Hilton Grand Vacations Club SeaWorld® Hotel in Orlando

I want to start by acknowledging that the front desk and operational staff at this resort have been absolutely wonderful. They have been kind, helpful, and professional every time we interacted with them. My concerns are strictly about the service at the pool bar, which has been consistently disappointing.

On multiple occasions, both my husband and I as well as my mother and I were completely ignored while standing or sitting at the bar. At the pool bar, two of the bartenders, Robert and Evan, along with a server named Gaston, walked past us repeatedly, never greeted us, never acknowledged our presence, and made no effort to serve or even speak to us.

One of the most concerning moments was when my husband and I sat at the bar for 30 full minutes without so much as a hello. During that time, even children who approached the bar were acknowledged before we ever were. After being completely overlooked, I finally asked Evan, who appeared to be the bar manager, if he did not see us and whether he was indeed the manager. He looked at me and simply said, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” but made no real effort to address or correct what had already happened.

What makes this even more troubling is that this was not an isolated situation. It happened more than once. As African Americans, we could not ignore the fact that we were consistently overlooked while other guests received prompt and attentive service. No guest should ever feel invisible or dismissed, yet that is exactly how we were made to feel at the pool bar.

While the rest of the resort staff has been exceptional, the service at the pool bar left a lasting negative impression. I truly hope management takes this feedback seriously and addresses these issues so no other guests have to experience this kind of disregard.