KISSIMMEE, Fla. – What was supposed to be a family getaway to Central Florida’s theme parks took an unsettling turn after a 3-year-old girl discovered a sex toy inside her family’s room at Holiday Inn Club Vacations’ Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee, her father says.
Mike Gross told News 6 that the discovery happened on the second night of the family’s August stay, when his daughter approached him with an item she believed was a gift.
“My daughter, 3 years old, comes up behind me and says, ‘Daddy, I’ve got a present for you,’” Gross recalled. “And I’m expecting to turn around and find something cute she’s going to hand me or found around the hotel room or whatever. And she hands me a used vibrator.”
Gross said he notified the resort right away. However, he told the station that no one followed up with him that evening or the next morning, as his family prepared to leave for Disney.
According to Gross, the incident quickly overshadowed the rest of the vacation.
“We’re heading to Disney, and I am not in the spirit of play,” he said. “I’m not there with my family. I am stuck in this situation and confusion of how could such a large resort care so little about the situation.”
“The whole trip was ruined at that point,” Gross said.
Frustrated by what he described as the resort’s lack of response, Gross said he took the item to the lobby himself almost 24 hours later. He also said he filed a report with resort security.
Several weeks later, Holiday Inn Club Vacations offered Gross $1,300 along with a complimentary future stay, he said. Gross declined, saying the proposed compensation came with terms he considered unacceptable.
As the father of two young children, Gross said he was particularly concerned by a lengthy settlement agreement that would have restricted his ability to discuss the incident publicly.
“I figured it’d be a boilerplate release,” Gross said. “But when the release came, it was just so broad and overreaching.”
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One section of the agreement stated that the guest would not “contact or otherwise communicate with any federal, state, local, municipal or any other governmental, quasi-governmental agency or private consumer protection company (i.e. Better Business Bureau) about the Incident or anything in any way related thereto.”
The document also included a non-disparagement provision referencing Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and television. It said the guest could not “disparage, defame, impugn, damage or assail the reputation, or cause or tend to cause the recipient of a communication to question the business condition, integrity, competence, good character, professionalism, or quality of Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated.”
The agreement’s final section said it “does not constitute an admission of guilt or liability” by the company.
“Mistakes happen, we get that,” Gross said. “But just the lack of care, speed, attention, it is unacceptable.”
Gross said he refused to sign the settlement. Instead, he reported the matter to state authorities, including the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, as well as the Better Business Bureau.
In a written response to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Holiday Inn Club Vacations said, “The Company regrets that Mr. Gross remains dissatisfied with both the underlying incident and his experience following the report. The cleanliness of guest accommodations and the appropriate handling of guest concerns are important to the Company.”
Gross told News 6 that his concerns were not driven by the prospect of receiving money. He said he wanted the resort to take responsibility and make changes that could protect other families.
“I hope that they make some real changes,” he said. “And I honestly hope that no other child or family has to experience this level of negligence and neglect.”
In a statement to News 6, a representative for Holiday Inn Club Vacations said, “We take matters involving guest experience very seriously. We have been in contact with Mr. Gross on an ongoing basis regarding his concerns. We have addressed the matter with the appropriate resort teams.”
Due to it being a “specific guest situation,” the company said they could provide further details about private discussions.
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