Review: Epic Universe’s In-Park Hotel Proves First Three Rules of Real Estate
Helios Grand Hotel is the new resort inside Epic Universe, with views overlooking the third theme park at Universal Orlando. This review features room photos & video, a look at common areas & amenities, plus the pros & cons of staying at the newest in-park accommodations and whether it’s worth the splurge.
Universal Helios Grand Hotel is a 500-room, full-service hotel situated in Universal Orlando’s top-tier “Signature Collection” alongside Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. The first three hotels on that list are the legacy deluxe resorts, which offer unlimited Express Pass with stays, among other things. Neither the new-ish Sapphire Falls nor Helios Grand Hotel offer unlimited Express Pass.
As with the other resorts at Universal Orlando, Helios Grand Hotel is a collaboration–designed by Universal Creative and operated by Loews Hotels. The new hotel is ostensibly a Mediterranean-inspired resort, with astronomical and mythological motifs. Helios Grand Hotel rises above the lush gardens and scenic waters of Celestial Park at Epic Universe, and is designed as a “palatial” resort. The hotel has a cosmos-inspired rooftop bar and the hotel’s own dedicated entrance into Epic Universe as its main features.
Helios Grand Hotel will undoubtedly make a strong first impression on most guests, me included. When you walk through the front entrance, you’re immediately drawn to the overlook at the other end of the lobby that boasts big views into Epic Universe. Throughout the hotel, every high point is the proximity to the park. The views into Epic Universe are impressive and exciting, especially if they’re whetting your appetite for a first visit to Epic Universe.
Helios Grand Hotel is being described by Universal Orlando as the “crown jewel” of Epic Universe, which is understandable given its location rising above the park. It’s essentially the focal point from around Celestial Park and, accordingly, you might expect this to be the flagship hotel at Universal Orlando, much like Hotel MiraCosta at Tokyo DisneySea or the Grand Californian at Disneyland Resort.
Not so much. Its in-park location is the only thing Helios Grand Hotel has in common with those flagship resorts.
Unfortunately, there’s no there there in a thematic sense with Helios Grand Hotel once you get past a few cool details. On its surface, it looks and feels like Universal’s take on the type of hotel tower you’d find in Las Vegas. There are truly magnificent hotels with overwhelming and ostentatious design in Las Vegas.
While the Las Vegas comparisons are going to be obvious and abundant, Helios Grand Hotel does not measure up to any of those properties when it come to lavishness. Nor does it have the slate of features and amenities guests could expect from an upscale Las Vegas hotel or, for that matter, other top tier theme park resorts in Central Florida.
Let’s dig deeper into the resort by taking a look around Helios Grand Hotel…
Helios Grand Hotel Guest Rooms & Suites
The guest rooms and suites of Universal Helios Grand Hotel are said to evoke the tranquility of a blissful garden, with many of the rooms affording breathtaking views of Epic Universe and others boasting the worst city view imaginable.
Standard Rooms at the Universal Helios Grand Hotel provide a garden-themed retreat, available with either a king bed for up to three guests or two queen beds for up to five. The two-queen-bed standard rooms measure 325 square feet, while the king-bed standard rooms offer a bit more space at 340 square feet.
Deluxe Rooms are larger still, at 415 square feet and accommodating up to five guests. This layout has two queen-sized beds and a common area featuring a small sleeper sofa. The suites are even bigger, with options from 545 square feet (How to Train Your Dragon Kids’ Suites) to over 1,000 square feet for the hospitality and presidential suites.
All rooms at Helios Grand Hotel boast 300-thread-count, 100% cotton bed linens; as opposed to a bed runner, they all have decorative duvets that cover the full length of the bed. Comfort-wise, the bedding was plush and fantastic. The sheets were likewise quite nice. Both Universal and Disney have improved their mattresses in the last several years, so absolutely no complaints there.
Other in-room amenities include a mini-fridge, free Wi-Fi, dresser, 55-inch flat panel TV with on-demand in-room movies, single-cup coffee maker, Julien Farel bath products, and a wide variety of outlets and USB ports. There’s a long list of things you’d expect, like a safe and iron (separate features), but I’m not going to list that all.
