My Impressions of BLT

[Ariel1986]

I had actually just searched this thread as I wasn't sure if you had complained or not yet (so glad you did and very glad you got the result you did- for your stay it was definitely deserved!!) as I recently contacted Disney over a house keeping complaint. Nothing on your level, but enough to complain on something that should be standard- and I today, very swiftly after contacting Disney, received a personal, thoughtful/time consuming, and I must say, very unexpected and generous response! They really DO listen! I really felt that the lady I spoke to cared about our experience and was concerned about the things I had mentioned that weren't up to the Disney standard (although she did mention and appreciate the things that I had praised them for in my email).
I really recommend if anyone is disappointed or doesn't receive the standard expectations of a resort- let them know!

 

[cw1982]

Yep. I had a minor complaint about the front desk from my recent trip. I emailed Disney and got a call last night, much like the others described in this thread. I was thanked for my feedback and promised that my comments had been passed on to the hotel management, who had in fact already said they liked my suggestions for improving the late night front desk situation. At least we're getting some kind of response

 

[LAM378]

I had actually just searched this thread as I wasn't sure if you had complained or not yet (so glad you did and very glad you got the result you did- for your stay it was definitely deserved!!) as I recently contacted Disney over a house keeping complaint. Nothing on your level, but enough to complain on something that should be standard- and I today, very swiftly after contacting Disney, received a personal, thoughtful/time consuming, and I must say, very unexpected and generous response! They really DO listen!

I feel the same way! I expected nothing but a generic apology and "thanks for informing us." I wrote the letter more to get the whole thing off my chest, than anything. I'm still blown away by their response.

A Disney "expert" I know insists they did this because I have an AP, but I don't think so. I've only used 5 park days so far, and the CM who called me knew I have a longer trip booked for August already. Even if I didn't, they could reasonably assume I'd be back sometime this year whether they compensated me or not.

So yes, they're listening! It's a shame these things happen in the first place, but at least someone, somewhere genuinely wants to fix things after the damage has been done!

 

[smk]

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?

Ironically this almost very situation happened to us a few years back at All Star SPORTS. We checked into a room with a wet carpet, soaking wet, and a shower that was only putting out hot water. They tried to fix it but it required very loud fans all night and the water issue was for the whole building. So, they moved us, refunded the entire stay and gave us a boat load of goodies, non of which we asked for but were very grateful for. I have since gone back there and have had no issues at all. BLT blew it on this one, imho. They should have cleaned the room to your satisfaction or moved you to a clean room asap and refunded a portion of your money because it took time away from your vacation, and that is something no one can refund to you and your family. Just shows me that paying more for a room does not mean I will get better service!

 

[LAM378]

BLT blew it on this one, imho. They should have cleaned the room to your satisfaction or moved you to a clean room asap and refunded a portion of your money because it took time away from your vacation, and that is something no one can refund to you and your family. Just shows me that paying more for a room does not mean I will get better service!

That's the truth! On the one hand, I really do appreciate them making it up to me after the fact; on the other hand, why not just clean the room?!? Why such a huge fail there?? It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth about BLT. I'd never stay there again and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's a really stupid problem that could have been fixed so quickly and easily...you'd think!

 

[reptar77]

BLT is our home resort. We have had problems with the cleanliness of our rooms a couple of time but nothing to your extent. The most irritating experience I had was the an over abundance of rust in the shower from the handrails. Everytime we ran the shower rust water ran down the walls into the tub. I complained and was given a polite we know about the problem response. I had to ask to be moved to another room. The irritating part is that is what my dues are suppose to pay for, so fix the "known problem".

 

[LAM378]

The irritating part is that is what my dues are suppose to pay for, so fix the "known problem".

This would frustrate the heck out of me.

I really hope that they use decent materials for this upcoming refurb, at least for the sake of the DVC owners. I mean, all hotels everywhere get a lot of turnover and abuse. This villa was ridiculously beat, but most of it could have been avoided by choosing better materials from the get-go. Would seem like a no-brainer in the hotel industry.

 

[Disdar]

I'm a little reluctant to post this but I'm wondering if my experience at BLT was unique.

I only stayed for 2 nights last week so my impression is by no means well-rounded.

We checked in to a 1br villa around 1 pm last Sunday--a hectic day, I know. The villa was not ready, so we hung out at the pool. 4 pm comes, then 5, and the room is still not ready, because it's being cleaned. I actually got a spiel from a CM about how much longer it takes housekeeping to clean villas in between guests. Good thing I was checking at the front desk every 20 minutes because the room ready text just never came.

