My Impressions of BLT

[donaldtoo]

I don't care if you are staying at a value, mod or deluxe. With the prices they charge everything should be neat, tidy, clean and in working order. I am not a picky person, but we have had issues at least once at every level. Broken fixtures, moldy shower curtains, stained sheets, dirty restrooms, etc., I think mouse keeping has started to slide, management isn't staying on top of it like they used to and people just get too tired to 'deal with it' on top of the stress of the trip. Little things pile up and then become bigger issues. But honestly spider webs, dirty bathrooms and sticky messes are not OK.

I would try to give it another shot...but it is hard to do with those prices.

Exactly that up there in red.
Not only has Disney made planning what is supposed to be a relaxing, Magical vacation a regular stress-fest 'cause they're tryin' to squeeze every last, thin dime outta' Guests, there doin' same by tryin' to save as many thin dimes as possible by cuttin' hours for all kinds of maintenance and upkeep, and hopin' nobody will notice.
Sad ****, that.

 

[The Crafty Veteran]

It wasn't just BLT, Saturday and Sunday at All-Star Sports the front desk was flooded with people complaining about filthy rooms. I struck a conversation with a couple who had a room that was so bad they could not stay in it because it was so dirty. The manager promised them it would be fixed by the time they got back from the parks and when they got back, on 24 hour day at 2 in the morning, it wasn't even touched. The young man complained and from what he said Disney gave him a "compensation package" which not only gave him a new clean room, but two days comped and 6 fastpasses to AK and MK.

For the record my room has been absolutely perfect except the badly warn out carpeting.

 

[Padraig]

I'd also encourage the OP to post a review on Tripadvisor. Standards at Disney's hotels are awful at the moment and the more people comment on tripadvisor (with pictures) the higher chance we'll see some progress. Who knows, in the future I might even be able to book BC without fear of getting screwed over.

 

[slappy magoo]

After experiencing a Disney Cruise and the Disneyland hotel, I can't make excuses for the state much of the WDW resorts seem to be falling into. But, things happen, and if your dirty room slipped through the cracks, Here's how I think your story should have gone once you brought it to the CMs attention...

"Hi, my name is Bob and I hope you are having a magical day! How may I help you?

"I'm not, I'm sorry. My room is filthy, and we just checked in!"

"I am so sorry about that, ma'am. Can you give me a little more detail so I can make sure this is corrected for you?"

"Yes, there are grime and fingerprints everywhere, and there's even a dead spider in an old web under the counter!"

"Oh, my! Again, I apologize! We allow 5 foot mice in our hotels, but not spiders! (With a big grin) I will certainly take care of this for you. Can you wait for a moment please?"

(Asks another CM to cover the front desk).

"Ok, I got my spot covered. Do you mind if we walk up to your room together so I can see exactly what you are talking about? I want to make sure this is addressed, because this is certainly not the experience we want you to have!"

(Walks up to room, and asks the guest to show exactly what she thinks is wrong. Even if the CM disagrees, or thinks she's being nitpicky, he never says that outloud. Instead, makes mental notes of the things the Guest points out because these are the things this guest is going to check later for)

"Thank you for showing me, and I agree, this is unacceptable. Let me get the head of Mousekeeping in here so we can get these items corrected for you, and be sure this is addressed with our Mousekeepers so this never happens again! Are you and your family planning on going to a Park tonight? You are? Great! When do you plan to return? 10p? Fantastic. I promise, when you get back, these issues will be resolved! Again, my name is Bob, and once more I apologize for this. I will make sure you are taken care if. Now, go have a magical time at the parks and don't worry about this any longer!"

(After the family leaves, Bob contacts a head Mousekeeper and asks them to join him in the room. He shows the specific issues mentioned, and shares that he would like them to contact him when it's been corrected, and that it must be done before 9p (note, not 10p...why? Because Bob is going to check at 9p, and if it isn't done properly, he still has time to correct the issue before the family is slated to return)

Mousekeeping calls Bob at 8:30 to report the room issues have been addressed. Bob covers the front desk again and checks the room. On his way, he hikes over to the gift shop at Contemporary and snags two small die cast monorail trains (Bob noted the family had two kids) and two small Mickey plush dolls (chef Mickey if they have them).