Most notable is that there’s a tablet for controlling the lights, temperature, TV, and learning about the hotel. There are also wall controls for all of the same, although I found them to be hit or miss. I had a very difficult time opening and closing the drapes, and I promise this wasn’t due to user error. The system was glitchy, as confirmed by other guests staying at Helios Grand Hotel. Finally, my desk lamp turned on at random in the middle of the night on two different occasions, leading me to unplug the clearly-haunted light fixture.
I have very mixed feelings about the guest rooms at Helios Grand Hotel. I loved the headboard in my room, which evoked a watercolor painting with its floral brushstrokes in soft pink and blue tones. The carpet and furniture was likewise nice, as were several accents, all elevating the room and making it feel sophisticated and elegant.
The biggest problem is the room size. I had just stayed at Universal Terra Luna Resort the nights before switching to Universal Helios Grand Hotel. My room at the former, a ‘Prime Value Resort’ costing less than $150 per night, was 315 square feet. My room at Helios Grand was only 325 square feet. A negligible difference.
Moreover, I cannot conclusively state that the guest room at the Signature Collection resort was materially nicer than the budget option. There were little touches suggesting that, to be sure, but nothing truly high end. Part of the “problem” here is Terra Luna arguably punches above its weight for its price. But the rooms at Helios Grand Hotel also punch below theirs.
The only thing that made obvious the difference was opening the drapes and looking out into Epic Universe.
The park view is stunning, and focuses guests’ attention outside the room rather than in it. Seriously, this perspective overlooking Epic Universe is magnetic, overshadowing almost everything else about the hotel. This is nothing like the distant views afforded by park view rooms of Magic Kingdom at the Grand Floridian or Contemporary Resorts. Since Helios Grand is a true in-park hotel, you are fully immersed in Epic Universe. This view is pure magic.
Obviously, this only applies with a park view room. The other side of the hotel offers views into back-of-house facilities and things you generally won’t want to see. For this reason, we can really only recommend Helios Grand Hotel if you’re willing and able to splurge on a park view room. We’d prioritize the park view over all other room types. (Note: the Club Level lounge does not have a park view.)
Here are more photos from our Park View Room at Helios Grand Hotel on the Club Level:
Private Park Entrance Into Epic Universe
Located off the lobby is Helios Grand Hotel’s dedicated entrance into Epic Universe that provides access to and from the theme park (valid theme park admission required, of course).
Reviews from the media event praised this park entrance, with several indicating that the line would be shorter and faster than the main entrance. This is false, and underscores the problem with reviewing a hotel in a controlled and capacity constrained environment.
The dedicated entrance into Epic Universe has a 500-room hotel all served by a single security scanner for bag check and a couple of turnstiles. Unsurprisingly, many (most?) of the guests in those 500 rooms all want to enter Epic Universe for Early Park Admission. The end result, at least during my stay, was a massively long line that stretched all the way outdoors and into the pool area.
It was neither short nor fast. Friends staying at nearby Terra Luna Resort got through security at the main entrance faster than me. Perhaps this will change over time as there’s less of an emphasis on Epic Universe for guests staying at Helios Grand Hotel, but I doubt it. The reason to stay here will always be going to Epic Universe.
The good news is that, once the morning rush subsides, using this entrance is an absolute breeze. I was in and out of Epic Universe in a matter of minutes. For midday breaks, the dedicated entrance into Helios Grand Hotel is a gamechanger.
Helios Grand Hotel Pool
It’s no secret that Central Florida has 43 weeks of summer, making the hotel pool one of the most important features for many guests at Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World. This zero-entry pool area is long and winding, featuring a spacious tiered seating area. It also features underwater speakers, poolside cabana rentals, a hot tub, poolside movies, and daily recreational activities. Lotus Lagoon is the resort’s poolside bar & grill, serving up drinks and pub food.
During my stay, I never saw too many people using the pool at Helios Grand Hotel. The seating area was, at most, one-quarter full and there was ample space in the pool itself. I suspect this will change over time, given what I’ve observed from other pool areas at Universal Orlando. This will be busy and crowded at some point.
As compared to lower level pool areas at Universal Orlando, the one at Helios Grand Hotel is nice. The long and winding layout breaks up the space, and is far superior to the massive complexes at the budget resorts.
However, Helios does not hold a candle to the pool areas at any of the other Signature Collection resorts, all of which offer some of the nicest pools in Central Florida. I keep seeing praise for this pool and it being described as an “oasis,” which has me wondering whether we stayed at the same hotel.
