Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando

There was plenty to do on the property, and the grounds had lots of waterfalls and pretty spots to relax. The one-bedroom villa felt like a smaller home, with a kitchenette and washer and dryer. The kids loved the pirate pool and its slide, and there were three other pools to pick from too.

The hot water barely kept up, and staff said the tank was on the first floor. The AC struggled too until engineering increased the fan speed manually, which helped; they said they’d do something with the water in the system. The fan wasn’t working at first and had to be fixed. A microwave error kept beeping the whole stay, and they never fixed it. The dishwasher was changed twice and several fuses were changed in between, but it still didn’t work by the time we left. It felt like they preferred saying something had been done over actually getting it resolved. They did say renovations would happen in three months for sure. We were short-staffed on our first night, and security couldn’t even bring us towels or dental kits. The room was very bright in the morning because the curtains had no cornices or valances. They put blankets above them, which helped only a little. One staff member implied we should’ve paid full price instead of booking a vacation package if we wanted better service and a better room. That was mean.

I like Marriott, but this place has been a letdown every time I’ve ended up there because my usual Marriott was booked. The cheap rate came with problems, and I’ve had enough. Sheraton, Karl or whoever the manager is, if a member is unhappy, even on a prepaid stay, let them check out the next morning and refund them. You’ll probably fill the room at a higher rate and leave the guest happier. Instead, I felt stuck there with the issues I’d raised. I also reported roaches in the kitchen cabinets. There wasn’t any food in there, and they were by the plates and cups, so I wondered if those had been washed properly. I didn’t put anything in the cabinets afterward. My villa had only one butter knife, maybe that’s the policy now, I don’t know. A laminated checklist of what should be in each kitchen or villa before arrival and at departure might help. I can’t remember everything else I put in the survey, but I was trying to give useful feedback for the next guest.

My family has usually enjoyed Marriot stays, so getting the letter offering us a $400 stay for four nights had seemed like a good deal. Now I understand why. The Sheraton was bought by The Marriot, and this visit was a huge disappointment. Our room was 80 degrees when we arrived, and the vent covers were so dirty they had to be replaced. There was blood on the bath towels and the blinds were dirty. The AC wouldn’t go below 74. We had a toddler with us, and it took a day and a half to move us to another room. Inside the vents, dirt was caked on, the kind of thing people breathe in. It was completely unacceptable and looked like it hadn’t been maintained in a long time. We also got takeout from the Breeze, and it was basically slop tossed into a container. Given these serious issues, I’ll be writing to the Better Business Bereau and they can deal with the Federal Government.