Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort Reviews
May 26, 2020
I am contacting the “club” as I am a newer member of the “club” and am not happy with what the “club” has been able to provide. I purchased so I could vacation more and so far all I have been able to do is call or look online for reservations. I can’t book a reservation. I can’t get what I want when and where I want. I am told there are fees to book a reservation.
Why I should have to pay a fee to make a reservation is absurd seeing as how I paid for the time already. I am told that 150,000 points aren’t enough for what I am trying to reserve. Again, I was told that 150,000 points would get me anything I wanted. I am not trying to get the presidential suite BUT I am trying to get a room reserved. The only things that are available are random dates and places no one would want to go. When I think of a vacation I am not thinking about the greater Nevada desert. I am thinking about the coastline, sunshine, and roll tides roll.
What makes this whole situation even more frustrating is that I received a warning letter threatening to send me to a foreclosure attorney because I am a few payments behind. Perhaps if there were something I wanted available with Holiday Inn I could have paid the money to use it. However, because I am not partial to cacti and rock formations, I elected to spend my money on a vacation outside of Holiday Inn and enjoyed the pleasures of being able to make a reservation, fee-free.
If Holiday Inn would like to offer what they promised, I’d be happy to extend some consideration that direction. However, if Holiday Inn cannot provide me the promised ownership benefits of vacation, I’d prefer to receive the options for buyback or resale.
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Motel. After I booked I recieved a call inviting me to visit a resort property of Holiday Inn International. I took a trip to Florida and visited the resort in July of 1019. I didn't purchase anything but I started getting charges on my card account from OLCC mortgages. I had to cancel the card and have a new one issued to keep from being charged further.
To listen to their salesmen, this was the best deal ever. Go anywhere, go anytime, easy on-line booking, value going up up up. We are telling you these promises are nothing but lies sold to us by high-pressure salesmen.
I am going to tell you how it really is!
I paid have paid over $17,000 in the last 5 1/2 years and have gone on vacation 3 times. These vacations were sadly subpar and not worth the money. We were “lucky” to have even gotten that far. The website was not easy to use. Plenty of times I tried to book in 2015 and 2016. I was able to go on, but unable to book anything. Going to "account overview" or "plan a vacation” always resulted in error page. Once I got lucky and was able to book vacations for December 2016 and February 2017.
Representatives weren't helpful. It didn't make a sense to even contact them. (When I did at first try going through them for a booking, they told us it cost $50 to book a vacation. Salesmen never mentioned that. These three vacations have cost us $150 just to book them.) Miles D. and others never told us about maintenance fees. It was a very bad surprise to get that bill and not have planned for it or budgeted for it. That took a big chunk out of our finances.
They never told me about the rescission period, although I wasn’t looking to just cancel it right after buying it. I wanted to get some use out of it like they promised me. How could I have known about the problems I would encounter so far in the future?
I have called to talk to them about not wanting it any more. They told me we had to pay it off first before you will take it back. They gave me the name of a resale company sumdayvacations.com and told me to try and sell it through them. They wanted $500 just to list it. No, I didn't do that. That is no help to me at all. And they have very bad customer reviews. Why would you refer me to a company like that?
Renting it out to make money? More points through referrals? RCI points? There is no way I will refer anyone to Orange Lake after the hassles I have been through. Same for renting it out. The salesmen told me I could use points for airfare – not doable.
What the salesmen told me about the timeshare is not close to our experience.
 Gina Sheppard and Teresa Miles 3405 Sweetwater Rd, Apt 736 Lawrenceville, GA 30044 Holiday Inn Club Vacations (Orange Lake Resorts) – South Beach Resort OLCC. South Carolina, LLC [what is OLCC?] 8505 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34747 South Beach Resort Attention Resort Owners Association 3000 South Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Member number: 6241507, Contract number: 6502012 We first signed a timeshare contract with Holliday Inn/Orange Lake June 2, 2015, for 79,000 points at the Las Vegas Desert Club in Las Vegas, NV. We signed an upgrade contract Nov. 12, 2016, at South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, for 136,000 points and used equity from the first as a down payment. We expected so much more from this ownership because the sales representatives made us believe there was so much more. We found ourselves at a timeshare presentation by answering the phone at home. The caller offered us a 5-day, 4-night vacation for $179 at the Desert Club Resort in Las Vegas, which we accepted. All we had to do was listen to a 90-minute talk about a timeshare that was being offered for sale.