The other Universal Orlando Signature hotels have a variety of great and engaging features, whereas the pool at Helios Grand Hotel feels more superficial–an adult pool that serves an atmospheric purpose while lounging. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but if you have kids who love playing in pools, you might want to look elsewhere.
Its location also leaves something to be desired, “nestled” between the parking lot and Monsters Unchained show building. The way it’s wedged into this spot makes me wonder whether it were originally intended to be located on the park side of Helios Grand Hotel.
Bar Helios
A sparkling and stylish rooftop lounge, Bar Helios at Universal Helios Grand Hotel offers a menu of tapas and familiar favorites, handcrafted specialty cocktails, and unrivaled 360-degree views of Epic Universe and beyond – making this the perfect spot for guests to kick back in the evening after a busy day in the parks.
Bar Helios is unquestionably the high point of Helios Grand Hotel. Literally and figuratively. If you don’t have a room with a park view, you’ll absolutely want to visit Bar Helios. Ditto guests who aren’t staying at Helios Grand Hotel, as this is definitely a destination bar.
Heck, I did have a park-view room and still found myself making three separate visits to Bar Helios. Due to the early closing time of Epic Universe, a stop up at Bar Helios is a great way to end–or extend–the evening. The moody atmosphere inside is lovely, and the views outside are unrivaled. I highly recommend reservations at Bar Helios, and doing drinks or dishes at this rooftop bar. It’s phenomenal.
Flora Taverna
This full-service restaurant serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner and lobby bar with a light and airy atmosphere – featuring an open-style kitchen with live cooking. Flora Taverna serves up Mediterranean comfort foods and pizza, offering al fresco seating overlooking the beautiful scenery of Celestial Park.
As I was staying Club Level, I did not have occasion to dine at Flora Taverna–but I did walk through the restaurant and was impressed by both its views and atmosphere. My friends who were staying at Helios Grand Hotel at the same time were impressed by the cuisine here.
Aurora Market
A contemporary coffee shop and market offering freshly-roasted coffees, grab-and-go food items, as well as snack & dessert options from morning to night.
When it comes to the restaurant lineup, Aurora Market is my biggest disappointment. I had just come from Universal Terra Luna Resort immediately before my stay at Helios Grand Hotel, and was really impressed by the food court there. This is simply, as the name suggests, a grab-and-go market. And a rather small one. The unequivocal highlights are the coffee and gelato.
While I know it’s common for the top-tier Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World resorts to have undercooked counter service options, it’s nevertheless disappointing that there’s nowhere to go for a quick hot meal at Helios Grand Hotel. It’s also worth noting that this resort has a light restaurant lineup as compared to most of its counterparts. (Granted, there’s a whole park full of dining just outside Helios!)
Other amenities at Universal Helios Grand Hotel also include a state-of-the-art fitness center featuring a variety of strength and cardio equipment; a game room for guests to blast, zap and race their way through a collection of arcade games with the purchase of a game card; Universal Orlando Resort Store for guests to purchase everything from sundries and necessities to merchandise.
I don’t have much meaningful commentary to add about the other amenities. They’re pretty much par for the course at Universal Orlando resorts. While I didn’t use the fitness room, I found it to be quite nice and appreciated the views it offers into Celestial Park. Adjacent to the fitness center is also a nice changing area–I did use this, as I had a late flight on checkout day.
Staying at any Universal Orlando hotel also comes with exclusive theme park benefits. Guests of Universal Helios Grand Hotel, or any of the other Universal Orlando hotels, receive Early Park Admission to enjoy select attractions at the theme parks, which includes Epic Universe. Early Park Admission offers up to one hour of priority access before the park opens with valid theme park admission.
Fortunately, the issues with the glacially slow dedicated entrance do not impact Early Park Admission, as security starts ‘processing’ guests with more than ample time to make into the park before the start of EPA. (Just don’t show up ~15 minutes in advance and expect to be in the park on-time.) Note that it is a farther walk from Helios Grand Hotel to Super Nintendo World, but this wasn’t an issue for us–we still made it to the front of the pack for EPA. (See our Early Park Admission at Epic Universe Strategy Guide: Beating Crowds in Super Nintendo World!)
