DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld

Reviews

• GL

  Gregory Lasky

  Jan 4, 2026
  1.0
  Deceptive Billing, Policy Violations, and Gaslighting Guests This is one of the most dishonest hotel experiences I’ve ever had. This property does not follow Hilton’s own published policies and then lies to your face when you question the charges. Hilton’s website clearly states a $75 per night incidental hold that includes parking ($38/night). This hotel instead charges $75 per night PLUS another $38 per night for parking, effectively double-dipping. When I pointed out the discrepancy, staff claimed Hilton’s website is “wrong.” That alone should be a massive red flag to anyone booking here. It doesn’t stop there. The hotel conveniently neglects to disclose a $25 per day resort fee upfront, ensuring guests only discover it after charges start quietly appearing on their card. This is not transparency—it’s intentional deception. Even worse, this hotel charges your credit card in real time for any room charges. Not at checkout. Not after review. Immediately. I woke up the day before checkout to an unexplained $300 charge on my card. No warning. No breakdown. No consent. I have stayed at countless Hilton properties and never experienced anything this aggressive or unprofessional. When I escalated the issue, manager JC Lubin was dismissive, evasive, and condescending. He repeatedly told me “if I listened” he would explain—yet never actually explained why my card was hit with hundreds of dollars overnight. Instead of answers, I got circular explanations, deflection, and an attitude that suggested I was the problem for being upset about unauthorized-feeling charges. This hotel relies on confusion, fine print, and surprise charges to extract more money from guests. The billing practices are misleading at best and predatory at worst. What should have been a routine stay turned into a constant exercise in monitoring my bank account and arguing for basic accountability. If you expect Hilton standards, honest pricing, or respectful management, do not stay here. This property damages the Hilton brand and should not be trusted with your credit card.
• JT

  Julie T

  Jan 2, 2026
  1.0
  First impressions are everything and we really thought we’d be staying at 4 star hotel as listed but it’s far from that. Previously we were staying at one of universals hotels and we needed to find a place to stay the last 3 nights of our trip. Don’t be fooled by the lobby looking very nice or the fact it’s called “Hilton at seaworld”. I thought we were at a motel when we found our room. We were located in building 5 and we went to park. As we walked to the room the beautiful odor of urine filled the entrance to the building all the way up until we made it to the room. It smelled like someone had peed in front of our door, as we entered the smell was so stuffy and awful I looked at my bf and immediately asked him if he smelled that odor. It was a very musty odor and the room was very outdated. I honestly knew I couldn’t stay at this hotel, I was disgusted already. So I called and they offered to clean but after I sat and thought about what we were experiencing I called back the guest service and let them know there was no way we could stay there and we wanted to get a refund and leave because at that point I didn’t even want another room, I told my bf we will go somewhere else, mind you it was already like 8pm when we got there. We didn’t waste any time getting out of there, I saw people outside of the room playing some golf or whatever it was there but idk how someone would be satisfied staying there, the amount of people checking in must’ve had no idea what they were about to receive. I will say the lady at the front desk was very understanding and shocked herself when we mentioned being greeted with the smell of urine and she tried to offer another room but I honestly needed my bf to get his money back. We ended up staying at a different hotel with a much better experience that felt more “high quality”. I did have to speak with someone again because he still got charged when we never stayed on property and the guy was helpful and initiated the refund again so we are waiting for that now. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay please find something else unless you want to feel like you’re in a smelly motel. No chocolate chip cookie is gonna make us stay, we didn’t even eat them. The only good thing I can say was the bed was made and looked somewhat clean but all I did was sit on it to make a phone call and they had Netflix.
• DR