Daniel Tamayo was the sales agent who told us about all the benefits of owing a timeshare. He said that our property value would increase, and quoted previous and current property pricing to us. He said that we could travel anywhere in the world with this membership and use the timeshare points for cruises, airfare, and rental cars. We love to cruise and thought this would be a great way to cruise often. Daniel said that there was limited property available to purchase because the property was selling quickly. We needed to buy now or miss out. After more than 6 hours, we were convinced. However, we have not been able to take any cruises, rent cars, or fly using the timeshare because the points required are extremely high, and we didn’t have enough. We did reserve a unit in Myrtle Beach for Teresa’s birthday.
When we arrived to check in, we were told that we had to attend a 60-minute owners update meeting that would inform us of all the updates and information that was going on with the company and property. We were promised free items if we attended the meeting. We went as scheduled only to find out that there was no meeting at all. It was another one-on-one with us and a sales agent by the name of Gary Milliken. We were never told of any updates or new information regarding the company or property. We were asked questions about our current timeshare and about why we missed out on our "price freeze,” which was offered to the members. We never received any such offer meaning the time period where we could have purchased and received the same points value that we currently owned. Gary and his manager said that they could give us the same value points that we currently had, but we had to make an upgrade.
After many, many, and many more hours later we were hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and emotionally drained. The manager continuously beat the table with her hands and kept saying "c’mon, let’s make this happen.” We were intimidated and bullied into buying a timeshare that was never shown to us. Teresa was not feeling well and didn’t want to attend the meeting. We were told that Teresa had to come. When we arrived, Teresa told them that she didn’t feel well; she had to excuse herself several times. The salesperson repeatedly told us that if we wanted the freeze reinstated that we had to purchase that day, and if we were to leave, the offer would not be available. Teresa had to be there, she could not leave. We were held hostage for over 6 high-pressured hours. We have come to realize that we were lied to, as we are not able to cruise, use airfare, or go anywhere in the world because we would never accumulate enough points unless we continued to upgrade, for a lot more money. We are unhappy, frustrated, and angry with Holiday Inn for pressuring us into purchasing. We were promised wonderful vacations, which were not available to us. As to the rising value we were promised—the internet lists hundreds of timeshares for sale at $1 or even free. This timeshare is no investment.
We were told that we could rent out the timeshare for double or triple in what we pay for the mortgage, because people always want to visit Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach. We do not want to take the responsibility of renting. It is too much stress and pressure for us. We later discovered other FALSE, DECEPTIVE or MISREPRESENTED pieces of the timeshare program.. We were not told that we had to pay a fee to stay at different resort locations. We were not told that the maintenance fees would increase. We were never told about the membership fees. We could never get ahold of our sales agents again, who promised to be our personal representatives and would help us. We were never told about a rescission period at either signing session. Some things were confusing to us, but never explained, such as RCI, transferring points, rolling over points, losing points value and purchasing points. We were under the impression that we could always purchase points; it was not made clear to us that we would always have to upgrade in order to accumulate more points. We were told that the timeshare was an investment, which it is not. They showed us statistics of property values increasing and how our property would double in value. We were told the meetings would last 60-90 minutes but they actually lasted over 6 hrs. They told us the points we purchased would give us certain amenities and they did not. They told us we would be able to book more bedrooms than what we purchased at no extra cost, we could stay anywhere without extra fees, showed and told us that we could stay in the signature collections. None of this is true. We felt pressured and highly intimidated at the presentations. It felt as though we were held hostage and could not leave until we purchased the timeshare. In fact, they would not give us the promised free items until we purchased. This is extortion.
