Stayed at this Hotel in April 2005, After reading lots of reviews on this Hotel before we went we was relieved that the room we were allocated was OK (Block 6), I do agree with most other reviews that the accommodation in the Motel style Blocks does need refurbishment, and it is luck if you get an acceptable room. The grounds of the Hotel are pleasent and the choice of 3 swimming pools is a bonus when you have young kids. I believe the pools were not heated but were warm enough it was the cool breeze that made it unpleasent when exiting the pools.
The Hotels location is at the better end of I-drive and is handy for Sea World. The free transportaion to Disney was always on time at the Hotel and pick-ups from the parks was alright (sometimes a bit late). The I-ride trolley service that runs up and down I-drive is also useful.
The cartoon convention did not bother us as it was quite funny watching these kids in there weird outfits.
The staff generally from our experience were always courteous and helpful, although the room maids were not consistent or thorough in the cleanliness of the rooms.
The Hotel accommodation (Blocks) does not live up to the description (star rating) portrayed in the travel brochures. We booked through Travel City Direct but were on a Virgin Holiday and compared the brochures from both companies when we booked.
Overrall we had a pleasent stay at this Hotel but feel we were misled by the Holiday Brochures and would not go back there.

Stayed here for a week in April and were pleasantly suprised after reading some horiffic reviews here. We had booked a tower room and found it to be lovely, apart from no safe in room as advertised by our holiday company. We tried to get a safety deposit box at reception but there were none remaining and we gave up asking after day two. Might be worth phoning and reserving one.

We must have also been there at the same time as the previous two reviewers as we had two days whilst the Japanese Animation Conference was on. Not at all what I was expecting and as previously said it was rather intimidating and completely changed the hotel. When these people had gone and it was back to business conferences the hotel atmosphere and grounds were lovely. Might be worth checking what was on before booking. I think 8 times out of 10 it would be fine.

The pools were lovely but cold, the restaurant was excellent for buffet breakfast. The hotel is in a great location - 5 mins walk to seaworld, some great restaurants nearby and The Village Inn opposite for fantastic value meals.

We would stay here again in a tower room but would probably look at other hotels first because of the risk of a weird conference over-running the hotel!

We were at this hotel at the same time as the previous reviewer, although we do not know them, this is coincidental. Like them when we arrived there were problems. We were greeted by an uninterested receptionist, our booking was for the wrong kind of room (we booked through Travel City Direct) and was at the furthest corner of the apartment block compound on the ground floor by the carpark, which didnt encourage us. We also found the room to have a damp, smokey smell. It was obviously a room set up for the disabled, which must be lovely & convenient for them to be stuck at the furthest corner of the complex! As we are not disabled, and couldnt stand the smell, or the location, we went straight back to reception & told them we would not accept that room after the amount of money we had spent and the full day travelling from the UK. To be fair, at this point things improved. we fortunately found a far more helpful receptionist this time who immediately offered us a room on the 9th floor of the 'tower' at no extra cost (this after the first girl had told us there was no other rooms available). On inspection this room was a massive improvement, although the kids did have to put up with a very comfortable sofa bed instead of the double bed they were expecting. However this was ok, the room was great, and the view over Sea World was excellent. The only negative thing about this room was the strange fact both the taps at the sink produced only hot water. This could not be resolved even after we brought it to their attention. But hey, we were on holiday & generally things were ok. Then the bondage convention arrived (this hotel holds a lot of conventions). To be fair, I think it was a Japanese cartoon & gaming convention, but you should have seen their outfits... The hotel was overun for 4 full days and nights with complete wierdo's, sleeping in the lobby, the lifts, just about everywhere. They were harmless but its not what you expect from a major holiday hotel and I can understand why people felt intimidated. I blame the holiday companies who use the hotel for not clarifying that it is used for this kind of thing. The pools were cold (the pools at either end of the complex get far less crowded than the pool in the centre) although with temperatures in the mid 80's it wasnt really a problem. The lifts were regularly out of action, and believe me climbing up & down 9 floors is not what you need after a day in the parks! Overall we enjoyed the holiday, & the hotel, apart from the moans Ive mentioned, was generally ok. However if you are going there, and they try and fob you off with a substandard room, complain. I'm pretty sure they will upgrade you like they did us. I think they have a policy of trying to get rid of the worst rooms first, so dont accept it if you dont like it. On the positive side it is located at the less busy end of International Drive rather than the 'Blackpool' part a mile or so down the road, and did have some decent restaurants & handy shops within walking distance. We didnt hate it, but we wont go back.

Have just got back from Sheraton World Resort. Our welcome, after a 9 hour flight from the UK, was to be told that they didn't have a room for us. This is not the news we wanted to hear since we booked with Virgin Holidays some 7 months in advance. The Customer Service Manager was then produced who for some reason decided to shout at us. We hadn't said a thing as we were gobsmacked that they hadn't got our room! After pointing out to the Customer Services Manager that her manner was rude, she stated to us that she had found us a room after all and was giving us a $100 credit to use in the hotel! Not bad for keeping calm and not letting rip at this individual. Apart for this initial rudeness, the situation did not get better.

They did find us a room (block 12). Intially we thought they had got themselves in to a muddle over nothing, but then the smell hit us. A damp musty smell, just like other reviews. My wife resorted to spraying the drawers with her perfume and then left the drawers open for the entirity of our stay to prevent our clothes smelling. The bathroom was no better. Small rusty and smelt of damp. Our toilet overflowed at one point. WE even had to put the air con on to heat to prevent our clothes feeling damp.

During our stay the hotel was overrun by youths on some sort of convention. The noise and loud music kept us up all night whilst this went on. They threw rubbish everywhere and just hung around in groups outside the rooms, which can feel pretty intimidating. In addition, parking, of which there is ample, could not be found when this convention went on.

Staff were not helpful in anyway. They did not want to help when we complained. The other issue I have is the tips. I like to give tips, not for them to be added to the bill. The hotel just add them to the bill, and as a result the service you get is certainly no better.

The swimming pools are supposed to be heated. Are they?

This is suppose to be a 4* hotel. We went off to Miami for a few days and stayed in a better 2* hotel there!

Overall, I would not recommend this hotel. If you go there you have been warned!