only on odd-numbered floors. I had a hard time finding one that actually had ice, so I ended up buying a bag at 7-Eleven. No complimentary breakfast. The $15 breakfast offered wasn't worth it in my opinion. There was only one waffle machine for all guests, and the remaining buffet items were basic: sausage, bacon (a bit overcooked), eggs, toast (DIY), hash browns, and yogurt. You’d get more value and variety at a nearby Denny’s or McDonald’s. ❌ ¤ DISAPPOINTMENTS: 1. Pricing Discrepancy My Priceline reservation listed taxes and fees as $175. However, on July 29 (the day before check-out), I was unexpectedly charged $244.05 in taxes and fees, plus a $200 deposit. This was frustrating because the hotel did not honor the total amount shown in my confirmed Priceline booking. I hope this inconsistency is addressed going forward — especially for guests booking through third-party platforms. 2. Check-Out Confusion and Key Card Deactivation Also on July 29, I received a call from Red Lion informing me that my key card access would be deactivated because, according to their system, my reservation ended that day. I explained that my check-out date was actually July 30, as correctly listed on my Priceline reservation. The issue appeared to be that Red Lion was relying on incorrect information from a third-party reservation system — possibly one tied to a prior booking I had already cancelled well in advance. Unfortunately, the Red Lion system didn’t seem to reflect the accurate Priceline reservation. At the time, I was at a theme park, which added extra stress. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with Priceline, who confirmed that they had my correct check-out date as July 30 and helped communicate this back to the hotel. Shortly after, Red Lion called me back to confirm the issue was resolved, the amount taken out was corrected, and I was advised to stop by the front desk for a new key card. I was incredibly relieved — especially since my family belongings were still inside the room. 📝 ¤ FINAL THOUGHTS: Despite these hiccups, we were overall happy with our stay. The hotel is clean, comfortable, and in a great location. With some improvements to communication between the front desk and third-party systems, the experience could be smoother for future guests. Thank you, Red Lion, for the stay and the memories we made during our visit.

Josh Vander Wagen

Rented a room for 5 days/nights the room was fantastic. Plenty of space and above all else clean! Loved the mini fridge and microwave in the room, and the bathroom was quite spacious. Plenty of outlets for charging gadgets and devices. Strongly recommend if you have Disney plans as the parks are minutes away, 20 to 30 depending on traffic.

Victoria Greene

Iraida was fantastic. She helped me from the moment we arrived to the moment we departed. She made sure we had everything we needed when she saw us. Her customer service is exceptional. The rooms were clean beds comfy. House keepers come and give you clean linen and towels/rags daily. I enjoyed the stay.

Aabida Mohammed

This is an okay hotel! You get what you pay for simply put! I've been to this location twice. The first visit was good and that made us want to come back another time, this time for a celebration. I was very disappointed in the service we received this time around. I called twice, after noone returned my call, I even got transferred to leave the hotel manger a message in regards celebrating my child's birthday and still haven't heard back from anyone. The front desk receptionist informed me that they were extra busy. The lazy river pool which is my kids favorite was closed because they didn't have enough life guards on duty, so that was a bummer. The actual pool area was open but was completely overcrowded and there were kids below the age limit in the hot tub and all the towels were taken. It wasn't the best experience at all. I understand things can happen but the hotel should be better able to handle these situations in the future. Just an honest review.