A customer is suing the house of mouse, alleging that a Disney hotel is the least magical place on earth.
David Besse filed suit in Florida on March 31 against Disney Parks, seeking damages of more than $50,000 for an alleged bed bug infestation at one of the company’s fan-favorite hotels.
According to the complaint, in May 2002 Besse stayed at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, a sports-themed value hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Besse alleged he was bitten ‘numerous times’ by bed bugs during his stay, accusing the company of failing to inspect its hotel rooms.
Thanks to the company’s negligence, Besse claimed that he suffered ‘scarring, bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish and loss of the capacity for the enjoyment of life.’
The complaint added that the injuries have become ‘permanent’ issues impacting his life, and that he has faced ‘medical expenses, loss of earnings, loss of the ability to earn money, financial loss and property damage.’
Disney’s All-Star Resort hotels are among the most affordable places to stay when visiting Disney World and related attractions in and around Orlando, Florida, featuring sports, music or movie themes.
Including summer discounts, rooms can cost under $100 per night – compared fees of more than $1,000 per night at Disney’s Grand Floridian villas.
All-Star Sports is one of the cheapest Disney hotels near the company’s Orlando resorts
Disney’s All-Star Sports offers bus transportation to all local Disney theme parks
Disney fans insist the value resort is well worth the money.
Gavin Doyle of Mickey Visit told the Daily Mail that although the rooms are Disney’s ‘most affordable’ option, the resort doesn’t sacrifice quality or magic.
‘It always amazes me at how well kept up the rooms are,’ he said.
This is, in part, because of the sheer size of the All-Star Sports Resort, which has almost 2,000 rooms spread out over several buildings – compare this to the Grand Floridian, with over 860 rooms, including suites and villas.
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort underwent major room refurbishments in summer 2022, with one of the biggest changes being a Murphy bed that transforms into a table.
‘Disney has been actively refurbishing all of these rooms to keep them at a modern standard. I stay in all resort levels at Walt Disney World frequently and I am quite content staying in these rooms,’ he added.
The Orlando theme park has been beefing up other value-tiered hotels as well, like Pop Century’s modernized lobby and access to the Disney Skyliner.
All-Star Sports guests have access to Disney’s free buses to the theme parks and complimentary outdoor movie nights.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort is one of the oldest hotels on property along with the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Resort
One of the most expensive Disney hotels on property is the Grand Floridian resort and spa
‘When I compare these hotel rooms to other similarly priced hotels in Orlando or Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, nothing else delivers in the quality of the room or the amenities,’ he added.
This wouldn’t be Disney’s first lawsuit over bed bugs.
A lawsuit from 2017 states two guests woke up during their trip to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort to ‘bugs crawling all over the bed, linens and surrounding walls of her room.’
The couple claimed the company failed to ‘exercise reasonable care and breached its duty’ with proper management, operations and maintenance.
In 2022, Disney paid $100,000 to settle a lawsuit tied to the Disneyland Hotel in California. The suit claims that a guest, Ivy Eldridge, suffered severe bed bug bites even though the hotel was aware of the infestation.
Although bed bugs don’t spread diseases, they are considered a ‘public health pest’ by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In more extreme cases, bites can even cause people to have allergic reactions.