Now we have a financial hardship because Gina lost her job. She has another, but at a huge decrease in pay. So now we cannot pay for the timeshare. We just don’t have the resources. We have paid Holiday Inn $12,921.05. That is enough for the grief we experienced. Please take this timeshare back and cancel our membership. You can sell it to another naive couple. Gina Sheppard and Teresa Miles
Recently my family and I stayed at Orange Lake Resort (December 31, 2017 – January 5, 2018), my parents had given us the stay as a Christmas present as they have been IHG owners since 2004 (Originally South Beach Vacation Club). We had stayed at Orange Lake in the past and loved it so we requested to stay again. We arrived very late on the 31st as we were at Disney for the New Year’s Eve celebration. When we arrived in our room, we were extremely disappointed with the condition of the building and room. I will gladly supply photos of the following: The elevator is old and rickety, the exterior is not well kept, there were holes in our wall, our bedsheets had 2 holes and what appears to be blood stains, the air filter had mounds of dust (it looks as if it has not been changed in years), the toilet did not flush properly, the light fixtures had dead bugs in them, the cabinet doors did not open properly- one drawer did not open at all, and the appliances were old, dented, and worn out (in other words, everything was disgusting).
The refrigerator actually froze anything that was placed in it. Nothing in this establishment was maintained, yet the owners are charged $700.00 in annual maintenance fees.
The next day, my husband went to the front desk to voice his concerns. At this point we had also asked about the security measure taken as there is not a card required for entry into the rooms from the exterior. There had been people up and down the hall all night. Kids were screaming and running around the next morning as well. Our issues were dismissed and he was told that we had been placed in this section due to the points used and that security was not an issue. If we noticed anything – we should just make them aware. In retrospect, I wish we had pushed the security issue.
As Orlando was extremely busy and we had no other options for accommodations, we stayed verses cancelling our reservations and going elsewhere. Tuesday night, we had requested more towels. We were told there was an $8.00 fee per set. We said never mind. I understand that this is policy but when maintenance fees are paid each year, the conditions of the hotel should be kept up and there should be no charge for exchanging towels. On Wednesday morning, VIP services had called, when my husband had told them what was going on, they told him that we were due for an upgrade because of the owner’s status and we should not have been placed in the club house area in the first place and that we were entitled to the upgrade at check-in. We did not press the issue or asked to be moved as it was already Wednesday and there was no point in moving at that point. We had already voiced our concerns and it did not seem to matter to the staff or management.
Thursday night, we returned late from the park. It looked as if our luggage had been riffled through and our clothes were piled up and messy. We repacked everything and decided that we would look through everything Friday morning prior to check–out as it was late and we were exhausted after the long day. While we were packing up on Friday morning, we noticed that our children’s tablets were missing (value of apx. $500). They had been placed in my husband’s backpack the night of the 31st when we arrived and we had left them in the bag the entire week. I would also like to mention that we had left the “do not disturb” sign up the duration of our stay so that no one would enter with our belongings in the room, as the tablets would not fit securely in the safe.
Friday morning, my husband went to the front desk to report what had happened, the manager on duty Dave, would not come out of his office to handle the issue. Finally, after my husband repeatedly insisted, he came out to speak with him. Dave’s attitude was basically “too bad”. He had no concern about the fact that there had been an apparent theft. He stated that he would have security call us. They never did call.
Later that day, my husband spoke with another manager, Franky, who stated he would follow up with security. Again, Security never called as promised. In the meantime, my mother was dealing with Jennifer (Operations). My mother was complaining about the room conditions and the security factor along with the theft. The issue was escalated to Nacey (Head of Operations) who told my mother that she had spoken with me (that never happened and that Dave stated we said the tablets could have been left at the park – also, never happened). My husband had explained to Dave that he had left them in his back pack in the room during our stay. This was twisted several times. It seems that everyone is trying to cover themselves and it is concerning to me that the staff is so casual and dishonest about the complaints. The entire situation has been handled in a severely unprofessional manner.
We were told that the time logs only show us entering and leaving the room so nothing will be done. We were also emailed a table of the log times/dates. I find this completely unacceptable and disappointing. We know that someone was in our room despite what the logs state. We also noticed a random log stating that the room was entered during a time when we were at Disney, this has yet to be addressed. The cameras should show an entry to our room by someone other than us.
