Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites

We stayed at the Imperial Swan for 7 nights in October 2005 and I have only recently signed up on Tripadvisor so for what its worth heres my opinion..... We travelled with friends for a 7 night stay in Orlando and we had booked it approx 6 months before travelling and we looked at the hotel online before confirming. Shortly prior to our arrival it changed to Imperial Swan. Upon arrival we checked in and asked the staff if we could have a room next door to our friends who had travelled with us. This was no problem and we went to our rooms. Both rooms were the same and were relatively well furnished. Yes there was a slight smell in the rooms and in our the wallpaper was peeling off but they were functional and after all, we hadnt booked into a 5* hotel so we werent expecting 5* conditions! The bar, although slightly dated decor wise, was a good place for a drink (good value pitchers of beer!) and we only ate at the restaurant for breakfast once as we preferred to head down I-Drive to the buffet restaurants. Location wise the hotel is good and there are the transfer buses to the theme parks if you wish. There was obviously a lot of renovations ongoing during our stay with the hallways being repainted etc so its obvious that the owners have began adressing concerns. All the staff we had dealings with were brilliant. All in all if you're looking for a cheap, well located hotel for a break in Florida then this is a good place to stay. Please bear in mind that my review is from October 2005 so it is a little out of date and obviously more recent reviews will be of benefit to prospective travellers.

I felt compelled to write this review on reading some of the absolute dyer reports this hotel has been getting - We stayed here on our first holiday abroad together as a couple (after 6 years!) and we agreed to stay cheap and cheerful in order to spend more money on the fun stuff! On arriving the Howard Johnson sign was removed and replaced with the imperial swan sign and on speaking to the "friendly!" staff during our two weeks holiday at the hotel the new owners have big plans for the place and much tidying up was commencing but with no disruption to ourselves. My general overlook of these reviews show that alot of people are expecting way too much of a budget hotel - if you want 4-5* luxury book into Hard Rock Hotel or likewise and pay there prices - The hotel is in a superb location a stones throw off I drive meaning its quiet and away from the hustle yet a 2 minute walk and your on the main strip and a short walk to Wet n Wild and Universal. The staff from start to finish were helpful friendly and polite the lobby and bar was very nice and an ideal place to relax after a busy day at the parks - We stayed in a room the other side of the hotel car park a seperate block from the main building overlooking teh swimming pool which may as well have been our own private pool as we seemed to be the only ones in it mostly which was great - the restaurant had recently been refurbished and we tried the food one evening and were a little disappointed so didnt eat there again this was our only problem with this hotel. We did see some evidence of peeling wallpaper and sweaty carpets in teh main hotel room corridors but this was being rectified at the time too - Our room was huge with huge tv and two king sized beds and adequate bathroom never smelly and no mold or cob webs in fact we found our rooms spotless on our return and even a note saying "god bless you" from the cleaner for our tip! Well we are returning to Florida this year 2006 in October once again and even though we have found cheaper offers at slightly more modern hotels and can afford to pay more for a swish hotel we have booked again with the Imperial Swan - Its a place to lay your head and why waste your extra spending money for the sake of a couple of extra commodities!!! I will add that according to one reviewer its only good for 19 year olds and students graduating ................. there were quite a few families and guests of most ages when we went and not one guest appeared to be under 19 in fact we were the youngest there at 25!! - after reading awful reviews before we left we were dreading arriving but now we cant wait to go back - If anyone who is thinking of booking the hotel would like some genuine advice you can contact me on klpeel@hotmail.co.uk - Save money stay here and spend it on having more fun!!! xx

I was a little skeptical after reading other reviews on this hotel, but for 60.00 a night, it was better than others I have seen. The room and bathroom were very clean (at least the one I stayed in). The room furniture and the bathroom fixtures are old, but the carpet is brand new. The only thing I had a problem with was the humid odor of the room when you first open the door, but I solved this problem with a can of Lysol spray. For this price and to only shower and sleep a few hours dead tired after coming back from any of the parks, cannot complain. I really thought it was going to be a lot worse.

