OverviewLocated about an 8-minute drive from Downtown Disney just west of Interstate 4, the Hampton Inn Orlando Lake Buena Vista is geared towards travellers who require a well-priced hotel close to Disney World with a free breakfast and easy highway access.
This hotel has over 147 air-conditioned guest rooms, each offering two queen beds or one king bed, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a microwave, a free weekday newspaper, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer.
The hotel also offers an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness room, a business centre, guest laundry, a beauty/barber shop, a free continental breakfast, a weekday boxed breakfast-to-go and free parking. Free cookies are available each evening and the hotel provides 24-hour tea and coffee service.
Pets are not permitted and the hotel is wheelchair accessible.
A complimentary shuttle to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios is also offered (please contact the hotel for departure schedule).
Several restaurants are under a 10-minute walk from the hotel, including A&W, India Palace and Amici Italian Restaurant. Disney World is roughly a 12-minute drive westward, and Orlando Premium Outlets can be found about 20 minutes away by car. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is about a 20-minute drive eastward. (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: July 18, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, value, staff and breakfast.
Numerous guests enjoyed the hotel's location, describing it as close to Downtown Disney, Seaworld, Universal Studios, Discovery Cove, restaurants and grocery stores.
Many reviewers praised the hotel's value, and described the rates as exceptional, affordable, excellent and great. These guests also cited the free Wi-Fi, free shuttle, free parking and free breakfast as contributing to the hotel's overall worth.
The hotel's staff were the source of several compliments by lodgers, who characterized them as friendly, attentive, accommodating and helpful with directions. One guest remarked, "We got a call from the front desk about an hour after we checked in, just to make sure everything was going well, and to see if there was anything we needed! What wonderful service!".
Several reviewers also praised the hotel's breakfast, which was described as exceptional, plentiful and excellent, with lots of hot and cold selections. One lodger stated, "the hot/cold breakfast they prepared every morning exceeded our expectations". A few guests did find the breakfast area to be crowded at times, however.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the rooms and the free shuttle.
While the majority of reviewers praised their clean and comfortable rooms, a few guests had complaints about the accommodations. They reported worn carpet, noisy in-room air-conditioning units and odours when the bathroom water was running.
A few lodgers complained about the hotel's free shuttle. They were disappointed with the departure times, expressing they were either too early or too late in the day, and not frequent enough.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #25 out of 329 Orlando hotels with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 934 reviews.
Expedia.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.6 out of 5 with a 98% recommendation rate from 785 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.8 out of 10 from 40 reviews.
The author called the hotel on July 18, 2013 to verify some information.