He then swings by The Atrium club level and snags two plates of the goodies they put out for club level members.

He goes back to the room and finds that Mousekeeping did a pretty good job! They did, however, forget to clean under the TV. So, he swings down the hall and snags a wash towel and some pledge. He also picks up a few large bath towels. He goes back to the room and cleans this up.

The room to his satisfaction, Bob folds the towels into towel animals (something Disney should train any hotel Staff how to do) and places one on each bed.

He arranges the goodies and toys on the table in an attractive way, and then leaves a handwritten note folded there.

It reads:

"Dear ???? Family,

I hope you will accept these items as tokens of my apology. I am truly sorry that your room was in the condition you found it. We at Disney want to provide families, like yours, the best and most magical experiences in the World. I hope this situation has not tainted your vacation or your opinion of our resort experience.

If there is anything else you require, please do not hesitate to contact the Front Desk. We will be sure to resolve your issue to the best of our abilities.

I hope you and your family are having a magical trip, and I wish you all the best!

Sincerely,

Bob"

Now, just imagine if THAT had happened, what this thread would have been about?

I'd take it a step farther and suggest this is one of the things for which Goggle Glasses are ideal. For a manager to be able to put a pair on, and tell the guest before entering the room "I'm going to record the things you find unsatisfactory so I can show Mousekeeping specifically what needs to be addressed and Mousekeeping will subsequently record the room after they finish, so we can confirm and document that your complaints were addressed. I don't want to leave anything to chance. Once I start recording, I will ask if I have your permission to record you but if you don't want to be on the video, that's fine, I'll just ask you to stand behind me so we'll never see you. I'll record what you see, and then take the glasses off but leave the sound recording until I leave the room, so I have a record of our conversation for my superiors to review, and you have assurances from me that all will be handled."

This not only gets a record of what the guest found distasteful, but works as a CYA for the Manager to confirm that he or she was respectful, thorough, considerate and at no point inappropriate. If it turns out the Guest is a wackadoo who says "He tried to touch me/he stole my ring off the nightstand/he threatened to kill me in my room!" there is a record that suggests otherwise. Plus it's a practical use of cutting edge tech, which seems to be the sort of thing to be done in resorts like CR/BLT (of course WDW is the place still trying to make Segways a thing, so grain of salt), but also leaves the manager's hands free to jot down additional notes or lift up bedskirts or behind curtains or wherever the offensive dirt or grime might be. Aside from that, similar effects could be accomplished with a smart phone or flip-style camcorder.

 

[MaxsDad]

After experiencing a Disney Cruise and the Disneyland hotel, I can't make excuses for the state much of the WDW resorts seem to be falling into. But, things happen, and if your dirty room slipped through the cracks, Here's how I think your story should have gone once you brought it to the CMs attention...

"Hi, my name is Bob and I hope you are having a magical day! How may I help you?

"I'm not, I'm sorry. My room is filthy, and we just checked in!"

"I am so sorry about that, ma'am. Can you give me a little more detail so I can make sure this is corrected for you?"

"Yes, there are grime and fingerprints everywhere, and there's even a dead spider in an old web under the counter!"

"Oh, my! Again, I apologize! We allow 5 foot mice in our hotels, but not spiders! (With a big grin) I will certainly take care of this for you. Can you wait for a moment please?"

(Asks another CM to cover the front desk).

"Ok, I got my spot covered. Do you mind if we walk up to your room together so I can see exactly what you are talking about? I want to make sure this is addressed, because this is certainly not the experience we want you to have!"

(Walks up to room, and asks the guest to show exactly what she thinks is wrong. Even if the CM disagrees, or thinks she's being nitpicky, he never says that outloud. Instead, makes mental notes of the things the Guest points out because these are the things this guest is going to check later for)

"Thank you for showing me, and I agree, this is unacceptable. Let me get the head of Mousekeeping in here so we can get these items corrected for you, and be sure this is addressed with our Mousekeepers so this never happens again! Are you and your family planning on going to a Park tonight? You are? Great! When do you plan to return? 10p? Fantastic. I promise, when you get back, these issues will be resolved! Again, my name is Bob, and once more I apologize for this. I will make sure you are taken care if. Now, go have a magical time at the parks and don't worry about this any longer!"