  Dipak Regmi

  Jan 1, 2026
  1.0
  A Complete Misrepresentation - Overpriced, Deceptive, and Disappointing. Taught me a lesson not to trust the marketing, the photos, or the promised inclusions. My experience was riddled with false advertising, hidden fees, and substandard accommodations. Still regretting for making this choice. I booked through my company's travel site, which clearly stated as 4* hotel and the rate included breakfast and parking. Upon checkout, I was charged for both. When I presented my booking confirmation, the front desk staff was dismissive and unhelpful, simply stating, "Our system shows a different rate." This is a bait-and-switch and unacceptable business practice. The mandatory "Resort Fee" is an absolute joke and a pure money grab. The "amenities" it covers are standard at any budget motel. Calling this property a "resort" is deliberately misleading. This fee should be included in the advertised price upfront. The rooms are dated, worn, and shockingly basic. The furniture is scuffed, the bathrooms feel like something from a cheap roadside hotel, and the overall ambiance is tired. This is not the quality you expect from Hilton or a 4-star property. It feels like a 2-star hotel with an inflated price tag. The toilet was continuously flushing and called the customer service right after check in around 6:30PM and the servicemen knocked at the door around 12:00AM while I was at deep sleep. Upon responding the door he said oh! you already slept I will come and fix it tomorrow so slept the whole night with the flushing noise in the background. Recorded the noise and showed to my friends as a joke for new year party. The roomservice was far from for *hotels. It was not cleanned properly and tissue box was not filled up. The front desk staff I interacted with were indifferent and seemed annoyed by questions about the erroneous charges. There was no attempt to resolve the issue, offer an apology, or escalate to a manager who could help. The attitude was "pay the bill and leave. This hotel does not value its guests' trust or money. The business model appears to be: attract bookings with appealing online rates and inclusions, then hit guests with surprise fees at checkout, relying on the fact that most business or tired travelers will just pay it. You are not getting a premium experience. You are getting a budget motel experience at a luxury price, topped with deceptive billing practices. I would never stay here again and strongly advise you to look at the many other options in the Orlando area. The Hilton name is being tarnished by this property.
• MR

  Melissa Rivera

  Dec 27, 2025
  1.0
  No recomiendo el lugar , pagamos por habitaciones en la torre y nos dieron habitaciones en el área de las villas. Pedimos que fueran habitaciones conecting y tampoco en las villas no las dieron, no parece un hotel del Hilton, las habitaciones tienen mal olor , puertas flojas del clóset y hacia el baño , alfombras sucias , áreas descuidadas. Escaleras para subir al cuarto estaba el pasamanos suelto. El área del market el servicio fue malo, pedíamos café supuestamente de starbucks y el café lo servían como no deseaba y le pedía que me lo arreglara y su respuesta fue que utilizara lo que estaba afuera como leche y azúcar para arreglarlo, no tuvo la amabilidad de hacer lo que pagué que no fue económico, más te piden la propina por algo que pagaste te hicieron mal y no te lo arreglaron . El servicio del front desk es horrible empezando por el supervisor Luis, no nos daban explicaciones de porque lo que pagamos no era lo que teníamos, pedimos servicio que ofrece el hotel de guagua para llevarnos al parque y el servicio que vino a recoger no es exclusivo es más servicio público venía ya la guagua llena y teníamos que estar parados con niños coche de bebé y paquetes y aún así seguía parando a recoger más personas. Tuvimos que hacer reservas para que nos llevaran y buscaran al parque recuerden que es un servicio que ofrece el hotel y está dentro del hotel. Nos llevaron y para recogernos estuvimos mi familia y yo 30 mins antes de la hora estipulada que nos recogieran con acerca de 30 personas que nos preguntábamos cómo vamos a volver si no cabíamos en la guagua, la guagua llegó llena nuevamente llena de pasajeros a recoger a más que no había espacio, todos trataban de entrar y el chofer nos dijo a todos que preguntábamos cómo iba para nuestro hotel y él dijo que no iba a venir más nadie a recogernos. Nos dejaron a todos allí con niños y con frío por qué estamos en Diciembre . Llamamos al hotel explicando la situación y la primera llamada escucharon lo que que pasaba y nos dejaron en espera y luego nos colgaban, las familias tuvieron que pedir taxis y uber para volver. Llegamos al hotel y el supervisor Luis porque no nos dio sus apellidos actuaba de forma totalmente indiferente, decía que habían muchas personas trabajando allí que no podía decir quién nos colgaba cuando eran la media noche y solo están él y otro empleado en el front desk. Es una pena que fue la primera vez que estuvimos en el área y el servicio del hotel fuera tan malo, te venden cosas que no te dan te cobran cargos que no explican inclusive me cobraron un cargo $300 de parking de auto que no teníamos. Estadía horrible y estuve 7 días aguantando dándoles la oportunidad de mejorar pero no fue así. Y me pueden escribir el mensaje que responden que lamentan los inconvenientes y que van a mejorar y a investigar , para que, si lo deben de hacer uno estando allí de que me sirve cuando ya me fui del hotel perdí dinero, mi experiencia fue dañada y no quiero que a otros les pase.
• PS

