kristine hipol
Great Location & Outstanding Staff – A Few Updates Would Make It Perfect
Our family had a wonderful stay at Hilton Buena Vista Palace Orlando! The location is unbeatable—just a short, easy walk to Disney Springs, which made getting to restaurants and shops super convenient without needing to drive.
The service really stood out during our stay. The front desk was warm and welcoming, and when I unexpectedly got my period, they kindly provided tampons—such a thoughtful and timely gesture. Amanda at Citrus 28 was consistently kind and helpful, and another sweet staff member made our kids’ day with a big cookie. Little things like that made the experience feel really personal and special.
The hotel has great amenities, especially the pool and lazy river area, which our family loved. Rooms were clean and comfortable, but we did notice a few areas that could use some updating. The air conditioning unit was quite large and a bit outdated—it tended to swing between being extremely cold or too warm if not constantly running. The bathroom, while functional, could use some polishing; the tissue holder was loose and kept falling apart, and some fixtures showed wear.
Overall, it was still a lovely stay with standout service. With a few renovations, this hotel could easily be top-tier. We’d definitely come back and recommend it, especially for families looking to stay close to Disney Springs with amazing staff who go above and beyond.
person boi
The staff interactions were good for the most part. My big complaint is how they handled groups. They didn't uphold their agreements and enforced an earlier curfew for a school group being very insistent about it despite previously agreeing to a later time making it impossible for the groups to take part in the activities that they were in Orlando for. To enforce their curfew, however, they had security in the halls, walking somewhat noisily and with loud walkie talkies. Although, they were very nice while being insistent about the curfew.
Also, while I understand that there was an abnormally large number of people checking in the day we checked in but when they told us we could check in at 4, our room wasn't ready for 2-3 hours later. Had we needed to have been somewhere for our conference, this would not have been ideal. Then, they didn't do much of anything to remedy the inconvenience or make it right.
Additionally, the food they had seemed more expensive than the food you might buy at the theme parks. Almost $5 for water or a coke, 22 for a pizza, I think $9 for a small thing of watermelon.
The hotel is truly a fantastic hotel. The pool was great, the rooms were always clean, the view was fantastic, and it was close to Disney Springs (10-15 min). However, the way staff handled some things and the overpriced nature of the food items did not make me happy.
Jenny Riegle
We recently stayed here with our family and had a mixed experience. The lazy river was a highlight—it wasn’t too deep, which made it perfect for our three-year-old to enjoy safely. We also had a great meal at Letterpress; the food and service there were solid.
Unfortunately, there were several downsides. We rented a cabana but weren’t able to fully enjoy it—someone who appeared to be under the influence entered around 7pm and stared us down until we alerted the bartender. It felt really unsafe and uncomfortable. Also, one of the strawberries we were served had mold on it.
Parking was $35 a day, and we had to walk a long distance from the lot to the hotel entrance. The rooms themselves weren’t great—there was a strong unpleasant odor, the lighting was very harsh and fluorescent, and the TV had very limited channels with no streaming options.
We took the shuttle to Disney, which was convenient, but the return was confusing. The driver didn’t clarify that the first stop was Hilton Lake Buena Vista (not Palace), so we got off at the wrong place and had to take a Lyft back.
Overall, some aspects were family-friendly, but I don’t think we’d stay again based on the safety concern, poor room quality, and lack of clarity with transportation.
A Frank
Recently stayed at this Hilton location and will have to say we were not impressed at all. Upon check in the front desk was very off putting and not very welcoming. Although not the hotels fault the smell of marijuana was extremely strong on our particular floor and other guests also on the same floor commented about this during small talk on the elevator. There was also many occasions of door slamming all throughout the night. When this was brought to the attention to the person working the front desk the next morning we were told nothing could be done until later in the evening if we would want to change rooms but when doing things in Orlando we arrive so late trying to change rooms ended up being impossible. But, yet again the same problems happened again with the doors slamming and marijuana smell.
I would also highly recommend calling way in advance for your car if you used valet for them to retrieve your vehicle. They are extremely slow and unmotivated.
When we checked they didn't even ask how our stay went. For being Hilton Honor members this seems very disappointing. I would not recommend stay here with so many other options available in this area.
Erin Rhue
This is not upscale. The outside is beautiful but the inside is not clean. The carpet in our room was sticky. The deck had not been cleaned. We found children's toys on the chairs and floor. When booking they have additional fees but do not tell you it is also $35 to park your car or $45 for valet. When I ask about additional fees stated on reservation I was told it was parking then charged an additional $50 for resort fees. They have cloth decor on the ways outside of the cafe that are dirty. I would not recommend.
My Booking
