Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando is one of three premier resorts promising a high-end experience with exclusive benefits, including the coveted express pass. This California Mission-Style retreat offers beautiful grounds and is steps from the theme parks. But, are the 80’s inspired interiors enough make you feel like a rock star?
As is true everywhere in Orlando, location is everything. The Hard Rock Hotel is the closest property to City Walk and the theme parks and requires less than a 10 minute walk.
If the 10 minute walk is not your thing, there is a ferry directly from the hotel to City Walk.
The resort offers several dining options including a fine dining experience at The Palm restaurant and casual fare at The Kitchen. There is also a takeout option, Emack & Bolio's Marketplace, which is particularly useful in the morning on your way to the parks.
The hotel has a massive pool with the Beach Club restaurant offering lunch. However, by far the most unique amenity is the ability to check out a Fender guitar and rock out in your room.
The hotel has a California Mission-Style design and transports you back to the 80's when rock music was huge. The grounds are beautiful, but the rooms are in desperate need of an update.
This resort caters to families
Everything is casual at this hotel since people will be going to and coming from the theme parks all day. Go with smart casual if you will be attending one of the restaurants or the bar, Velvet.
Everywhere at Universal Orlando is easily accessible and the Hard Rock Hotel is no different.
The Hard Rock Hotel is located directly on Universal Blvd and is the closest hotel to City Walk and the theme parks.
The hotel has a beautiful walking path that will take you directly into City Walk and even has it’s own security check point, making entry super easy. The walk is only 10 minutes, but for those looking to take it easy, there is a ferry directly off the east lawn. This hotel is definitely easiest when it comes to getting around Universal.
Hard Rock Hotel opened in 2001 and sports a California Mission-Style design that is intended to transport you back to the glory days of rock-dominated hollywood.
The Hard Rock Hotel is easily accessible off Universal Blvd. You will be greeted by an awesome guitar fountain as you pull into the lobby area.
Once inside, the 80’s rock theme will immediately hit you. The lobby is a giant great room with plenty of seating for those looking to hang out and has a massive terrace overlooking the pool area. You will quickly notice how dark the decor is at this hotel, but the pops of bright color bring it to life.
The lobby, as always, serves as the central hub with access to The Palm restaurant, Velvet bar, Rock Shop, and a rotunda leading down the The Kitchen restaurant and pool area.
The Rock Shop is located directly in the lobby and features all the Hard Rock inspired apparel you could ask for.
The pool complex is very large, but is not too crowded during most of the day (it could get a bit busy later in the afternoons). The deck area is nicely designed with garden space separating the rows of lounge chairs making this huge pool feel more intimate. Cabanas are also available for reservation.
The Beach Club is located adjacent the pool and serves up all the traditional favorites. There is a sit down bar area and even some pool tables if you feel like racking them up.
The grounds are one of the best parts of this resort. The beautiful gardens are immaculately maintained and make a great backdrop for a morning stroll for run.
The hotel is the closest property to City Walk and the theme parks, but there is a water taxi. The water taxi dock is located directly off the east lawn and drops off in the heart of City Walk.
The path to City Walk and the theme parks is a beautiful walk through perfectly manicured gardens. This is the easiest way to get to the parks and the walk is less than 10 minutes. The path takes you to a separate security checkpoint entering City Walk, so you won’t be fighting the crowds.
We booked the Future Rock Suite for this trip, which is a two bedroom suite. The rooms are spacious and designed with families in mind, but that is about the best feedback we have on the rooms. The rooms lack lighting and have a dark, cold feel to them. In general, the decor is dated, worn and in need of an update. Seriously, don't book this hotel if you are looking for a posh room, as the accommodation was easily the biggest disappointment at this hotel.
The suite opens up into the primary bedroom, which doubles as a sitting area. This is not ideal for those wanting to sleep while others stay up. The sofa does convert into a full bed.
The bathroom is a horrible design and worn out tiles and hardware need to be replaced. The main bath does feature two sinks, which is nice, and a large standing shower. However, there is no toilet in the main bathroom, you need to wander to the connected second bathroom for that. Keep reading…
The second bedroom is accessible from either the sitting area of the master bedroom or by the connected bathroom. The room has two single beds with a star lighting feature on the ceiling and rock artwork and memorabilia above the headboards.
The most unique aspect of this bedroom is the rock stage area. Hit up the front desk to rent a Fender guitar and you can live out your rock fantasy. I suppose some people are really into this, but I think most guests will find this room strange and the stage area to be a huge waste of space.
Now, back to the issues with the bathroom. There is a second bathroom connected to the second bedroom. This bathroom has a jack-and-jill design with another door connecting to the main bathroom. Aside from the tile, fixtures, and hardware desperately needing to be replaced (just gut the thing), the big issue is that this bathroom has the only toilet. A standard tub/shower and single sink round out this bathroom.
We did take one night away from the parks to enjoy a nice meal at the hotel. The Kitchen is located beneath the lobby and serves up a traditional American menu. Guests to this casual establishment will enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roll inspired food and decor.
Our dinner at The Kitchen really hit the spot and didn’t break the bank. This restaurant isn’t going to blow you away, but the food is good and should have something for everyone.
While there are takeout options available, The Kitchen offers sit-down breakfast for those going at a slower pace. An a-la carte menu and breakfast buffet menu are offered.
There is not much on-site at this property since everything revolves around City Walk and the theme parks. However, there is a Hard Rock Cafe in the middle of City Walk. Hard Rock Live is also located within Hard Rock Cafe offering live performances from some big names.
The obvious draw here is City Walk and the Universal theme parks. Orlando is the theme park capital of the world for a reason and with options like Disney and Sea World nearby, there is no shortage of options. In fact, you could spend weeks in Orlando without running out of things to do, so long as your wallet doesn’t run dry first! The best option is to stay at a hotel nearest the attraction you are visiting, so, keep it Universal while staying at the Hard Rock.
The front desk staff was friendly and checked us in without a problem. They were also able to assist us with getting our included Express Pass setup with our park tickets, which we booked separately. The process was easy and only took 10 minutes.
Housekeeping did an excellent job tending to our room each day. Our towels and toiletries were replenished daily as needed and the room overall was spotless.
The staff at this hotel was generally friendly and responsive. There isn’t much standout or of note here.
The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando will transport you back in time to rocks glory days. The hotel is immaculate on the outside, and dark 80’s on the inside. The huge pool and several dining options are a nice draw for those looking for a break from the parks. The overwhelming problem with this resort is the poorly designed rooms with bad layouts and dated decor. It is seriously time to renovate the rooms.
However, there are ultimately two overarching reasons to book this hotel. The first being the location having the closest proximity to the parks and City Walk. The second being the included Express Pass with your tickets (main tickets purchased separately). The express pass alone makes this hotel worth every penny.