I got to the hotel after booking and paying in advance on a website to be completely horrified when I pulled in. I got into the lobby which was the only decent part of this hotel and went to check in. I asked the front desk clerk if this hotel was "safe" as I am a female who travels alone for business and was concerned about how rough the hotel looked. She assured me that it was fine and everything would be great. I got my key and had to drive through a dilapitated parking lot with mattresses and chair and other stuff strewn around the buildings. I finally got the building eight and had to park by some garbage. I got into the hotel hallway which smelled of urine and mold and was actually afraid walking down the hall. Half of the rooms did not have numbers on the doors and the other half had the number written on a piece of paper taped to the door. It was very rough looking to be nice. I got upstairs and my room actually had a number on the door. I slowly put my key in opened the door and their was two naked men (and I mean naked) standing right their in the room. I screamed and slammed the door. The front desk clerk after me asking about my safety still gave me a room in the very very back building that was already occupied by two men. I was scared as the men were yelling for me to get back their and I ran to my car. I was horrified and in tears by the time I got back to the front desk. I immediately checked out and didn't care if I lost the three nights that I had paid for in advance with the other website for this hotel. I actually did get a credit from that website when they heard my horror story. DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL...please.....

This hotel used to be the Howard Johnson International Resort. Nothing has changed but the name. The same people run this terrible hotel. Don't be sucked in by the cheap prices. Find a better hotel in Orlando. The board of health should shut this hole down. It is the filthiest hotel I have ever been in.

Good base for Universal. The first room we had had a wet carpet near the bathroom and the cold water was warm. We moved rooms cos they had a problem which they know about and are sorting out. The final room we had was in the second block looking out onto the pool area. Because this was the furthest block / pool away from reception it was hardly used and we chilled at the pool one day and it was like having our own private pool. We enjoyed our stay and would stay again although it is definitely not the Ritz. Quite outdated but clean and the staff are helpful. We booked through Orbitz and got it for 51 USD per night. Good for the price we thought but don't stay here if you want luxury.

We stayed at this hotel for one night until we could get moved to a decent hotel.we booked our 2 week holiday through first choice and were very dissapointed when we arrived to our accomadation,on first impressions the place is very dated,but after entering our rooms we were disgusted,the room smelt damp,the bathroom was grubby and very messy around the toilet,the shelving in the wardrobes was thick with dust,toilet handle loose,damp stains on ceiling,walls and furniture and our friends also had a big hole in their window.we have two children one of whom is a toddler and we felt very uncomfortable with him rolling around on the carpets etc as this place was gross.We coped for one night until going to see our rep the next morning to complain about this dump,the rep moved us to another hotel (QUALITY INN) which was great,i gather they must have numerous complains about this hotel and am shocked that reputuable companies like first choice and virgin use this hotel.After visiting Orlando several times i have learnt what to expect from a 3 star hotel,they are basic but comfortable but should never be unclean like the imperial swan,i am so pleased we got moved or this hotel would have ruined our family holiday.Don't ever consider using this hotel,u will be very dissapointed.it's minging!!!!

I rarely travel and was a little skeptical regarding the hotel and the price but was pleasantly relieved to find it comfortable, clean and conveniently located. It had everything we needed to make our Universal Studios vacation a big success.

We are foster carers from the south east of England, and have been bringing teenagers to this resort for over 10 years. during this time we have had the pleasure to meet some great people some staff ,some other guests. As a base to get around orlando/florida it is ideal. the rooms were in the early stages of being updated when we were there.we will be back this december. p.s. the bar staff are great for getting tips on how to find great places and bargains, p.p.s sid a good bloke in the information booth but his jokes are grim!!

Unfortunately our family came over from England to attend our wedding and ended up in this DIVE of a place, the rooms stunk so bad you couldn't stay in the room all 3 rooms were this way,there was mildew in the bathrooms and the rooms were plain ugly in deco, carpets are old and smelly just disgusting! The reception is pretty but the help there wasn't, the people were friendly enough when we could find someone, really was a horrible visit. sad my husbands family's first visit to the U.S. and they ended up in a place like this. Best part was checking out.