Universal Orlando hotel guests can also take advantage of complimentary shuttle bus transportation to the theme parks and Universal CityWalk, resort-wide charging privileges, complimentary merchandise delivery and more.
The exterior of Helios Grand Hotel looks like the love-child of Disney’s Riviera Resort and Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, and those are unquestionably the two Walt Disney World resorts that offer the best comparisons to Universal’s new tower. Like those, Helios Grand Hotel is boxy, bland, and underbaked from a thematic perspective.
There’s no two ways about it: if Helios Grand Hotel were built to overlook one of the Walt Disney World theme parks, it would be absolutely excoriated by fans. There’s a double-standard for Universal Orlando vs. Walt Disney World. I’ll be the first to admit that I grade Universal on a curve, and most other theme park fans do too, judging by how much of a pass Universal gets for the things fans over which Disney would receive endless criticism.
Thankfully, the exterior of Helios Grand Hotel does look nicer than its contemporary counterparts at Walt Disney World–but barely. For a hotel that’s the de facto focal point of a brand new theme park, it’s still embarrassingly bland. But in Universal’s defense, we recently experienced the same with the disappointing Fantasy Springs Hotel at Tokyo DisneySea, largely lauded as the greatest theme park on earth. I suspect both projects saw COVID-induced budget cuts and funneled that towards their respective resorts. Better that the hotel be value-engineered than Epic Universe itself.
Inside, Universal Helios Grand Hotel is not nicer than Disney’s Riviera Resort, or even Gran Destino Tower.
Both of those ‘modern’ Walt Disney World hotels boast more attention to detail throughout their common areas, with superior fit and finishing. They also have better amenities–from more robust restaurant rosters to their pools and other features.
Even with Universal being graded on a curve, I’m surprised more attention isn’t being drawn to this. Like Riviera Resort, the lobby at Helios Grand is surprisingly compact and underwhelming–Gran Destino Tower easily surpasses both in terms of grandiosity. That remains the exemplar of Las Vegas style resorts in Central Florida, even if it’s lacking in location.
When confined to the walls of Helios Grand Hotel itself, there’s very little that separates this property from the other recent resorts at Universal Orlando. Everything is fairly pedestrian and paint-by-numbers, and it’s difficult to argue that this property is materially nicer than Aventura, Stella Nova, or Terra Luna.
From my perspective, Helios Grand Hotel does not hold a candle to Portofino Bay, which remains the high-water mark for themed resorts at Universal Orlando. Of course, it’s also a product of a different era. Guest preferences have changed since then, and so too have both Universal’s and Disney’s approaches to themed hotel design. But I would also rank Hard Rock Hotel and Royal Pacific above Helios Grand, when it comes to the hotels themselves. From a personal preference perspective, I might also give the edge to Sapphire Falls and Cabana Bay, for that matter!
The difference between Helios Grand Hotel and the older Universal resorts is that they strove for idealized and romanticized themes that transport you to another time and place. Those resorts are immersive, warm, and reassuring. Although ostensibly Mediterranean and mythology-inspired, Helios Grand Hotel is not thematically transportive–the design is all surface level. The hotel strives for something different entirely.
What Helios Grand Hotel strives for is being literally transportive. It places you right inside Epic Universe, and pulls guests’ attention away from the property itself and towards that gorgeous theme park the resort faces.
In so doing, it’s easy to overlook the many faults of Helios Grand Hotel when you are quite literally overlooking Epic Universe. It’s completely understandable that more fans aren’t fixating on how Helios Grand Hotel lacks X or Y amenities or design details, underwhelms as compared to the legacy Signature Collection properties, and falls far short of ‘flagship’ status. Everyone’s attention is on the park itself!
This was true for me, too. When I first entered the hotel, I immediately looked past the undersized lobby to the outdoor overlook. When I entered my room, I raced to the window. All of my waking hours in the room were spent at the window-side table. Bar Helios is where I spent my late nights, savoring that view. Aside from quick laps around the resort for the sake of this review, the entirety of my focus during my stay at Helios Grand Hotel was actually Epic Universe. The highlight of the hotel is actually the park, with Helios Grand Hotel “proving” the first three rules of real estate: location, location, location.
Finally, as covered in Universal’s Epic Universe In-Park Hotel is Cheap, nightly rates for Helios Grand Hotel start at $293 per night for standard rooms with no view and stays of four nights or longer.