Another area of security concern is that most chains will enter the room after 2 days of a displayed “do not disturb” sign as a security measure. The staff insists no one entered the room. After doing research, I learned that this is also a security issue that should be addressed, as most chains have this policy in affect to protect their guests. The lack of policy on this issue shows that Orange Lake has no concern for the security of its guests.
There are a number of issues ranging from cleanliness/maintenance, staff incompetence/professionalism/customer service, security, etc...These are major issues that need to be handled appropriately. The staff seems to need training on customer concerns, security, and safety. Browsing through past reviews, this is extremely evident that I am not the only patron who shares in these concerns. I have never dealt with such poor customer service. The fact that the BBB complaint percentage is at 80% negative is alarming in itself. This is not what I have come to expect from anything attached to the Holiday Inn brand. While I understand that this is an IHG partnership and not an ownership, I would hope that the IHG Corporation would be proactive with these concerns.
My expectation is that the tablets are replaced and my parents get some, if not all, of their points returned. I would also like reassurance that the staff has been dealt with and trained. Professionalism is key.
I reached out to Holiday Inn Corporate on 1.7.18. I asked that the correspondence be forwarded to the manager and general manager. I made them aware of the steps of actions that I would be taking should this issue not be resolved. No one has returned any form of correspondence. Nacey had promised that she would be in contact on 1.8.18 and never returned the call. I do not feel that Orange Lake is meeting a consumer obligation of safety, customer service, or maintenance (since maintenance fees are applied annually).
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or -concerns that you may have. I would also like the opportunity to share with you the photographs showing the mentioned maintenance issues as Orange Lake Resorts did not seem to be bothered by the conditions. I would recommend doing a google search on this resort "2012 Orange Lake Electrocution".
Not upfront about nonrefundable extra room stays that I paid out of pocket. They are very willing to add extra rooms but any changes to your travel plans they just take your money and say its nonrefundable. Do not recommend using this compsny save yourself the hassle of dealing with underhanded businesses like this one.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort Reviews
I am contacting the “club” as I am a newer member of the “club” and am not happy with what the “club” has been able to provide. I purchased so I could vacation more and so far all I have been able to do is call or look online for reservations. I can’t book a reservation. I can’t get what I want when and where I want. I am told there are fees to book a reservation.
Why I should have to pay a fee to make a reservation is absurd seeing as how I paid for the time already. I am told that 150,000 points aren’t enough for what I am trying to reserve. Again, I was told that 150,000 points would get me anything I wanted. I am not trying to get the presidential suite BUT I am trying to get a room reserved. The only things that are available are random dates and places no one would want to go. When I think of a vacation I am not thinking about the greater Nevada desert. I am thinking about the coastline, sunshine, and roll tides roll.
What makes this whole situation even more frustrating is that I received a warning letter threatening to send me to a foreclosure attorney because I am a few payments behind. Perhaps if there were something I wanted available with Holiday Inn I could have paid the money to use it. However, because I am not partial to cacti and rock formations, I elected to spend my money on a vacation outside of Holiday Inn and enjoyed the pleasures of being able to make a reservation, fee-free.
If Holiday Inn would like to offer what they promised, I’d be happy to extend some consideration that direction. However, if Holiday Inn cannot provide me the promised ownership benefits of vacation, I’d prefer to receive the options for buyback or resale.
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Motel. After I booked I recieved a call inviting me to visit a resort property of Holiday Inn International. I took a trip to Florida and visited the resort in July of 1019. I didn't purchase anything but I started getting charges on my card account from OLCC mortgages. I had to cancel the card and have a new one issued to keep from being charged further.
DO NOT GET A TIMESHARE FROM THESE PEOPLE.
To listen to their salesmen, this was the best deal ever. Go anywhere, go anytime, easy on-line booking, value going up up up. We are telling you these promises are nothing but lies sold to us by high-pressure salesmen.
I am going to tell you how it really is!
I paid have paid over $17,000 in the last 5 1/2 years and have gone on vacation 3 times. These vacations were sadly subpar and not worth the money. We were “lucky” to have even gotten that far. The website was not easy to use. Plenty of times I tried to book in 2015 and 2016. I was able to go on, but unable to book anything. Going to "account overview" or "plan a vacation” always resulted in error page. Once I got lucky and was able to book vacations for December 2016 and February 2017.
