Comfort Inn Maingate

The hotel looks like a typical chain hotel, inside and out. The peach-colored building is five stories tall, with some greenery outside, and the Comfort Inn logo emblazoned on the exterior. The lobby has the hallmarks of an average budget-friendly hotel: a standard-looking front desk, patterned carpeting, and a few blue couches for lounging. This Comfort Inn clearly targets tourists, as the racks of colorful attraction brochures, and cardboard cutouts advertising Walt Disney World make obvious. The hotel also shares a wall -- and, a smell -- with Lighthouse Lobster Feast, a seafood buffet whose smell permeates the lobby and elevators.Past the lobby, the pool area appears attractive at first glance, surrounded by umbrella tables and a deck made of stone tiles. There are also a separate hot tub and a wading pool for kids. However, a closer look reveals peeling paint around the main pool; the kiddie pool also has a rough cement bottom that is uncomfortable to stand on.

The hotel sits back from bustling Bronson Memorial Highway, one of Kissimmee’s main thoroughfares, about a 10-minute drive from the theme parks. In addition to being surrounded by several other hotels, it’s within walking distance of Bonanza Golf & Gifts, Walgreens, and Formosa Gardens Village -- a shopping and dining complex that features the Mighty Jungle Golf Adventure. Restaurants within a 15-minute walk include Golden Corral, Clay Oven Indian Cuisine, Wildside Bar & Grille, and Kool’s Oak Fire Grill, as well as several fast-food establishments. Unfortunately, for guests looking to take full advantage of the in-room mini-fridges and microwaves, the nearest grocery stores are a bit of a hike -- both Publix and SuperTarget are about a 20-minute walk away.

Rooms are nothing special, but they offer an adequate place to relax after a day at the theme parks. The decor features white, red, and chocolate brown linens, with dark blue carpeting and some artwork on the walls. Options include Double-Queen, King, Family Rooms, and Double-Queen Rooms with sofa beds. Each Family Room is a two-bedroom suite, and has two queen beds in the main room and a sturdy-looking bunk bed -- which could use a fresh coat of paint -- in the second smaller room.Each bedroom has a flat-screen TV. Other standard amenities in each room include a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a hairdryer. Bathrooms are average, though stone countertops are a nice touch, while bathtubs are family-friendly. Housekeeping can be inconsistent, and gets mixed reviews: some guests have praised the clean rooms, while others lamented returning at the end of the day to find that their coffee pots -- or worse still, their entire rooms -- had not been cleaned. Other guests have complained of a musty stench throughout the rooms.

With a free shuttle to theme parks and Lake Buena Vista Outlet Mall, this hotel targets guests looking to enjoy Central Florida’s most popular attractions. Guests should pay close attention to the schedule, however, because the shuttle gets crowded, and makes limited runs. The mid-sized conference room and a fitness center are adequate, although not outstanding, facilities for guests looking to combine work and play. Other standouts include an on-site gift shop and the adjacent Lighthouse Lobster Feast -- which might be a pro or a con, depending on one’s tolerance for seafood smells that seem to permeate the hotel. A daily breakfast buffet includes waffles, eggs, and sausages -- included with the price of a room. Among the conveniences in the lobby are an ATM, a stamp machine, and two computer stations with printers.