In all likelihood, you will have an exceedingly difficult time finding availability at or around this price point unless you’re booking way in advance. Universal Orlando uses dynamic pricing for its resorts, and we’ve seen prices steadily increase for Helios Grand Hotel (even as availability has remained fairly good) through 2026.
On average, you should expect to pay starting prices in the neighborhood of $500 per night–and perhaps more than that. For example, my Club Level, Park-View Room booked immediately when reservations opened was less expensive than the current cost for a standard room during the fall off-season.
Booking early is the optimal approach for Helios Grand Hotel, and then circling back to see if any discounts drop later. Our expectation is that won’t happen until the ‘new hotel smell’ wears off, which could take years. Reviews have been rather glowing of Helios Grand Hotel, so demand will likely remain strong.
Given all of that, we highly recommend requesting a quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, a no-fee Universal Preferred Travel Agency. They can assist booking Helios Grand Hotel for you, comparison shopping among the various hotels, and helping determine which packages will work best for your family.
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more. For regular updates, news & rumors, a heads up when discounts are released, and much more, sign up for our FREE email newsletter!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Does Universal Helios Grand Hotel prove that it’s all about location, location, location? Impressed by the style or substance? What do you think of the exterior and interior? Will you book Universal Helios Grand Hotel, or stick with one of the existing resorts? Agree or disagree with our Helios Grand Hotel review? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
Biggest no – This property does NOT include the Unlimited Express Pass like ALL the other signature properties! Pay more – Get less. Thank God, I saw this before I completed my booking.
I stayed here for one night during Epic Previews – and my overall opinion on the hotel – it’s boring. There’s a lack of entertainment options and the grounds are small – there’s not even really anywhere to wander. I learned that the hard way when we arrived (After check-in time around 4pm) to no room ready and didn’t get one until nearly 6pm (lesson learned – always grab the bathing suits from the luggage before dropping them off with bell services).
The hotel is pretty, the room is nice enough, but fairly small, and felt like it lacked some basic amenities (like towel hooks or a clothes line – where am I supposed to put towels and wet bathing suits for three people?!). The pool, again, was nice enough, but pretty boring and lacked any features you’d expect at a signature level hotel. Where’s the water slide? The splash pad? I have a 3 year old and those things have suddenly become very important features for us. We typically stay at Royal Pacific when we visit Universal, and found this didn’t even come close to measuring up.
The food at Flora Taverna was good – but VERY expensive for what it was. I’m a WDW AP and don’t often balk at theme park food pricing – but even I was surprised ($6 for milk for my 3 year old still irks me). Aurora Market is pretty much a joke (and, again, expensive even by theme park standards).
Overall, it’s a nice hotel and the access to Epic is awesome, but next time I’ll save the money and stay at Stella Nova if I’m just visiting Epic.
We just returned from a 3-night stay at The Helios Grand. We are fans of both Disney and Universal and have stayed in Portofino many, many times—but, honestly, we LOVED Helios. We thought the design was modern and aesthetically gorgeous–yes, evoking mythology and mediterranean themes, but also echoing the portals in Epic in the design in so many places (like the wall lightning between rooms in the halls–it was soft and looked like mini portals), as well as celestial themes (the planet shaped lights astride the bathroom mirror…). We ate at Flora and the Helios Bar and Lotus Lagoon and thought they had the best cocktails (balanced, original, not overly sweet) of any resort at Disney or Universal, and the food was excellent.
I agree with your observations about the pool feeling more designed for adults–which we appreciated–and loved the underwater music playing, the ability to easily get a seat poolside with the meandering length of the pool, and loved the tiled ledge that wrapped around just beneath the water’s surface of the pool so you could easily sit in the pool without being all the way in it (also made it easier to get in and out of the pool anywhere). Lotus Lagoon pool bar is the most beautiful pool bar I have ever been at (and the bartenders were friendly and lovely to talk with).
I also recommend trying the pastries and desserts they have at Aurora market–we tried several (breakfast pastries, the extraordinarily beautiful desserts [just as pretty but better tasting than Amorette’s IMO], and delicious gelatos and large soft cookies) and found them all delicious.