Representatives weren't helpful. It didn't make a sense to even contact them. (When I did at first try going through them for a booking, they told us it cost $50 to book a vacation. Salesmen never mentioned that. These three vacations have cost us $150 just to book them.) Miles D. and others never told us about maintenance fees. It was a very bad surprise to get that bill and not have planned for it or budgeted for it. That took a big chunk out of our finances.
They never told me about the rescission period, although I wasn’t looking to just cancel it right after buying it. I wanted to get some use out of it like they promised me. How could I have known about the problems I would encounter so far in the future?
I have called to talk to them about not wanting it any more. They told me we had to pay it off first before you will take it back. They gave me the name of a resale company sumdayvacations.com and told me to try and sell it through them. They wanted $500 just to list it. No, I didn't do that. That is no help to me at all. And they have very bad customer reviews. Why would you refer me to a company like that?
Renting it out to make money? More points through referrals? RCI points? There is no way I will refer anyone to Orange Lake after the hassles I have been through. Same for renting it out. The salesmen told me I could use points for airfare – not doable.
What the salesmen told me about the timeshare is not close to our experience.
Once again DO NOT BUY A TIMESHARE HERE.
 Gina Sheppard and Teresa Miles 3405 Sweetwater Rd, Apt 736 Lawrenceville, GA 30044 Holiday Inn Club Vacations (Orange Lake Resorts) – South Beach Resort OLCC. South Carolina, LLC [what is OLCC?] 8505 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34747 South Beach Resort Attention Resort Owners Association 3000 South Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Member number: 6241507, Contract number: 6502012 We first signed a timeshare contract with Holliday Inn/Orange Lake June 2, 2015, for 79,000 points at the Las Vegas Desert Club in Las Vegas, NV. We signed an upgrade contract Nov. 12, 2016, at South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, for 136,000 points and used equity from the first as a down payment. We expected so much more from this ownership because the sales representatives made us believe there was so much more. We found ourselves at a timeshare presentation by answering the phone at home. The caller offered us a 5-day, 4-night vacation for $179 at the Desert Club Resort in Las Vegas, which we accepted. All we had to do was listen to a 90-minute talk about a timeshare that was being offered for sale.
Daniel Tamayo was the sales agent who told us about all the benefits of owing a timeshare. He said that our property value would increase, and quoted previous and current property pricing to us. He said that we could travel anywhere in the world with this membership and use the timeshare points for cruises, airfare, and rental cars. We love to cruise and thought this would be a great way to cruise often. Daniel said that there was limited property available to purchase because the property was selling quickly. We needed to buy now or miss out. After more than 6 hours, we were convinced. However, we have not been able to take any cruises, rent cars, or fly using the timeshare because the points required are extremely high, and we didn’t have enough. We did reserve a unit in Myrtle Beach for Teresa’s birthday.
When we arrived to check in, we were told that we had to attend a 60-minute owners update meeting that would inform us of all the updates and information that was going on with the company and property. We were promised free items if we attended the meeting. We went as scheduled only to find out that there was no meeting at all. It was another one-on-one with us and a sales agent by the name of Gary Milliken. We were never told of any updates or new information regarding the company or property. We were asked questions about our current timeshare and about why we missed out on our "price freeze,” which was offered to the members. We never received any such offer meaning the time period where we could have purchased and received the same points value that we currently owned. Gary and his manager said that they could give us the same value points that we currently had, but we had to make an upgrade.
After many, many, and many more hours later we were hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and emotionally drained. The manager continuously beat the table with her hands and kept saying "c’mon, let’s make this happen.” We were intimidated and bullied into buying a timeshare that was never shown to us. Teresa was not feeling well and didn’t want to attend the meeting. We were told that Teresa had to come. When we arrived, Teresa told them that she didn’t feel well; she had to excuse herself several times. The salesperson repeatedly told us that if we wanted the freeze reinstated that we had to purchase that day, and if we were to leave, the offer would not be available. Teresa had to be there, she could not leave. We were held hostage for over 6 high-pressured hours. We have come to realize that we were lied to, as we are not able to cruise, use airfare, or go anywhere in the world because we would never accumulate enough points unless we continued to upgrade, for a lot more money. We are unhappy, frustrated, and angry with Holiday Inn for pressuring us into purchasing. We were promised wonderful vacations, which were not available to us. As to the rising value we were promised—the internet lists hundreds of timeshares for sale at $1 or even free. This timeshare is no investment.
