Small quiet hotel located south of downtown Apopka. Also, conveniently located between Mount Dora and Downtown Orlando, FL. Standard guest rooms are equipped with hair dryers, irons/boards, coffee makers, safes and free high speed wireless internet. In-room microwave and micro-fridge available upon request. Free Rise and Dine continental breakfast with juice, coffee, bagels, fruit, cereals and other items available. Group welcome refreshments provided at check in.
Star Rating:
Local Attractions:
Wekiva Springs State Park, Rock Spring, Apopka Spring
May 7, 2013
Jeff D, Saint Louis, Missouri | Trip type: Family
My family of 5 stayed here for a Saturday night in early May. The hotel is dated, but the room was clean. We all slept fine. The price was great....
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My family of 5 stayed here for a Saturday night in early May. The hotel is dated, but the room was clean. We all slept fine. The price was great. We booked through hotels dot com, but could have saved more by booking direct. « less
“DIRTY!!!”
Apr 11, 2013
Katrinal1925, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Trip type: Business
My Husband and I were born and raised in Orlando, we moved to Tennessee in 2009, we are truck drivers and stay in several hotels, we had a load that...
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My Husband and I were born and raised in Orlando, we moved to Tennessee in 2009, we are truck drivers and stay in several hotels, we had a load that delivered in orlando, so we stayed at this hotel, it was one night, but it was the LAST, it might look good on the outside, but the inside was NASTY! the rooms smelled horrible, the carpet was so dirty, that the bottom of our feet were black from walking on it, and that is NO joke, the bed was VERY hard, the pillows were hard, the shower was nasty, we will NEVER STAY HERE AGAIN!!!! and I wouldnt recommend this craptel to anyone!! and the hotel clerk doesnt care. STAY AWAY!! p.s. we would have been more comfortable in our semi truck. « less
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Management response from Brittany Patel, General Manager
I am sorry you had a bad experience at our hotel and want to thank you for bringing these issues to our attention. I am also very sorry to hear you thought our hotel clerk didn’t care about your stay because customer service is something we have always excelled in. Again, I appreciate the time you took to discuss your stay. Thank you.
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“Same Property, New Name”
Apr 11, 2013
gumdrop59, Hattiesburg, MS | Trip type: Family
Visited this property over the Easter weekend. I was told on the phone that improvements had been made to the property since the name change. I did see that a...
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Visited this property over the Easter weekend. I was told on the phone that improvements had been made to the property since the name change. I did see that a little paint had been put on some of the the walls, but other than that the place is the same. 1. All dooors open to the outside, no interior corridors here. 2. Rooms are average size. 3. Dont go in the bathroom the wrong way, if you do, you won't be able to close the door because it is so small. 4. Non-smoking rooms smell like smoke. 5. Beds are soft and uncomfortable. 5. Rooms do have a microwave, refrig, old tv with limited channels. 6. Wi-Fi connection is good, once you figure it out. Front desk staff is definitely not computer technicians. 7. Towels are thin and some are odd colored. 8. Sheets are not 300 thread count, but they were clean. The key to getting clean sheets everyday is to take them off the bed yourself. 9. Comforters are cheap, but workable. 10. If coffee, little debbie cakes, hard apples, cold cereal, small oranges (small oranges in FL, really!), are your foods of choice then this is the breakfast spot. No sausage, bacon, eggs, oatmeal, grits, or toast at this location. That's at Chuck Wagon restaurant on Main street in Apopka. The staff is accommodating and will bring extra towels, since they only put two towels to a room that will accommodate four people. I keep going back because I travel with someone who wants to stay in that area. For the area, the price is not bad. The person that I travel with likes the hotel for convenience and the fact that they can book a smoking room. I always ask for non-smoking for myself, but you can tell that someone probably slipped up and smoked in it. Since we can get two rooms for almost the price of one at some of the other locations, we keep choosing this place. Be careful when exiting the propety and getting on Hwy 441 going south especially. The traffic is really bad. We witnessed a very bad accident while we were there. There is no traffic light exiting the hotel, so you have to be very careful especially if you are not familiar with the area. I will probably stay here again because of the party that I will be traveling with. If you decide to stay here, just understand that it is an old property with nice people who try to keep their prices low as well as control their overhead. The property is very clean outside because most of the people "living" on the bottom floor of the hotel are employees of the hotel. By the way, there are no elevators to the second floor, so get ready to climb. The good thing is that it is only two stories. I will say that I was there in December 2011 (Howard Johnson's at that time), the same people were working the front desk, some of maid service and maintenance in March of 2013. So they don't have a lot of turnover in employees. The property does appear to be very secure. « less
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Management response from Brittany Patel, General Manager
What a wonderful response to your stay with us. You are so kind to take the time and write such a thorough review. It seems to be a mixed review as I read it but you have definitely given us some good suggestions on areas to improve. Unfortunately, some of the items you mentioned are not things we can personally fix such as the highway but I sure do appreciate you stating that as I too have noticed this and this can help with the safety of future guests. I hope that if you do return you will continue to see improvements inside our rooms.
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“Great service, good value”
Mar 2, 2013
CycloneIowa, Iowa | Trip type: Family
The staff went out of their way to help us. The room was clean and simple. No frills. The bed was comfortable. We'd reserved a crib and they made sure...
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The staff went out of their way to help us. The room was clean and simple. No frills. The bed was comfortable. We'd reserved a crib and they made sure that it was in the room and ready before we arrived. They made sure we had bedding for the crib. The hotel had cameras and was very secure. « less
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Management response from Brittany Patel, General Manager
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our hotel on Trip Advisor. I am glad the staff was helpful and that your stay was pleasant. We hope to have you as a guest again in the future!
