Best Value Near International Drive and Best Banana Nut Muffins
17/01/2019 Veranika J, Pembroke Pines, Florida
I stayed at the Best Western Orlando Gateway for a week. This hotel is surprisingly a good value for the I-Drive/Universal Boulevard area. It is very close to tourist attractions and restaurants, alth... more
I stayed at the Best Western Orlando Gateway for a week. This hotel is surprisingly a good value for the I-Drive/Universal Boulevard area. It is very close to tourist attractions and restaurants, although not in walking distance of any restaurants in the tourist area. The hotel is very clean and has a huge lobby with many comfortable seating areas. Be prepared for the annoying and very loud Caribbean music that plays in the lobby areas. The music did not make me feel tropical at all, probably because I don't think of Orlando as tropical, when I think tropical that is more Miami.
Every staff member that I encountered was very friendly, said hello and asked how my day was going. This includes staff members who were just passing by me in the lobby areas. The hotel does not have free breakfast which is a con for me, because I love free breakfast. The hotel does have an onsite restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner, but I wasn't interested in paying for breakfast. However, I did need to eat so I checked out the on site Deli/Market, which sells coffee, prepared salads and sandwiches, assorted muffins, and pizza. The deli staff was very nice everyday as I came down to buy my daily banana nut muffin. The muffins are huge for $3.00. The muffin was very delicious with just the right amount of nuts (very few which is how I like it). The deli makes pizzas fresh while you wait for a few minutes. I did buy a personal pizza on one of my days there, it was average but the lady who made it was super nice so that made me feel better about buying it. If you stay here and buy a banana nut muffin just make sure to ask for the warm muffins because they have the muffins in two areas, a refrigerated area with the salads and sandwiches. And they also store them in a warm muffin tray cabinet. I asked why they have some muffins refrigerated and the response was that most of the international travelers liked the muffins cold...go figure.
The hotel was very, very, very clean which is why I gave it four stars. The housekeeping staff is very friendly and work very hard at keeping the hotel and guest rooms absolutely spotless. I used the gym to work out a couple of days during my stay. The gym is spotless and has very new workout equipment and not just the typical one treadmill and elliptical. This was a full on hotel gym. I was pleasantly surprised.
Awesome staff, awesome banana nut muffins, awesome gym, and spotless guest rooms...over all a good value for the tourist area of Orlando. less
Bill J, General Manager at Best Western Orlando Gateway Hotel, responded to this review
Veranika J;
First and foremost.....Thank you for your business and candid review. I just love it!!!! You made my day and I had to share it with staff. You also made me want to run down and get a Yummy Banana Muffin. ;o)
We are grateful that you completed the survey regarding your recent stay at our property.
On behalf of our entire team, I would like to say “Thank You” for traveling and your business. At Best Western Orlando Gateway Hotel, we strive every day to provide a superior customer experience. I am so happy to hear we did that for you.
I am confident your feedback regarding your visit will beneficial to other travelers that are looking for genuine responses.
Thanks again for your business.
We truly appreciate your business and look forward to serving you again soon and often.