(After the family leaves, Bob contacts a head Mousekeeper and asks them to join him in the room. He shows the specific issues mentioned, and shares that he would like them to contact him when it's been corrected, and that it must be done before 9p (note, not 10p...why? Because Bob is going to check at 9p, and if it isn't done properly, he still has time to correct the issue before the family is slated to return)

Mousekeeping calls Bob at 8:30 to report the room issues have been addressed. Bob covers the front desk again and checks the room. On his way, he hikes over to the gift shop at Contemporary and snags two small die cast monorail trains (Bob noted the family had two kids) and two small Mickey plush dolls (chef Mickey if they have them).

He then swings by The Atrium club level and snags two plates of the goodies they put out for club level members.

He goes back to the room and finds that Mousekeeping did a pretty good job! They did, however, forget to clean under the TV. So, he swings down the hall and snags a wash towel and some pledge. He also picks up a few large bath towels. He goes back to the room and cleans this up.

The room to his satisfaction, Bob folds the towels into towel animals (something Disney should train any hotel Staff how to do) and places one on each bed.

He arranges the goodies and toys on the table in an attractive way, and then leaves a handwritten note folded there.

It reads:

"Dear ???? Family,

I hope you will accept these items as tokens of my apology. I am truly sorry that your room was in the condition you found it. We at Disney want to provide families, like yours, the best and most magical experiences in the World. I hope this situation has not tainted your vacation or your opinion of our resort experience.

If there is anything else you require, please do not hesitate to contact the Front Desk. We will be sure to resolve your issue to the best of our abilities.

I hope you and your family are having a magical trip, and I wish you all the best!

Sincerely,

Bob"

Now, just imagine if THAT had happened, what this thread would have been about?

This sounds like the Disney service of legend some of us have only heard about.

 

[englanddg]

I'd take it a step farther and suggest this is one of the things for which Goggle Glasses are ideal. For a manager to be able to put a pair on, and tell the guest before entering the room "I'm going to record the things you find unsatisfactory so I can show Mousekeeping specifically what needs to be addressed and Mousekeeping will subsequently record the room after they finish, so we can confirm and document that your complaints were addressed. I don't want to leave anything to chance. Once I start recording, I will ask if I have your permission to record you but if you don't want to be on the video, that's fine, I'll just ask you to stand behind me so we'll never see you. I'll record what you see, and then take the glasses off but leave the sound recording until I leave the room, so I have a record of our conversation for my superiors to review, and you have assurances from me that all will be handled."

This not only gets a record of what the guest found distasteful, but works as a CYA for the Manager to confirm that he or she was respectful, thorough, considerate and at no point inappropriate. If it turns out the Guest is a wackadoo who says "He tried to touch me/he stole my ring off the nightstand/he threatened to kill me in my room!" there is a record that suggests otherwise. Plus it's a practical use of cutting edge tech, which seems to be the sort of thing to be done in resorts like CR/BLT (of course WDW is the place still trying to make Segways a thing, so grain of salt), but also leaves the manager's hands free to jot down additional notes or lift up bedskirts or behind curtains or wherever the offensive dirt or grime might be. Aside from that, similar effects could be accomplished with a smart phone or flip-style camcorder.

Neat idea, but there is no reason to over complicate what should not be complicated in the first place.

 

[slappy magoo]

Neat idea, but there is no reason to over complicate what should not be complicated in the first place.

Oh, I can think of lots of reasons to make it that complicated, starting with the fact that it shows the customer just how seriously they're being taken. Sure, some people might think "this is a bit of overkill." But for management to be able to say "I'm going to show Mousekeeping the offensive parts of the room, and keep the video, so they know what needs to be done and I can then get proof that it was indeed done?" That's going to show any Guest who cares enough about the quality of the room to complain in the first place the the Mouse isn't ****ing around.