We were told that we could rent out the timeshare for double or triple in what we pay for the mortgage, because people always want to visit Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach. We do not want to take the responsibility of renting. It is too much stress and pressure for us. We later discovered other FALSE, DECEPTIVE or MISREPRESENTED pieces of the timeshare program.. We were not told that we had to pay a fee to stay at different resort locations. We were not told that the maintenance fees would increase. We were never told about the membership fees. We could never get ahold of our sales agents again, who promised to be our personal representatives and would help us. We were never told about a rescission period at either signing session. Some things were confusing to us, but never explained, such as RCI, transferring points, rolling over points, losing points value and purchasing points. We were under the impression that we could always purchase points; it was not made clear to us that we would always have to upgrade in order to accumulate more points. We were told that the timeshare was an investment, which it is not. They showed us statistics of property values increasing and how our property would double in value. We were told the meetings would last 60-90 minutes but they actually lasted over 6 hrs. They told us the points we purchased would give us certain amenities and they did not. They told us we would be able to book more bedrooms than what we purchased at no extra cost, we could stay anywhere without extra fees, showed and told us that we could stay in the signature collections. None of this is true. We felt pressured and highly intimidated at the presentations. It felt as though we were held hostage and could not leave until we purchased the timeshare. In fact, they would not give us the promised free items until we purchased. This is extortion.
Now we have a financial hardship because Gina lost her job. She has another, but at a huge decrease in pay. So now we cannot pay for the timeshare. We just don’t have the resources. We have paid Holiday Inn $12,921.05. That is enough for the grief we experienced. Please take this timeshare back and cancel our membership. You can sell it to another naive couple. Gina Sheppard and Teresa Miles
Re: Orange Lake Resort
Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Orange Lake Resort
Confirmation Numbers: 3521064, 3521063
Dates of Stay: 12.31.17-1.5.18
Room Number: 5318
Good Afternoon,
Recently my family and I stayed at Orange Lake Resort (December 31, 2017 – January 5, 2018), my parents had given us the stay as a Christmas present as they have been IHG owners since 2004 (Originally South Beach Vacation Club). We had stayed at Orange Lake in the past and loved it so we requested to stay again. We arrived very late on the 31st as we were at Disney for the New Year’s Eve celebration. When we arrived in our room, we were extremely disappointed with the condition of the building and room. I will gladly supply photos of the following: The elevator is old and rickety, the exterior is not well kept, there were holes in our wall, our bedsheets had 2 holes and what appears to be blood stains, the air filter had mounds of dust (it looks as if it has not been changed in years), the toilet did not flush properly, the light fixtures had dead bugs in them, the cabinet doors did not open properly- one drawer did not open at all, and the appliances were old, dented, and worn out (in other words, everything was disgusting).
The refrigerator actually froze anything that was placed in it. Nothing in this establishment was maintained, yet the owners are charged $700.00 in annual maintenance fees.
The next day, my husband went to the front desk to voice his concerns. At this point we had also asked about the security measure taken as there is not a card required for entry into the rooms from the exterior. There had been people up and down the hall all night. Kids were screaming and running around the next morning as well. Our issues were dismissed and he was told that we had been placed in this section due to the points used and that security was not an issue. If we noticed anything – we should just make them aware. In retrospect, I wish we had pushed the security issue.
As Orlando was extremely busy and we had no other options for accommodations, we stayed verses cancelling our reservations and going elsewhere. Tuesday night, we had requested more towels. We were told there was an $8.00 fee per set. We said never mind. I understand that this is policy but when maintenance fees are paid each year, the conditions of the hotel should be kept up and there should be no charge for exchanging towels. On Wednesday morning, VIP services had called, when my husband had told them what was going on, they told him that we were due for an upgrade because of the owner’s status and we should not have been placed in the club house area in the first place and that we were entitled to the upgrade at check-in. We did not press the issue or asked to be moved as it was already Wednesday and there was no point in moving at that point. We had already voiced our concerns and it did not seem to matter to the staff or management.
