Spa At Saddlebrook Resort, Wesley Chapel FL

Booked a 5-night stay in February. I had prepaid for a room that was advertised as a “Deluxe room with 2 beds, kitchen, sofa, and desk”, and my receipt/itinerary indicated such. However, the receptionist at the desk said that room description was wrong and tried to give me a room with just 2 beds. After some back and forth, she reluctantly gave me the room with the extra amenities. The resort was at about 10 percent capacity, so I’m not sure why this was an issue to begin with.

The resort clearly has some staffing issues and didn't seem to care too much for its off-season guest. Some of the staff members were just downright rude and unprofessional, especially the bellhops named Chester and Lulu. They are my primary motivation for taking the time to write this review. At the other end of the spectrum, there was a bellhop named Rod who I thought was excellent.
In addition to the impertinent behavior I encountered, the resort didn't appear well kept. I was told that my room had been recently renovated. However, the quality of the renovation work was poor. The kitchen floor squeaked horribly, the glued down carpet sections would come up when my chair rolled over them, and I had to fix the toilet when I first arrived (the float was stuck). Also, the sofa was dirty, the bathroom tile was cracked and stained, the window tracks were extremely nasty, there was mold on the wall and bathroom tub, and the laundry room was too filthy to even walk into.
The advertised pictures of the resort looked nice, but a closer look reveals that it’s just lipstick on a pig. Instead of a 4-star resort, some aspects of this resort felt more like an old roadside motel. I spoke to management about what I was experiencing but kept getting the same standard apology without any follow-up.
After 3 days of rude and unprofessional behavior, coupled with subpar accommodations, I decided that I'd had enough and left the hotel.
To be fair, they waived my resort fee at checkout, but that was too little, too late.

Saddlebrook was described as a golf and tennis resort. I didn’t play either while there, but the golf course and the tennis courts looked nice. But if you are looking for a nice, clean place to stay, with a professional staff, I would recommend spending your money elsewhere.

The worst resort I’ve ever stayed in first off you have to walk at least 6 to 12 miles just to get to your place and they’re not only that the hotels bell boys just keep driving by you and doesn’t pick you up SOL and so you have to walk they off no help! The room looks like it was something from a 1985 catalog paint stripped off the walls and door knobs are broken the lights keep flashing overall a zero out of 10 but I can say on my first night the bell boy was amazing if only they can keep him on 24 seven instead of these other people who just stand around on their phones

The resort property itself is outstanding and very tropical. If you don’t have a vehicle, you are very limited to eating with only one restaurant with difficulty getting in over weekends. It’s a sprawling resort so be prepared to walk miles. They say you can order a golf cart to get a ride but twice we called and left a message and never got a return call.

The girl at the check in counter was disinterested and miserable. Most all staff here other than the outdoor bar by the pools and housekeeping staff were far from courteous. We were both shocked at that as normally resorts have fantastic staff that make you want to come back. I hear there’s new owners now so I hope they address this key aspect of how a resort should operate.

Rooms are outdated, have a stale odour and both our slider and screen doors were impossible to open & close.

Recommendations:
- Hire people who enjoy working and make customer service a priority. It’s sadly lacking in almost every encounter
- rent golf carts so people can explore the beautiful grounds of the resort
- outdoor cafe closes at 4. Seriously?
- The 1 indoor dining option has a limited menu and mostly high end. Add more food options
- pools are aged and in rough shape

Overall value is average at best. Not an overly pricey resort but other than the grounds, I can’t think of another reason to book here again.

Beautiful hotel and Peter at Tennis Center goes above and beyond to help with any issues.
After I came over for the ball machine I decided to switch hotels and now stay there all the time when I’m there for work.
They need to get a better ball machine for a facility with great tennis courts