More importantly, if the offensive bits of the room AREN'T cleaned, the manager can instant replay the video. "I showed you three things that needed to be addressed, only one was, and not at a satisfactory level, now please go do it right this time."

If WDW started doing that, within 10 years every major hotel chain would be doing it, recording Guests' complaints via video so that there's a visible record of what needed doing.

And really, the only thing that makes it complicated is if a Guest balks at being recorded. Most Guests won't care as long as the cleanup gets done, and those that DO insist on not being recorded on video, they're possibly the ones who are making mountains out of molehills, insisting that the lint trap not being cleaned out of the dryer makes the whole room a death trap, or the pin prick hole in one of the sheets is actually a gaping tear, or that (which I'm sure is not the case to the OP) the giant spider web is actually a small cobweb, not something to be acceptable to a frequently clean room but also not proof of the room being a door to Sauron, either. It protects management as much as it does the Guest with a legitimate gripe.

It also is an excellent way to review an employee's performance when it comes time for raises or possibly some measure of advancement, a video record that proves this employee meets the performance level WDW claims to be standard-setters versus just standard.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[rob0519]

After experiencing a Disney Cruise and the Disneyland hotel, I can't make excuses for the state much of the WDW resorts seem to be falling into. But, things happen, and if your dirty room slipped through the cracks, Here's how I think your story should have gone once you brought it to the CMs attention...

"Hi, my name is Bob and I hope you are having a magical day! How may I help you?

"I'm not, I'm sorry. My room is filthy, and we just checked in!"

"I am so sorry about that, ma'am. Can you give me a little more detail so I can make sure this is corrected for you?"

"Yes, there are grime and fingerprints everywhere, and there's even a dead spider in an old web under the counter!"

"Oh, my! Again, I apologize! We allow 5 foot mice in our hotels, but not spiders! (With a big grin) I will certainly take care of this for you. Can you wait for a moment please?"

(Asks another CM to cover the front desk).

"Ok, I got my spot covered. Do you mind if we walk up to your room together so I can see exactly what you are talking about? I want to make sure this is addressed, because this is certainly not the experience we want you to have!"

(Walks up to room, and asks the guest to show exactly what she thinks is wrong. Even if the CM disagrees, or thinks she's being nitpicky, he never says that outloud. Instead, makes mental notes of the things the Guest points out because these are the things this guest is going to check later for)

"Thank you for showing me, and I agree, this is unacceptable. Let me get the head of Mousekeeping in here so we can get these items corrected for you, and be sure this is addressed with our Mousekeepers so this never happens again! Are you and your family planning on going to a Park tonight? You are? Great! When do you plan to return? 10p? Fantastic. I promise, when you get back, these issues will be resolved! Again, my name is Bob, and once more I apologize for this. I will make sure you are taken care if. Now, go have a magical time at the parks and don't worry about this any longer!"

(After the family leaves, Bob contacts a head Mousekeeper and asks them to join him in the room. He shows the specific issues mentioned, and shares that he would like them to contact him when it's been corrected, and that it must be done before 9p (note, not 10p...why? Because Bob is going to check at 9p, and if it isn't done properly, he still has time to correct the issue before the family is slated to return)

Mousekeeping calls Bob at 8:30 to report the room issues have been addressed. Bob covers the front desk again and checks the room. On his way, he hikes over to the gift shop at Contemporary and snags two small die cast monorail trains (Bob noted the family had two kids) and two small Mickey plush dolls (chef Mickey if they have them).

He then swings by The Atrium club level and snags two plates of the goodies they put out for club level members.

He goes back to the room and finds that Mousekeeping did a pretty good job! They did, however, forget to clean under the TV. So, he swings down the hall and snags a wash towel and some pledge. He also picks up a few large bath towels. He goes back to the room and cleans this up.

The room to his satisfaction, Bob folds the towels into towel animals (something Disney should train any hotel Staff how to do) and places one on each bed.

He arranges the goodies and toys on the table in an attractive way, and then leaves a handwritten note folded there.