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“Smoke Free is NOT Smoke Free - Gasp - Choke - Cough”
Feb 24, 2013
pittston, Coral Springs, Florida | Trip type: Family
Pro: The staff is as terrific as everyone who has written a previous review has explained.Water temperature is excellent. If you like a soft bed (I Do) you will love...
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Pro: The staff is as terrific as everyone who has written a previous review has explained.Water temperature is excellent. If you like a soft bed (I Do) you will love these beds.Every room has a mini-fridge and small microwave. The televisions have very few channels making selection a breeze.The exterior of the building has been updated and is very neat and almost charming but close to absolutely nothing but red-ant piles.The room air conditioners work VERY well. Con: Non-Smoking rooms will unfect you with 2nd hand lung cancer within 30 minutes of inhaling drapes, curtains, rugs, and bedspreads.Just look at the cigarette burns on the sink and tub and you know you have walked into Dante's 7th level. How can they charge $20 for "Pet Friendly" when there is no place to walk a pet. The bath linens are cast offs from other properties with holes. I have seen wax rags at car detailing shops in better condition. The toilet is more suitable for a childs porta-potty and with single-ply paper - good luck getting clean! If you are of ample proportions you will not be able to fit. Solution: Take lots of paper towels and Clorox Clean-Up! « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from Brittany Patel, Manager
I am grateful to you for addressing the pros and cons of your stay with us. It shows me what is working for us and what needs fixed or improved. I do take the time to not only read the comments from our guests but to also do something about them. Your pros are encouraging and we will continue to do our best uphold our level of customer service. As for the cons I have already made some changes to our daily routines to correct the smoke problem. Thorough inspections are being made with attention to our non smoking rooms to bring them back to proper condition. Some measures we have implemented are regular carpet and upholstery cleanings. As far as the towels, we are using only the Choice approved linens in our room but the condition of the towels is being addressed by head of housekeeping. Unfortunately, I cannot change the size of the bathroom area but we will look at options to make it more pleasant for all of our guests in the future. And finally, as for our pet friendly rooms the charge is a standard fee and that is to cover the amenity and room. I agree there is not much space other than small grass patches on our property for our pet friends but we wanted to accommodate our guests who travel with their beloved pets and offer the option to have their pet stay with them. We are a small property and are trying our best to provide somewhere to stay for many different types of travelers and guests. Again, thank you for leaving us a response on Trip Advisor. The more reviews we get the better picture we have of what is going right and what needs to fixed, upgraded and improved.
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These reviews are the subjective opinions of individual travelers and not of TripAdvisor LLC nor of its partners.
Cancellation: 24 HR by 2pm for individuals to cancel
Nightly Parking:
0
Total Taxes:
12.50%
Total Misc Fees:
$0.00 USD (mandatory resort fees/taxes)
Room Types - Howard Johnson Express Inn
Standard two doubles smoking
Two Double Beds
Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable channels with HBO are offered for your entertainment. A coffee/tea maker is supplied while a microwave and refrigerator can be requested. Bathroom amenities include a hair dryer. A safe and an iron and ironing board are among the conveniences offered. This room is Smoking.
Standard two doubles non smoking
Two Double Beds
Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable channels with HBO are offered for your entertainment. A coffee/tea maker is supplied while a microwave and refrigerator can be requested. Bathroom amenities include a hair dryer. A safe and an iron and ironing board are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Standard king non smoking
One King Bed
Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable channels with HBO are offered for your entertainment. A coffee/tea maker is supplied while a microwave and refrigerator can be requested. Bathroom amenities include a hair dryer. A safe and an iron and ironing board are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Amenities - Howard Johnson Express Inn
Air conditioning
Alarm clock
Baggage storage facilities
Central location
Complimentary breakfast
Complimentary newspaper
Credit card accepted: Mastercard/Visa
Credit card accepted: American Express
Credit card accepted: Discover
Electronic key card
Express Check-Out
Facilities for the disabled
Fax available
Free local calls
Hairdryer available
Handicap accessible
Ice Maker
Internet - wireless
Microwave in room
Non-smoking rooms
24 hours opened
Office in room available
Pets allowed
Private bathroom in room
Quiet location
Radio in room
Refrigerator
Safe in rooms
Self controlled heating/cooling system
Shower
Swimming pool - outdoor
Tea and coffee making facilities
Telephone in all rooms
Television
Terrace
Travellers cheques accepted
TV room
Voicemail
Pet Friendly?
Yes! Pets are allowed.
Airport & Shuttle Information - Howard Johnson Express Inn
Approximately 20 miles or 15 minutes away from Orlando International Airport, Downtown Orlando, and International Drive in Orlando. Approximately 30 miles or 20 minutes to Orlando Theme Parks.
Airport Shuttle? Sorry, no airport shuttle available.
Testimonials: Why use Hotel Planner?
"By taking advantage of your product we estimated that we saved around $300. I still shake my head at the fact that I was going to get on the telephone and find a hotel." D.H. - Dayton, OH
"Your online bidding system saved me hours and hours of phone calls trying to find a hotel for my family event in the Twin Cities the weekend the Republican National Convention begins. I had been calling places to no avail and did not relish the thought of calling the entire phone directory's worth of hotels. So this was great! Thank you." N.D. - Minneapolis, MN
Based on 15 traveler reviews 
Value
Rooms
Service
“DIRTY!!!”
“Same Property, New Name”
Standard two doubles smoking
Standard king non smoking