Finally, at 6:30 pm, our villa is ready...and it's gross. The sheets were clean, thank goodness, but the bathrooms and kitchen looked like they'd just been swiped at with a wet rag. You could still feel dirt and yuck on the counters. There's a big spider web with a dead spider in it hanging on the diagonal off the island. There was hair in both tubs. The ottoman/tray is covered in sticky spills. Every doorknob and every vertical surface is filthy, every door and cabinet has fingerprints and stickiness all over it. The table under the TV has candy or something stuck everywhere. Even the door to the villa is disgusting.

I'm not good at complaining, but I go to the front desk and ask for a manager to talk about the condition of my room. The CM says no manager is available and starts apologizing about the rooms--talking about an upcoming refurb. I'm like no, no--it's just gross. He looks disgusted when I explain, and promises to have housekeeping clean it again when we go out that night.

When we returned, the hair was out of the tub but everything else was the same, including the spider web. I was too tired to fight it and went to sleep, but by this time I was super skeeved out and didn't want to touch anything in the villa. You couldn't have paid me to eat with one of the supplied forks.

We leave for HS the next morning, come back after a "cleaning," and the room is exactly the same (and so is the spiderweb!). Again I go to the front desk to ask for a manager. Again, no manager, but I get a sympathetic CM who gave me a $100 room credit and 3 Fastpasses for that evening.

In retrospect, I probably should have argued for a larger room credit, but by that time I was 6 days into an exhausting trip and just had no fight in me.

But really, it was appalling. I was preoccupied with the actual filth, but like the first CM indicated, the villa really was in need of a refurb. The carpet and couch were stained beyond belief, the walls and wood furniture had big gouges, the pocket doors didn't lock and just sort of swayed in the breeze (so, no privacy). These things would have bothered me more had I not been worried about spiders and hair and stickiness.

I wonder, too, if the fingerprints everywhere had to
do with the materials used--the dark wood and stainless steel and light fabrics and whatever the pocket doors are made of. These are materials you really have to scrub to shine them up, and are probably the worst choice for a resort full of families. That's no excuse for making me live in some other family's mess, but it makes me think my situation can't be unique.

Overall, BLT didn't do it for me and that's disappointing, because I wanted to love it. This was kind of a test run for a big trip with my sister's family next year. I love CR but something about BLT felt even more sterile (outside my room, that is). The location could not be beat, but if I wasn't standing in a spot that had a view of the monorail or Space Mountain, I could have been at any hotel in the world. No really good CMs, which was extra disappointing coming from YC, where the CMs were spectacular. I could have lived with all that, but the room itself just left the worst taste in my mouth (and the worst film on my skin).

Again, not trying to alienate anyone who holds BLT near to their heart but I am really shocked by my experience and would like to hear everyone's thoughts.

keep granny at home and don't expect much from disney no matter what you pay

 

[38053WDW]

That's the truth! On the one hand, I really do appreciate them making it up to me after the fact; on the other hand, why not just clean the room?!? Why such a huge fail there?? It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth about BLT. I'd never stay there again and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's a really stupid problem that could have been fixed so quickly and easily...you'd think!

Exactly ! Just clean the room .. what did it cost them in bad reviews.. mad guest.. and two night stay?

We went to POP one time and our stay there lasted 6 hours tops.. From check-in to room they lost our luggage.. Got to room and couldn't breathe because of the thick Lysol bombs they had to have set off in there. Then my young daughter found a pill on the floor. (who knows what it was so always do a quick look around if you have young kids) ... Had dinner reservations at Chef Mickeys .. While wife waited in line I went to front desk to see if they had any rooms available. I started telling them of my adventure at POP and the CM was SO helpful.. SO, SO helpful ... Let's just say we ended up with two rooms at Contemp for the rest of week stay. They went out of there way to go get our luggage from POP for us too! (One CM was just getting off work but she said she would drive us over in the van to help!) We could not thank her enough ! She kept saying "We want to make sure your stay @ WDW is a magical one". The last night we went down to the front desk and personally talked to her Mgr and followed up with a letter when we got home. It just goes to show it can be done.

We will be staying at BLT just for that reason alone this October to try out a DVC place.... and I don't even want to say what we paid for our room... wish us luck !