It reads:

"Dear ???? Family,

I hope you will accept these items as tokens of my apology. I am truly sorry that your room was in the condition you found it. We at Disney want to provide families, like yours, the best and most magical experiences in the World. I hope this situation has not tainted your vacation or your opinion of our resort experience.

If there is anything else you require, please do not hesitate to contact the Front Desk. We will be sure to resolve your issue to the best of our abilities.

I hope you and your family are having a magical trip, and I wish you all the best!

Sincerely,

Bob"

Now, just imagine if THAT had happened, what this thread would have been about?

I would guess if the situation were handled in the way you just described, there's a better than average chance there would not even be a thread about it. Most people are quick to post when things go terribly wrong, but not as quick when (or IF) things go terribly right.

 

[LAM378]

I would guess if the situation were handled in the way you just described, there's a better than average chance there would not even be a thread about it. Most people are quick to post when things go terribly wrong, but not as quick when (or IF) things go terribly right.

Eh, not necessarily, rob0519...I remember when WDW resorts used to operate that way, and went into this trip knowing it's not that way any more. If something like englanddg described actually happened, I would have been stunned and posted about it!

 

[rob0519]

Eh, not necessarily, rob0519...I remember when WDW resorts used to operate that way, and went into this trip knowing it's not that way any more. If something like englanddg described actually happened, I would have been stunned and posted about it!

True. Sad to say outstanding service would be rare enough to report on. There is still a lot of good service at the resorts, but certainly not like there used to be.

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

Heard anything from Disney yet?

 

[LAM378]

@GymLeaderPhil , nope! Sent them 2 separate emails on 5/31--one praising YC, one detailing these problems at BLT. No response yet...if ever.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

While I didn't experience anything to the level that you did, our stay at BLT last year was less than stellar. There was about a 2 inch gap between the door to our room (we had a ground floor, studio) so that meant even when the lights were off, some light from the hallway still came in under the door and anyone walking by talking, we could hear clear as day. The rungs holding the shower curtain on the rod were rusty. I don't mean a little bit rusty, I mean VERY rusty. All of them. And how old is BLT? I have shower rungs I bought at WalMart that I've had longer than BLT has been open that aren't rusty so it makes me wonder where they're getting theirs (probably someplace extremely cheap!) And the pocket door to the bathroom had a huge sretch across the middle, probably from rubbing aginst the lock on the wall and then the lock part on the door was loose.

The room itself was decent, but for a resort that's less than 4 years old, this stuff shouldn't be happening. If they're talking about a refurb already, then it's obvious that these issues are happening in more than just the rooms you and I experienced. Just think, if they had used quality products, they probably wouldn't need a refurb yet!

The fact your villa was so gross and grimy is completely unacceptible! If you could see the dirt and fingerprints, etc.. then the CMs had to have seen it also. There is no excuse for that. They really just don't seem to care anymore. They throw a couple FPs and a room credit your way and expect you to be satisfied. It's ridiculous. For the prices they charge for these room, I better be able to see myself off the reflection in the countertops!!

I'm glad you decided to voice your concerns to Disney in an email or letter. We did that following our September trip AND our November trip and we heard right back from someone. The fact I had to contact them on two consecutive trips pretty much sealed the deal that WDW was getting no more of our money and we would find alternate vacation destinations. As much as I love Disney, I'm not going to keep spending money on a place that keeps raising prices while declining in quality. So sorry you have a bad experience at BLT

 

[LAM378]

The room itself was decent, but for a resort that's less than 4 years old, this stuff shouldn't be happening. If they're talking about a refurb already, then it's obvious that these issues are happening in more than just the rooms you and I experienced. Just think, if they had used quality products, they probably wouldn't need a refurb yet!

I think you hit it on the head. The furnishings at BLT, the dark, lightweight wood and the plastic pocket doors-- they look and feel like they came from Ikea. I love Ikea, but those materials just cannot withstand any abuse, let alone the abuse of thousands of families. That villa was falling apart. Not to mention the light-colored carpeting and couches. I'm sure they looked gorgeous in the beginning for a week or two, but really poor choice for a family resort.

