Universal's Hard Rock Hotel, Orlando

I had fun at this place. Only bad thing, that they cannot control so it wasn't their fault. The fire alarm went off at 6 am. But oh well, other than that it was a pleasant stay!

ALL is very over priced the rooms $ 150 a night is more than enough and they charge $300 they need to be put in a crunch for money, over priced !!!

Pretty, clean...BUT did they tell you they are going to charge you $15 a night for a place to park your car? ($22 if they do it) how about $10 a night for slow internet access? or $10 a day for use of the workout room? (if the stuff is working) The checkin clerks said it was on the website....not anywhere I could see or in human readable print. I called and asked and got all the info from one of their reservation people who played up all the facillities. She just failed to mention they would charge us for it. The ethics of this very questionable and disappointing so add about $50 to the rate you get (there are more hidden charge) before deciding. The standard rooms are just a bit better than a Holiday Inn. OH don't plan on using the fridge in your room it is stuffed with extremely overpriced drinks ($10 airline minis of low grade booze) so no room for anything you might want to put in there. I spent one night to cover the deposit and then went elsewhere getting a much nicer place for alot less after factoring in the hidden extras.May want to get any deal in writing.

The only reason why I stayed there was it was close to the parks Universal , not Disney, or Epcot, they are far from this Hotel, this is in walking distance, make sure you have alot of cash on hand is all I can say, did not eat at the Hard Rock , better off eating anywhere in the area of Orlando...alot of places and attractions to visit...this Hotel is not for everyone, room service was ok... You have to speak up for extra linens and so forth... though I did have a very nice view from my room....They have a Hard Rock Shop there, if you love classic rock which I do... Just watch the rates ....I didnt pay $270.00 a night... it was less... Have a good time.. they do have a room which they serve coffee and beverages and snack food like continental breakfasts per say...

I'm notoriously picky about how I spend my money. I'm not a cheapskate -I simply expect to receive something in return for my money. Overall, I was very pleased with the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. Here's my assessment: Pros: The hotel offers plenty for the children to do - a great pool, extensive game room, two outdoor ping-pong tables close to the pool (my children lived at the tables), pool (billiards) tables, and poolside volleyball on a sand "beach"; beautifully landscaped grounds; convenient water taxi service to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure; music abounds so the atmosphere is always festive; a DJ or a band is always on hand at the pool; plenty of pool games to entertain the younger and mid-range child; offers a restaurant at poolside for a casual snack or lunch; I liked the firm beds (but I've read some complaints about the mattresses being too firm - they were perfect for me and I'm difficult to satisfy with hotel beds); and housekeeping was more than sufficient for us. My children (13 and 10) enjoyed the rock memorabilia throughout the hotel. My children also enjoyed the breakfast buffet - it offered numerous choices and the food was excellent. The breakfast buffet is a decent value for older children at $8.50 (for my two hungry children) but not such a value for adults at $16.50 (not including your gratuity!). I had no problems with service during our stay - the staff made us feel special and catered to. When you present your room key at Universal or Islands of Adventure, you automatically receive Express entrance to all the rides and shows at the theme parks and some other perks. That was a huge benefit for us at no extra cost (we would've purchased the Express card at the theme parks otherwise). Cons: This hotel is noisy! My room was designated as a "pool-view" (which was an overstatement - it was a ping-pong table view) and the speakers by the pool started blaring music every morning at 9 am sharp and didn't stop until 10 pm! (Don't even think about sleeping in after a late night.) The hallways were full of children who noisily ran up and down at all hours of the day and night. We even heard the staff in the hallway outside our room early in the morning having a long and loud personal conversation! We could hear noises from guests in adjacent rooms - both above and beside us. The food, although good, was pricey and was typical resort fare (burgers and fries, pizza, grilled mahi mahi, etc. However, we stuck to the more casual restaurants - The Kitchen and the Beach Club. We did not visit the more upscale restaurant, The Palms, where we could have found more interesting options, I'm sure. For anything but regular table service, a 18-22% gratuity is automatically imposed, along with an additional service fee. We couldn't find much to eat at the resort that I didn't consider overpriced. I purchased one "adult beverage" during the entire stay - it consisted of nothing more than a top shelf vodka and a fruit juice - and it cost more than $12.00. As another commenter pointed out, I did find the staff to be somewhat young but the entire hotel has a young feel to it - it fits with the rock and roll vibe. I liked that and didn't have any problems with it other than my attempt to plan an impromptu birthday celebration for my child. That didn't go very well and maybe an older person could have helped there. But, in all fairness, I didn't give them much notice. All in all, we loved our vacation and would like to visit again. We will probably stay at the Hard Rock Hotel again but I may ask for a room in a different location in an attempt to avoid some of the noise. I wish they offered a "quiet zone" or put all the young children in a separate area. And I hated the pool music interrupting my sleep! I will also pack a huge cooler of snacks and drinks for me and my family - that will save hundreds! But for a fun and relaxed vacation, I recommend.