Thursday night, we returned late from the park. It looked as if our luggage had been riffled through and our clothes were piled up and messy. We repacked everything and decided that we would look through everything Friday morning prior to check–out as it was late and we were exhausted after the long day. While we were packing up on Friday morning, we noticed that our children’s tablets were missing (value of apx. $500). They had been placed in my husband’s backpack the night of the 31st when we arrived and we had left them in the bag the entire week. I would also like to mention that we had left the “do not disturb” sign up the duration of our stay so that no one would enter with our belongings in the room, as the tablets would not fit securely in the safe.
Friday morning, my husband went to the front desk to report what had happened, the manager on duty Dave, would not come out of his office to handle the issue. Finally, after my husband repeatedly insisted, he came out to speak with him. Dave’s attitude was basically “too bad”. He had no concern about the fact that there had been an apparent theft. He stated that he would have security call us. They never did call.
Later that day, my husband spoke with another manager, Franky, who stated he would follow up with security. Again, Security never called as promised. In the meantime, my mother was dealing with Jennifer (Operations). My mother was complaining about the room conditions and the security factor along with the theft. The issue was escalated to Nacey (Head of Operations) who told my mother that she had spoken with me (that never happened and that Dave stated we said the tablets could have been left at the park – also, never happened). My husband had explained to Dave that he had left them in his back pack in the room during our stay. This was twisted several times. It seems that everyone is trying to cover themselves and it is concerning to me that the staff is so casual and dishonest about the complaints. The entire situation has been handled in a severely unprofessional manner.
We were told that the time logs only show us entering and leaving the room so nothing will be done. We were also emailed a table of the log times/dates. I find this completely unacceptable and disappointing. We know that someone was in our room despite what the logs state. We also noticed a random log stating that the room was entered during a time when we were at Disney, this has yet to be addressed. The cameras should show an entry to our room by someone other than us.
Another area of security concern is that most chains will enter the room after 2 days of a displayed “do not disturb” sign as a security measure. The staff insists no one entered the room. After doing research, I learned that this is also a security issue that should be addressed, as most chains have this policy in affect to protect their guests. The lack of policy on this issue shows that Orange Lake has no concern for the security of its guests.
There are a number of issues ranging from cleanliness/maintenance, staff incompetence/professionalism/customer service, security, etc...These are major issues that need to be handled appropriately. The staff seems to need training on customer concerns, security, and safety. Browsing through past reviews, this is extremely evident that I am not the only patron who shares in these concerns. I have never dealt with such poor customer service. The fact that the BBB complaint percentage is at 80% negative is alarming in itself. This is not what I have come to expect from anything attached to the Holiday Inn brand. While I understand that this is an IHG partnership and not an ownership, I would hope that the IHG Corporation would be proactive with these concerns.
My expectation is that the tablets are replaced and my parents get some, if not all, of their points returned. I would also like reassurance that the staff has been dealt with and trained. Professionalism is key.
I reached out to Holiday Inn Corporate on 1.7.18. I asked that the correspondence be forwarded to the manager and general manager. I made them aware of the steps of actions that I would be taking should this issue not be resolved. No one has returned any form of correspondence. Nacey had promised that she would be in contact on 1.8.18 and never returned the call. I do not feel that Orange Lake is meeting a consumer obligation of safety, customer service, or maintenance (since maintenance fees are applied annually).
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or -concerns that you may have. I would also like the opportunity to share with you the photographs showing the mentioned maintenance issues as Orange Lake Resorts did not seem to be bothered by the conditions. I would recommend doing a google search on this resort "2012 Orange Lake Electrocution".
Not upfront about nonrefundable extra room stays that I paid out of pocket. They are very willing to add extra rooms but any changes to your travel plans they just take your money and say its nonrefundable. Do not recommend using this compsny save yourself the hassle of dealing with underhanded businesses like this one.