God forbid Disney offered discounts on less-than-stellar rooms and resorts (coughPolyRefurbcough), I know, but I'm still appalled that they're commanding $600+ a night for the same beat-up villa I stayed in. And that was the off-season, with a big discount. Someone's staying in that same villa right now, paying way more than I did, and people will pay even more to stay there over the 4th of July and Christmas. Incredible.

I will probably print off the emails I sent to WDW and send them again via snail mail. It would just be nice to get an apology. The thing that steams me most is having to find out here on the board that management is at CR. If anyone at BLT had just steered me there, maybe I wouldn't have had to live in some other family's filth for 48 hours, which put a real damper on an otherwise-fantastic vacation.

 

[ptaylor]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience.

I have long suspected that the added-on DVC wings are not properly staffed. The lack of a proper lobby and staff, no restaurants, no real infrastructure. It all tells me it is being ran from the main resort, and they are far enough away to not take things as seriously.

One of the reasons I would not stay at one of those hotels.

 

[lebeau]

I have never stayed there personally, but my aunt had a very similar experience at BLT over a year ago.

Very glad I didn't buy into that property.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

We stayed at BLT in March and as the hotel goes I was a little disappointment with the lack of Disney theme. The studio room was clean but nothing special. We did have to request more towels because there were four women in the room and we didn’t have enough. We usually stay at BCV and I love that resort, it feels cozy to me. On the day we checked out I was sitting on the bed took my wedding band off to put on some hand lotion and forgot to put it back on. We left the room got half way across the bridge to the Contemporary and I noticed my ring was missing. Turned around and went right back to the room and the maid had already started cleaning. She looked at us and said “You lost your ring. Follow me.” Instead of calling her manager she took us down from the 7th floor to the laundry/office room to her manager. I described it to him and when he into the office to get the ring I tried to give her some money but she wouldn’t take it, told us we already left her a tip in the room and that was good.
I thought all the DVC were set up so you communicate with the main hotel management, Boardwalk DVC at Boardwalk, BCV at BC and so on. I don't like to complain at resorts but for the money being paid for rooms now I will make several calls if the problem isn't fixed. In Dec 2010 my parents had a problem with the heat their room at BC. They made one call without it being fixed but I followed it up with a call and a visit to the front desk until it was fixed.

 

[LAM378]

In case anyone is still interested in this topic, I got a phone call from WDW a few hours ago.

The woman I spoke to was quite down-to-earth. We were on the phone for 40 minutes. She had my (lengthy) letter in front of her and was familiar with it but still asked me to tell the whole BLT story from start to finish. She was very apologetic, but not in a blowing-smoke-up-my-butt way, which was nice, and unexpected. She kept referring to CR as her "home resort" and said it's where she worked before taking her current position, and she was familiar with all the CMs I'd named in my letter. My main issue was not having been directed to management, and she made no excuses--just outright said it was wrong, housekeeping was wrong, the CMs were wrong, and there was no reason for any of it. She was grossed out hearing about the condition of the villa, and insisted that's unacceptable at any Disney property. She thanked me many times for contacting WDW to let them know about this.

Generally she said all the things I expected to hear if I even heard back from WDW...and then stunned the heck out of me by telling me they're comping me two nights in any 1-bedroom villa on property. Doesn't even have to be BLT.

So that's unexpected and amazing.

Also, once the negative BLT story was out of the way, she wanted to hear all about my positive experience at YC. I was thrilled to tell that story, and she said that she would pass my letter and comments about specific YC CMs to upper management. They deserve to be recognized, so I was very happy to hear that.

All in all, this is a hugely surprising end result. I don't know how common this is, but they are listening, and at least in this case, really wanted to make good!

 

[cw1982]

That's great! You deserve to get closure to this situation, and I'm so glad to hear that Disney pulled through and did what they can to take care of it. Thanks for the update

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I stayed at BLT last month. I liked it and the shower pressure was good. However, I felt like I was getting poked by needles while I was showering. Ouch.