Castle Hotel, Autograph Collection in Orlando

The property is undeniably beautiful — the pool, outdoor areas, and interior furnishings truly make you feel like you're staying in a castle. Special thanks to Boris at the restaurant, who was the only genuinely warm and welcoming staff member we encountered.

However, several issues made our stay less enjoyable:

Parking was advertised on Booking at $15/day but was actually charged at $35/day plus taxes.
Breakfast, claimed to be included, only covers $50 per room (excluding taxes, service charges, and an additional $14/child plus taxes and service), leaving guests with unexpected extra costs.
The beds (140 cm) were small and not very comfortable.
Housekeeping was inconsistent; our room was not cleaned daily, even when requested.
The check-in experience was cold and unwelcoming, with staff members who seemed indifferent.
In summary, while the setting is charming, the service and transparency fell far below expectations for this type of establishment.

Driving up to the hotel it looked promising, lift up to our floor felt bit old but worked well with the style, rooms were ok but looked like it could do with some freshening up.

First thing we noticed was a stain on one of the pillowcases, this made us wonder whether the beds were properly changed or cleaned, we did see a single strand of hair in the bathtub but gave it the benefit of the doubt that could be the cleaner if they did clean it. Sadly on the website it states luxury toiletries- well these were disappointing and did not feel it. We were provided with one set for two people. That is one shampoo, one conditioner, one body lotion, no shower gel, (you get a shower in the room) one face soap, one hand soap.
The hot water kettle dispenser was not cleaned as when we went to do an initial clean there was a lot of black stuff coming out, we had no coffee in the room either. We had to go ask reception to give us a new one and that’s when we found out we should have had coffee provided with the kettles. So far very disappointing,
We found out during our stay that the hotel doesn’t clean your room on a daily basis and we weren’t aware of this so our bins were over filling, we had to ask for toilet roll, and new towels. When we received the towels in the bedroom whilst we were out they were left on top of the toilet. Not exactly the best or cleanest place to put if especially if we haven’t had the room cleaned for a good few days.
If you want your room cleaned I expect you will need to let reception know. I’ve stayed at Marriotts before and I’ve never experienced it where they don’t clean your room and I don’t mind if they don’t do it on a daily basis but they should inform you at reception when you check in.
We stayed during Hurricane Milton and we were very disappointed as international tourists not to have received any information from the hotel that it was coming and what to do/ how to stay safe/ whether there was going to be reduced restaurant opening times/ services.
This was our first hurricane. We instead received much more information and advice from our Uber drivers such as to stock up on food and water.
Our other information was from alerts we received on our phones and also by watching the news otherwise we would have been none the wiser. We are aware that other hotels received a note under their door as a minimum.
We were looking to hire a car but this hotel charges 27 dollars to park a day. So we decided to use Uber and actually turned out cheaper for us so bear this in mind.
The pros:
It’s very central and icon park is about 5 mins away, lots of bars and restaurants along the the drive in either direction. Close to the parks if that’s what you’re here for.
Reception staff are very nice and really get straight on to the case when you need something.
Two people who stood out for us was firstly Joe, who was standing outside one day as myself and my friend were deciding to visit a mall was so helpful. He even gave us some leaflets to hand it at our destination to get discounts and a free bag. He was really friendly and chatty and a great sense of humour.
The second person was Ryan, from housekeeping was also very helpful when my friend was after some items for our room. Very cheerful.
I’d only recommend this hotel if you just want somewhere to sleep for a few days. I wouldn’t come back here again not for a holiday as I feel the basic expectations of a hotel service was lacking. Can’t fault any of the staff we dealt with.