  phyllis stewart

  Dec 25, 2025
  1.0
  We are Hilton Honors members and stay at Hilton properties often, which is why this experience was so impressively bad it deserves to be preserved for future training purposes under What Not To Do. Let’s begin with the only reason this review isn’t one star. Our room is wonderful. Truly. And the front desk staff at check-in were fantastic. Friendly, professional, and welcoming. They did their jobs beautifully. Everything after that? A slow-motion holiday disaster. We made Christmas dinner reservations through OpenTable for Laguna Restaurant. This was not a casual meal. It was Christmas Day, my husband’s birthday (yes, Christmas Day), and our granddaughter was joining us. A meaningful, once-a-year dinner we were genuinely looking forward to. As we followed the hostess, I admired the main dining room. White tablecloths. Red napkins. Festive. Warm. Christmas had clearly arrived… just not for us. We were led past that dining room. Past the buffet. Downstairs. Into what I can only describe as the culinary equivalent of the basement. No tablecloth. No red napkins. A large, empty room. Several tables still sporting dirty tablecloths, like the ghosts of better meals. It felt less like Christmas dinner and more like being quietly punished for who knows what???!!! During our entire meal, no other guests were seated in this area. Not one. Meanwhile, parties were seated upstairs in the decorated dining room. So when we were told “that’s all we had available,” that explanation aged poorly in real time. The food was mediocre at best. The dessert deserves special mention. The apple pie slice was so small it looked like scraps left behind after real portions were served elsewhere. I’ve seen larger samples at grocery stores. When my husband questioned the hostess about our seating, she explained it was “all she had” and “not her fault.” An interesting statement, especially since the party behind us was promptly seated upstairs where Christmas was clearly alive and well. Then came the manager. Or rather, the concept of a manager. She asked my husband what he wanted her to do to make it right. Apparently, management decisions are now a guest participation activity. She offered to take half off the bill, which had already been paid, yet did not ask for our name, room number, or credit card. I assume this refund was meant to occur through holiday magic. But wait, there’s more. Earlier, we asked for a room key and a guest pass so our granddaughter could visit us on Christmas Day. We had already paid for five full days of parking for our stay. Somehow, the hotel also charged us five full days of parking for our granddaughter, who visited for part of Christmas Day and Christmas dinner. She stopped by briefly on Christmas Eve for maybe an hour. Total charge: $190 to park for a couple of hours. I wasn’t aware we were valet parking/storing a sleigh So to recap our festive experience: • Christmas dinner in the basement • Decorated dining room upstairs, exile downstairs • Pie crumbs masquerading as dessert • A manager who asked us to manage • A refund that exists only in theory • And $190 parking for a short family visit Our Christmas Day and my husband’s birthday were completely ruined. This was not the Hilton experience we expected, especially from a brand we have been loyal to for years. If the goal was to make loyal guests feel unwelcome, overcharged, and forgotten on Christmas, congratulations. Mission accomplished. 🎄😡

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