I agree though that they could do with an in hotel quick service option–once the park closes the options are mostly higher end. AND I will say that I found the food to be VERY pricey compared to Disney. I felt like we never walked away from a restaurant in the hotel for less than $150–even just getting a some light apps and a couple of drinks (contrast this to our stay at Riviera where we enjoyed the excellent pool bar food and drinks for much less)…
“The new hotel is ostensibly a Mediterranean-inspired resort, with astronomical and mythological motifs.”
Tom, thanks for using the word “ostensibly” as perfectly as possible; one Greco-Roman statue does not a theme make. If they named the resort The Universal and just made a general theme of “opulence,” maybe I’d be comparing it to Sapphire Falls and not Portofino Bay (and its 450 ft^2 rooms). Also, I probably wouldn’t be annoyed by the lack of a counter service diner, which may seem on the nose but would be welcome. Throw in how (some of) the views are the best part, and maybe we should call it Aventura II.
I want to wait and see how transportation from the other resorts to Epic shapes up before writing off Helios completely, though with the shorter hours come June I personally won’t need a resort next to the park as much as others may.
If I was able to book a deluxe park view room at Helios in December for around $400/night, but found Royal Pacific for the same nights around $335/night, would you recommend RP over HG?
Hi Jason! I just returned from Helios on Friday and have stayed at almost all Universal resorts.
I love RP, and (in my humble opinion) all Helios has going for it is being outside Epic). It’s over priced and small portioned food is a pervading issue throughout the hotel and we had some major issues that were initially very badly dealt with by hotel staff (we got a good outcome in the end but it ruined 2 of my 5 day bday trip to get there).
When we go back to Epic we will definitely stay somewhere else. Just allow for enough time to get to the park by bus or car to take advantage of early admission.
When we first entered our standard room, I was shocked at how small and bland it was. Sapphire Falls is nicer and I thought this would be in the league of RP- not even close.
If having the experience of those new park views is important, I’d suggest only 1 night and then go somewhere better. (Start with Helios to get it over and done with, then be dazzled somewhere else!).
Thank you for the reply, this is extremely helpful! That’s definitely the way we were leaning so this is enough of a confirmation for me.
You’re right about the location and park view. That’s what makes the hotel so alluring despite the lack of interior design and space. (On a side note: Wow! I didn’t know it only had 500 rooms. Does that make it UO smallest hotel?)
So Tom it appears you are suggesting that my family of 5 switch our two night June stay to Stella or Terra. We can get two rooms there connecting to sleep 5 of us for $500-$600 (total both nights) less than one room at Helios. And we did not even spring for park view so it sounds like the expense of the new and fancy hotel worth it? And that the dedicated entrance while nice isn’t that big of an advantage over the other two is how I read that…
If I were on a budget and it came down to two rooms at Terra/Stella or a no-view room at Helios, I’d take the former.
Others might decide differently, but for me, there just isn’t enough daylight between a no-view room at Helios and the rooms at Terra/Stella. I’d take the additional space over the dedicated entrance. To each their own on that, though.
Park view rooms are currently hovering around $700 during our brief September stay, despite our park tickets bottoming out at their lowest price point. I reluctantly booked our tried-and-true Cabana pool suite and guess maybe that was the right answer after all – unless Helios dynamically crashes in the intermediary.
The one big downside about the main UOR campus is that it’s surprisingly far away from Epic Universe. So that is something to consider if you plan to spend the bulk of your time at Epic Universe. If not, Cabana Bay is tough to beat!
your article was long and tiresome to read
Your comment was short and annoying to read.
Don’t read, don’t comment seems like a less buttholey course of action then. Better luck in the future, Stan.
I know it’s not Vegastouristblog but if you ever have free time-hahahaha- I sure would appreciate an analysis of Las Vegas hotels since I trust your tastes and want to bring my wife there since she somehow has natural sophistication and yet a fondness for glitzy spectacles,..
We’ve been to Las Vegas a couple of times, and it just isn’t my scene. I want to love it, and I appreciate a lot of the lavish resorts and themed design sensibilities, but I have zero interest in gambling and there are just some aspects of the city that are depressing. We have friends who live there and love it, so perhaps I’m just doing it wrong or have had subpar experiences.
We will be spending 3 nights there this summer, and like you said, it’s all about location, location, location. I too booked right when reservations went live and soooo happy I grabbed a theme park view deluxe room. Can’t wait!!!
Hope you have a fantastic trip!
