OverviewLocated about a 10-minute drive from Disney World's Magic Kingdom just off Highway 530, the Clarion Suites Maingate is geared towards vacation travellers who prefer a well-priced hotel with a free Disney Theme Park shuttle, a free breakfast and easy highway access.
This hotel has 150 air-conditioned suites, each offering one king or two queen beds, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, an in-room safe, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a microwave, a seating area with a sofabed, a desk, a hair dryer and an iron and ironing board.
Rooms with a jetted tub are also available as are wheelchair-accessible rooms. Pets are not permitted. Guest rooms are non-smoking, but there are designated smoking areas on the property.
The hotel also offers a heated outdoor pool, a kiddie pool, a hot tub, a games room, meeting/banquet space, a business centre, guest laundry facilities, a coffee shop, a gift shop and free parking.
A complimentary breakfast for up to two people per room is served in Jumbo's Eatery, which also serves lunch and dinner daily. Jumbo's Eatery also features bar service from 5 pm to 11 pm daily. The coffee shop, Pixies Java Cafe, is open from 6:30 am to 11 am daily and serves coffee and offers snacks on-the-go.
A free round-trip shuttle to the surrounding Disney Theme Parks is offered several times daily. Please contact the hotel for scheduling details. The hotel also partners with a shuttle service for airport transportation, which requires pre-booking and charges apply.
Carraba's Italian Grill is about a 3-minute walk north of the hotel, while Downtown Disney offers shopping and other attractions roughly 16 minutes away by car. Gator Golf and Adventure Park can be found 18 minutes northeast, and Kissimmee's city centre is about a 25-minute drive eastward. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is approximately a 30-minute drive northeast. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible (Call Date: June 14, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, value and breakfast.
Numerous reviewers were pleased with the hotel's location. They described it as easy to find, as well as close to the surrounding Disney parks, highway access, restaurants, shopping and a supermarket.
The hotel's value was praised by many guests. They descried the rates as reasonable, good, decent and cheap, with a good price-quality ratio.
Several lodgers enjoyed the hotel's breakfast, describing it as awesome and fantastic, with a large selection of hot and cold items and excellent coffee. One reviewer remarked, "The breakfast was exceptional, with a choice of several hot or cold items with plenty of extras. (bagels, toast, muffins, fruit, yogurt, etc.) And the breakfast area was clean and well stocked". It should be noted, however, that a few guests found the breakfast area to be too small and crowded.
The hotel's rooms were also praised by several guests, who described them as clean, spacious, well equipped and comfortable. A few guests did find the beds to be too soft, however.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the Wi-Fi and noise transfer.
Several guests had complaints about the hotel's Wi-Fi. They described it as spotty and intermittent, and recounted having difficulty getting a signal at all.
Noise disturbances were mentioned by some lodgers. They reported noisy in-room air-conditioning units, plumbing noise and noise from guests in adjacent rooms.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.1 out of 10 from 591 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #21 out of 162 Kissimmee hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 433 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 3.9 out of 5 with an 88% recommendation rate from 77 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 14, 2013 to verify some information.
