Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando

JP Faiella

I would honestly caution anyone from staying here if this is an important family trip or otherwise. We’ve stayed here a few times and I am in the lifestyle/hospitality industry and here is the truth. The hotel is a an “average” if not “below average” property with subpar rooms and food (minus The Palm) but they are not part of the property and run on their own standards. On our last stay 2 of the 4 nights of our stay fire alarms went off in the middle of the night (which literally seems crazy) and the hotel management could care less and if you search reviews you will find other similar occurrences. I was kind of blown away the manager and the team did not care and offered nothing in return accept a luke warm promise that it shouldn’t happen again. If you’ve saved your money for this trip and it’s important to you and your family my advice would be stay off property at a higher quality hotels or Airbnb or just be prepared to stay at a motel 8 masquerading as something better. Sad really. The property and management was much better at one time. Maybe it will return to a better property under new management. I do want to update my review and say that the manager did get in touch with me post-trip and refunded one of the two evenings we were disturbed. I have changed my review from 1 to 2 stars.

Wendy Orton

Pros: Absolutely brilliant location. Amazing surroundings. Wonderful pool. Club level - great and so convenient to grab snacks, early breakfast, water, drinks etc. And of course the express passes. I’d stay here again based on these reasons alone. Cons: a $600 dollar credit card hold on check in is completely preposterous. $32 a day for parking when you’ve already paid for club level also leaves a bad taste. Feels like you’re being nickel & dimed. Should be complimentary. Housekeeping didn’t turn up for turn down on two of the three nights we were there. Lastly our first room was right next to the ice machine and the noise was horrendous. We requested a move, got it no problem but no apology, nothing to make up for having to pack up and move rooms at 20.00 hours after spending a tiring day out. Finally the hot tub is really small and the same family hogged the it all night, every night we were there. Aware thats not the hotel’s fault but another larger option wouldn’t go a miss.

Kevin Neely

As someone who travels for work and takes the family on trips 5/6 trips a year, this place stands out. The location is amazing. A short walk or water taxi ride to CityWalk and two Universal theme parks, it couldn’t be better. All of the on site amenities are outstanding. Live music, great food, but still quiet and restful places to relax, there is something for everyone. The staff is phenomenal. Gustavo helped us with our bags out of the Uber, Cat at the front desk made our complicated reservations a breeze. Spending a day by the pool, Britt, our pool waitress, was friendly, offered great suggestions, our drinks never ran dry and she even made sue our kids had drinks and snacks too. One evening after a few park days, my daughter had a fever, so I went to the valet stand hoping for a direction to catch an Uber for the needed supplies. Orlando, hearing my daughter wasn’t feeling well, offered to personally drive me to a pharmacy, wait for me, and get me back to the hotel. I saw him the next morning, he even asked how she was doing. We saw Cat (off work) at a park, she recognized us and asked us if we were having a great time. This staff makes this hotel a treat and feels like home without being over bearing. Not to mention the park perks associated with this hotel, it’s well worth a visit. Book an extra day (or two) to relax and enjoy the pool and amenities. You’ll be happy you did.

joshua ford

We stayed in the Presidential Suite, which is obviously not cheap, and with that price point you expect first-class service. Unfortunately, that wasn’t consistently delivered. When we returned from the parks, our bags still hadn’t been brought to the room. That caused a delay and set the tone for the stay. For a top-tier room, that shouldn’t happen. They did try to make it right by offering us a cabana the next day, which I appreciated, but then we were told the pool was closed due to weather. They still offered the cabana anyway, which made the gesture feel pointless. To their credit, my girlfriend followed up via email and they are applying a credit. The amount is still TBD. Depending on how they handle that, I may update this review. Pros • Prime location and easy park access • Spacious suite with great layout • Express Pass perk is genuinely valuable Cons • Service execution didn’t match the price point • Luggage delay was frustrating • Recovery attempts felt uncoordinated Bottom line Great hotel on paper, but if you’re booking a premium room, manage expectations. Location and perks are excellent, service consistency needs work.

Jamie Kouba

Everything about this hotel met our needs. Clean, great beds, great service, excellent service. Unfortunately our stay ended on a sour note. Due to a cancelled flight, my son and his wife needed to stay in our room the first night of our visit. Trying to be honest, we let them know at the front desk. They issued them keys and said there would be a $55/person fee for their one night stay. No problem; they turned in their keys the next morning and never entered a park. Upon checkout, there was $110/day charge for the entirety of the stay. When I went to the front desk to clarify, I was told that the charge was for the express passes associated with the stay. This was NOT explained when we got the two extra “keys” for my son and his wife. I presented proof that the two had departed that next morning without entering a park. I went through three levels of management trying to work this out and was met with a hard no each time. I will be opening a credit card dispute for the $330 that was charged without my consent.