Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport

The hotel staff made us feel well looked after, especially Juan. When a travel glitch left us stuck in the lobby for over an hour while we figured out what to do next, he was friendly, stored our luggage, and didn’t mind us hanging around. The lobby was comfortable, which helped. The airport shuttle is free and handy, and in our case it was an Uber the hotel paid for and sent. The hotel is close to the airport. There are a couple of casual restaurants nearby, but no store we could safely walk to. Breakfast had good basics: yogurt, oatmeal, bagels and cream cheese, cereal, and a clean, well-stocked coffee station with good coffee. The hot items were the weak point, as I’ve found at other Homewood Suites too. The Denver omelettes looked unappealing, the chicken sausage patties seemed limp, and the potatoes had so much seasoning they looked like potato salad. Those were the only three hot options, and people seemed to open the dishes and leave without taking food. I think there may have been a waffle maker, but I’m not sure. It’s a small gripe, not worth taking off a whole star, though I wish I could deduct half.

Kevin, the shuttle driver, made a great first impression when he picked us up from the airport after midnight. We were exhausted, and his cheerful, kind, bright manner was exactly what we needed. He was the first person from the hotel we met, and he set a really positive tone. Excellent experience from start to finish.

My first room smelled like a dead rat, but the desk moved me and upgraded the room. The billing is still a mess. They charged my card $100 at check-in and $80 at checkout, $180 total, though so far I’ve only seen the $80. This was business travel, and I’d sent a credit card authorization before the stay. It took three emails to get someone to sort it out, and they tried to bill my card eight times. I usually get the deposit back the next day after checkout, but that hasn’t happened here. I won’t stay again. If you’re traveling for business, verify third-party billing before booking and get the details in writing.

For our one-night stop before a DCL cruise, this worked out really well. It’s close to MCO, clean, and surprisingly quiet. The free shuttle went to and from the airport, and dropped us right beside the DCL bus location at MCO. We only needed a night before moving on, and it was a pleasant stay.