Laura R.
Yelp
We stayed here over the weekend, and I have mixed opinions about it. Since there was a larger group of us, I searched for a cheap, nearby hotel to Universal Studios. This one was about a mile away, but didn't have a shuttle. Technically, that is. While there isn't a shuttle that comes directly to this hotel, the Holiday Inn (I think?) across the street had a shuttle they share with this hotel. And since the hotel is so close to Orlando Studios, it doesn't take long for the shuttle to reach it.
We stayed in the 2 bedroom queen suite, which also had a sofa bed. There was a mini fridge, microwave, and coffee pot. The room was sort of shabby and out-of-date, but clean. Plus, I booked through Expedia, and also ended up getting $25 off with a coupon code I found. It ended up being about 20ish per person for 2 nights, with 7 people.
That being said, we did have some issues. When we got there, our fridge worked, but by the end of the night, it was room temperature. Went down to the concierge, and they said they would send someone up the next morning. They did let us store our stuff (some pizza, breadsticks, milk, etc.) in their own fridge, which was nice since we didn't want our food to spoil.
The next morning, room service came around 8am. They woke us up, then said they would come back later. They didn't come back the rest of our stay. I know this because our trash piled up, and we weren't given any fresh towels. The fridge maintenance person also came around 9am, and said they would be back later. But by then we had plugged up the fridge into the other outlet and it seemed to be working better. The fridge reacted with the room temperature. When it was colder in the room, the items in the fridge were colder. And when it was warmer in the room, the items in the fridge were warmer. This shouldn't happen...
PROS:
-Free overnight parking!
-While they didn't have a shuttle per se, you could walk across the street to the Holiday Inn and pick up a shuttle pass and use their shuttle. There were multiple shuttle times. Maybe 3-5 in the morning and 4-5 at night.
-They provide free shampoo, conditioner and body wash.
-There is a pool and Jacuzzi on the property.
-Great location, in regards to Universal Studios. Only a mile or so away.
-100% free WiFi, and it didn't require a password to access.
-Business center is small, but sufficient when you need to print out a boarding pass.
-Wonderful staff, who let us do late check out after we had to spend 7-8 hours in the E.R. and came back to the hotel exhausted.
-Very decent hot breakfast available from 7-10am every morning. It's also varied, so if you stay several nights, you get slightly different food. (Over two days, they had sausage, eggs, cereal, apples, oranges, bananas, muffins, various pastries, waffles, yogurt (though that vanished pretty quickly), coffee, juices, bread, jelly, etc.)
-Staff was very polite and accommodating to our needs. Everyone I spoke with (and that was about 3 different people, for various reasons) tried their best to help me with whatever we needed.
-Beds are fairly comfortable, and the pillows are on the plush side, which I prefer.
-Very quiet hotel, despite its great location.
CONS:
-Air conditioning system was either too cold or too hot. I am susceptible to changes in temperature, so now I have a scratchy throat.
-Fridge temperature seems to work with the room temperature. Cold room, cold fridge. Warm room, warm fridge.
-Uncomfortable mattress on the sofa bed.
-Sodas are sold for 2.50 for a small bottle. It's better to go down the street to Publix.
-Room service came REALLY early, around 8am. We were exhausted and asked them to come back at another time. They didn't.
THE VERDICT:
The staff is really accommodating and gracious to your needs. The location is really awesome, and the fact that they now have a shuttle you can access across the street is another great touch, especially because this seems like a recent endeavor. The free hot breakfast was tasty and filling, and it goes on long enough that it's easy to grab something before you head out for the day. That being said, if the fridge worked better and the air conditioning wasn't so crappy, I would have rated this more of a 4 star hotel. But as it was, I think our overall experience was closer to three stars. It's outdated but clean, quiet, but in great proximity to Universal Studios and a bunch of mediocre food options. I would consider this hotel as an option in the future, but I wouldn't go out of my way to make it the place to stay every time I go back to Orlando. It is a great deal if you have a group of people, or a limited budget. In comparison, we once stayed at the Cabana Bay resort, with 6 people, and it was about 80 per person for two nights.