I’m curious what you thought about the Club Level offerings. Haven’t been impressed at all by what I’ve seen thus far of the food selection — which is the best part of staying Club at a Disney Deluxe. We’ve got two days booked at Helios in June and the sole reason we haven’t cancelled is the ability to get back to the room ASAP with a fussy 3 year old. Like many, it’s our first foray into visiting any of the Universal Parks, so all of your Epic articles so far have been invaluable in planning!
I hear everything you’re staying but…the views! I read every word of this article and respect your opinion, and every time you’d drop a nighttime or sunrise pic into Epic I caught myself thinking, “I don’t know, seems like it could be worth it.” I think in-park hotels are like fireworks over Cinderella Castle; even a “meh” version of it is pretty awesome while you’re experiencing it.
Once again, my words have been foiled by my photos!
if only the world looked as good as Tom’s photos make it look,..
Universal hotel rooms are smalllll. Couple of years ago, we stayed in Loews Royal Pacific Resort, which we really liked – lovely theming, great pool, close to the park, express passes – but the room was tiny and awkward. It was a delight to move across to POR for the rest of our trip.
It feels like Universal crams people in, and they know they’re only there for a day or two and won’t spend much time in their room, so won’t complain. So maybe that’s fine. But it’s not going to lead to good reviews, is it?
Wait, *mind blown* ….just realized this hotel is boxy, sort of generic, and helps ensure you sleep at night. The “Celestial” theme is actually a reference to Celestial SEASONINGS! Per Christine’s comment below, those headboard flowers must be chamomile and lavender and hibiscus.
Mystery solved!
I would love to see and hear reviews of the club level options and amenities
Thanks for pointing out the grading curve here – I can’t imagine the vitriol if Disney opened this as a Deluxe at WDW!
The thing that really sticks out about this place is the “theme”. I guess you’re right – they were just going for that vague Vegas-style “luxury”, but even that seems generous. Why is the outside steampunk, the lobby Vegas, while the guest rooms look like a copycat of the resort studios at Grand Floridian? It’s great that it’s not Grand Floridian prices, don’t get me wrong! But I just really don’t understand what the vision was other than “we can sell anything if guests can walk into the park”.
“It’s great that it’s not Grand Floridian prices, don’t get me wrong!”
Might want to price out actual nightly rates for the next few months before making that proclamation.
Of course, one is still brand new and has zero discounts available, but still.
Now that I’ve been almost completely dissuaded from staying at Helios Grand, Tom I eagerly await your inevitable Terra Luna vs Stella Nova piece.
Yes! Stella was awesome. We walked to the park in 6 minutes!! The rooms were nice but the lobby was a bit stark. Decent food choices.
I’ll have a review of Stella Nova/Terra Luna fairly soon (1-2 months). It’ll be pretty positive–and much shorter than this!
While I haven’t stayed yet, this review seems spot on. Particularly for family vacations, three things stand out to me:
1. No quick service restaurant (offerings cater to adults/ bars);
2. No water slide (offering caters to adults that like lounging rather than swimming); and
3. No theming.
The last point should be fundamental to a theme park provider. Stylistic flourishes are not the same as theming. As you say in the article, theming should transport you metaphorically, like all of WDW’s deluxe resorts do. I’ll give Helios a shot mostly because I secured a low priced reservation many months ago. But even at that price, it seems barely worth it. It is certainly not worth more than $500 a night for the basic room, and I would have cancelled if that was the case.
“I’ll give Helios a shot mostly because I secured a low priced reservation many months ago. But even at that price, it seems barely worth it.”
Might find yourself rethinking this opinion when it’s 90+ degrees with triple digit feels like temps, you can’t escape the heat anywhere inside Epic Universe, but you’re less than 5 minutes from your room! 🙂
That’s a good point. I have never had an opportunity to enjoy that kind of convenience to a park. It am sure I will enjoy it in the heat of this summer. But still, to quote Patrick Henry on theme parks: “give me whimsy or give me death.”
I wonder why they went with a floral themed headboard and not something celestial related?
I’m wondering that too. Maybe it’s supposed to reflect the park scene at night? It’s pretty, but looks like leftover fabric from the Grand Floridian. And those gold “duvets” look like coverlets similar to a motel 6 or my grandmother’s house. I hope they are washed between stays! Give me Disney’s boring but clean white bed coverings!