Hotel was very pretty. Lots of Rock Memorabilia here and there and the location is great! Unfortunately I wouldn't stay here again. First: the gym is terrible. Broken treadmills, headphones didn't work and the temp was too hot to work out. I asked abut all these issues and the "teenager" at the desk said she could do anything about anything!!! The rooms are tiny and you can hear everything going on behind you. The pool is pretty but shallow and not swimable. For the money, I would rather go to Portofino or just a Disney property.

From day one we have encountered problems with our stay.First, it started with our room not being ready on time.Then, even though we paid for a "club level" room we were stuck a floor below, but not before we had a almost two hour delay getting into our room. not to mention the room change becasue the one we originally got placed in smelled very strongly of smoke. They forgot to give us our Disneyworld tickets upon check in , and we got all the way to the park where they informed us they had the tickets back at the hotel, thankfully DIsney took care of it. Much to my dismay I have yet to hear from any type of customer service here at the hotel with any apolgy for the inconvience. The room itself was OK, not what we expected for the price.Plus, the bathroom is layed out incorrectly and its difficult ot close the door.The bed is hard as well. The "movies in the room " service goes out. the elevators are a hike from the rooms.walls are paper thin and its LOUD here. The pool at its deepest is 3 1/2 feet at its deepest and way to small for the amount of guests. If you don't have children I STRONGLY recommend against staying here ss there are kids EVERYWHERE(and yes I understand that Im in the middle of vacation central, I just wasnt prepared to be hearing Hannah Montana at A HARD ROCK!) I would never stay here again, the service and grounds just dont even come colse to what I have come to respect at a Hard Rock. I would be ashamed to have my brand attached to this facility.

Hotel is way over priced. Rooms are tiny, Beds are hard as a Rock, We could hear the baby in the next room, nickled and dimed for everything, poor shuttle service, Hallways smelled bad, room was a good hike to closest elevator, run by teenagers. We'll stay at a Disney Resort where the rooms are bigger, nicer, cleaner and sound proof and let's not forget HALF THE PRICE.

The atmosphere when we arrived the morning of 3/29/08 was so welcoming and inviting. As soon as the door opened on our taxi we were welcomed and assisted with a smile and humor. That same treatment was continued until we left at 5:30am on 4/1/08. We were overwhelmed at how friendly and helpful everyone was. We took part in their restraunt "The Kitchen" every morning of our stay even when we arrived as we waited to check into our room. The breakfast buffet at The Kitchen was simply amazing! We looked forward to it every morning and I have NEVER been a breakfast person. Our waiter David was "THE MAN" it was unanimous... we all wanted to take him home with us! He was the best waiter that has ever taken a breath of fresh air! The pool, water slide and pool side activities were fantatic! We wish we had booked another day to just spend at the pool! The convenience to Universal parks and the City Walk were just a few footsteps away. We will never stay anywhere else! Thank you Hard Rock for making our trip to Orlando the most perfect vacation EVER!!!! The Daley family~

The Gardenview Room was in the basement, not clean, heavy dust on the bed ruffle, carpet was dirty, Lamp was not working, television was stuck on 1 station, the bed was hard, my husband slept in the saggy chair, though we were given a key to the mini bar, the door was hanging open. I had stayed there a couple of years ago and it was one of the best times of my life...We weren't in the Gardenview room then. I figured for $300.00 dollars a night I would get a quality room as Hard Rock advertised, a Rock Star experience, instead I got the bargain basement. We left after 1 day