Howard Johnson Maingate West

[JeffUsher]

Hi Guys,

I'm off to meet Mickey at the end of May and am now having sleepless nights, not from excitement, but worry...

Everything I hear about the Howard Johnson Maingate West hotel is bad.... very bad....

Does anyone have anything good to say about this Hotel as I am very worried and thinking about changing the hotel.. but that would cost us and we have little funds left in reserve.

So far it's been slated as dirty, run down, smelly, off of a back street etc etc.... I reassure myself that Virgin must have checked the quality before adding it to their brochure.

I also keep reassuring myself that all will be OK as we are in essence only sleeping there and out most of the day, but it's still nagging at the back of my mind.

Can anybody reassure me... or is this place all doom and gloom.

Thanks

Jeff

[Hannah]

At the top of the "Accommodation" board is a thread "hotel Dibb members have stayed in". See if anyone has stayed at this hotel and then PM them and ask them about it. I did this and got a good reply (Howard Johnson Maingate East).

Hannah

[JeffUsher]

Thanks Hannah,

I tried that but as a new member of the board I am unable
to PM other members until I become "more active".

That's why I did a seperate thread....

Regards

Jeff

[GARRYMULLARD]

is that the one on 192 past splendid china ?

[Pip]

We stayed there in 2002 and it was absolutely fine! Its not luxury or anything but it was clean and comfortable and the room was a decent size for the 5 of us. Handy for Disney too!

Let me know if you want me to tell you any more about it :D

[JeffUsher]

Hi Garry,

It's the one on 192.... the full address is:-

8660 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
Kissimmee, FL, 34747 US

Hope this helps.

jeff

[GARRYMULLARD]

stayed their in 2003,its out on its own a little bit,the 192 is 3 lane per side highway with no lighting and with a slight up hill rise so as you turn in to it across 3 lanes . as i remember there is a chinese eating place next to ,that was really good.also no pavements so you can,t work anywhere.but when you have been out all day it does n't really matter.this was our first vist to florida ,the room was basic and clean ,it was just right to get a good nights sleep. we went with airtours ,landed in sanford and drove down the route 4 then 192 .the swimming pool has a large canopy over it with some the two storey rooms overlooking

[mapman]

well it's web site looks OK.

The Howard Johnson's are budget hotels, so as long as you're not expecting 5 star luxury you should be OK

HOJO site (http://www.orlandohojomaingate.com/)

[mapman]

Just found this very recent report :-

OK- If you have already booked a room and you have read the other reviews- it wasn't that bad! I have stayed in many hotels/resorts! The HoJo was worse than some- better than others. The outside needs a bit of paint. Our room had new carpet, and they have one or two buildings shut down while they get overhauled. The employees were helpful. Plenty of hot water- pools fine-all the towels you need. Everything was great for the bargain. It wasn't the Disney, but we didn't pay for the Disney. Take a 99cent airfreshner- it was a bit musty (I would suggest that at every hotel) Just the usual hotel smell. I couldn't hear the road noise or the people on either side of us!! That says a lot!! I would stay there again.

--------

So it doesn't sound as bad as all that

[KarenG]

Hi there!

We stayed here in August 2002. The rooms are not plush, but they are very clean, big and felt very safe. We weren't expecting much considering the price we paid and we felt we got a fair deal.

There is a Chinese restaurant next door, a McDonald's just up the road (walking distance if there was a pavement, LOL)) and it's only a 5 minute drive to WDW Maingate.

I think there were 3 swimming pools (one covered), a restaurant onsite and a bar.

If you have any specific questions please ask.

Karen

[KarenG]

Oh and if you've read the reviews on Tripadvisor.com I would take them with a pinch of salt ;)

[JeffUsher]

Thanks guys,

You've really put my mind at rest and perhaps I can look forward to the holiday now without worrying too much about the hotel.

Glad I found this forum on Google today... the information you get from here is amazing.

Thanks again guys

Jeff

[mapman]

Hi Jeff, we're here to help - we all started as first-timers too, so after you've been, hopefully you'll feel the need to help as well ! All the best.

Ask away with as many questions as you like, there's usually someone who knows the answer