Hard Rock Hotel

As soon as you walk in the door be prepared to get knocked down by the smell of cologne like Abercrombie and fitch. I get migraines from odors like these. It’s terrible. They really need to take this out. It’s not needed. Seriously.
The lobby is so dark. Open The curtains, add lighting. Something. The only cool thing is the Clock on the floor. Not sure about the concept of that, people don’t want to be reminded of the time when we are on vacation…
The rooms are nice, pool is excellent but the lobby ruins it for us.
Another thing we didn’t like at all is the parking. You have an assigned parking spot with 100 steps (seems like) to climb up to get to the hotel, unless you want to valet your vehicle–
Will NOT pay $ 249 to stay here for one night again. EVER! Rediculous.
Not recommended if your handicapped or you are highly sensitive to cologne/perfume-it’s overpowering.

Amazing. I love the boat ride to the parks but I didn’t think the club level was worst paying extra for. It only had table and chairs and chips for food. The breakfast is nothing. Just a few bagels, eggs, and cereal. Not work it. But the pool was huge, my sister loved it and I love the Starbucks and ice cream shop in our hotel.

Nice looking place but a friend of mine paid A LOT of money to host a poolside birthday party, she rented a cabana and all and the staff was HORRIBLE! Probably one of the worst service experience I’ve ever had. Everyone was making comments about how rude the workers were. One of our friends is hard of hearing so he speaks loudly, he had one drink and the bartender was threatening to have him cut off and kicked out because he was too loud (meanwhile there are children screaming as they go down the water slide behind us and people laughing and talking over music playing at the bar). Others would stand by the bar (which was not by any means full) for over 20 minutes to even be acknowledged. We were very surprised by how truly disappointed we were with the customer service at this bar/​restaurant by their pool. They only allow you to take drinks into the pool if you sit by the edge and the second you’re not touching the edge the lifeguard will blow a whistle at you. They were like Nazis the way they watch you, but completely ignore you if you need help with something… Go to the Ritz instead!

Great location, the more costly of the 4 at the park. If you have kids and wants lots of noise this is the place to be.

I’ll preface this by saying, all the Universal hotels are fantastic. We’ve stayed at them all many times. BUT… The Hard Rock Hotel Orlando is our favorite.
We just arrived today, driving straight through from New Jersey with our 2 boxers) yes, pet friendly!) and were treated like rock stars from the get-​go.
New girl Natalia at check-​in was fantastic. She was so friendly and professional. She did great all on her own with minimal help from anyone else. You’ve got a keeper there !!
Bell Captain Joe couldn’t wait to bring up our luggage and meet our dogs. Made friends with them immediately and made them (and us humans) feel welcome!
Front office and Social Media Staff welcomed us with a special delivery to our room. So unexpected and appreciated as well!
We’ve literally been here for less than 4 hours and already this has been the best stay ever. We always feel at home here — Hoover and Natasha at the Beach Club always remember us. We love hanging out there and can’t wait to see them again (hopefully tomorrow)!
If you want to feel like a rock star, stay here. If you don’t — still stay here. I literally had chills today from the feel-​goods in just a few hours.
Rock on!

We loved this place! It’s gorgeous surroundings the amenities. Everything it ha to offer. Definitely worth it! Bonus — getting into universal early is the best part.
Also they’ve got the palm restaurant downstairs. Best steak I’ve had in a very long time! Everything they served — lobster bisque for main steak for entrée and NY cheesecake for desert. I would definitely return.

The hard rock is the closest hotel to the resort — only 5 mins from city walk (restaurants bars and stores) and the park. You could take the water taxi which is fun but probably longer than walking.
The pool is really nice although only 4 ft deep at its deepest point. They have a really fun water slide although watch out for kids swimming right next to the exit because it would be VERY easy to kick one on the way down. My dad told the lifeguard there was a kid swimming directly in front of the water slide exit and the lifeguard did NOTHING and basically didn’t even acknowledge my dad said anything to him — very rude and what’s the point of a lifeguard if you’re not going to help maintain pool safety?
There’s an adults only hot tub which is a nice place to hide with all the kids running around. They also showed a movie by the pool which was a cool experience.
The hotel is massive with multiple restaurants and shops to visit although it’s very close to City Walk so you’re not limited on options due to the hotels location.
The rooms were very comfortable and had everything you could need. The pillows and bed were extremely lush and springy and way more comfortable than a standard hotel room in my opinion.
We would definitely stay here again because of the location, pool, and comfortable rooms.

Stayed March 26^th-​29^th — Orlando
Very much enjoyed our visit at HRH. ALL staff was very friendly, respectful and prompt. Standard room was spacious, clean and we had a great view of the pool.
Bathroom was a tad small but, not a negative for us but perhaps for someone with limited movement or size. Separate vanity area that sadly lacked light. It was difficult to put makeup on, however, there was a separate magnified mirror. Clean.
Pool area again excellent wait staff who brought cocktails/​food to your poolside chair. Bar staff was very positive, peppy and had the perfect personalities for a bar atmosphere. All cocktails were yummy. Poolside food was average, expected :)
***LOVED, loved the female performer who played the guitar and sang. Great voice and even performed her own music for us. A movie played while kids could swim. Activities also.
Bathrooms on lobby floor are fun and a bit funky! Only complaint in lobby BR a few times I hit the stalls that weren’t stocked with TP. Annoying. Bathroom had a lobby area to chat and large mirror to adjust clothing and freshen up.
We stayed on the club floor. Very lively atmosphere especially at cocktail time. Appetizers, adult beverages and soda pop was served. Staff very friendly and helpful. Only negative in club room there weren’t many healthy choices. More veggies would have been nice and hummus for dip. Mostly carbs. Club level is worth the $$ because you’d spend the same amount per person at the park.
2 years ago we stayed at the Portofino. Although very nice and more upscale, staff was not nearly as attentive and friendly; It seemed like it was another day at work.
Perfect place for families of all ages but mostly I saw kids from 5−17ish. Many family reunions.
Overall, love the HRH and if we visit the park again we’ll stay here. No major complaints. Highly suggest!

Normally start here when at universal. Royal pacific is for small children. Portofino screw older crowd (not a lively pool area). Hard rock caters to teens and young adults. Very lively pool with entertainment.
Rooms are not real large but well appointed. As for a room near elevator as the corridors are long.
I have gotten Royal rock level before. Nice club lounge but if your not at the hotel a lot not worth the cost.
My son really like the first floor ice cream shop.

Was a fantastic experience staying in this hotel. Any music lover can find themselves just walking down the hallways enjoying the displays. Was here for a few nights this past summer and enjoyed every second of the stay.

The service here is incredibly friendly, especially if you hand a tip to everyone you meet. They’ll make sure you get what you need, when you need it. Also, our room was stylish and well-​appointed.
The big deal offered here are upgrades to express tickets to the Universal parks. This comes with your room key!
But, the biggest issue is cost and the lack of truly fine dining on site. It’s quite expensive to stay here, typically more than 400 or 500 clams a night. If price is not an issue, I strongly recommend it. Otherwise, Orlando has a bajillion cheap hotels that are a simple drive away.

I was today to meet Doug the Pug in the lobby area. This review is just on the entrance and lobby area, not staying at the Hotel.
The kiosk entrance employees to the Hotel was very nice, kind, and welcoming. They asked me if I was there to meet the Pug. I said of course. They directed to the right for self-​parking. From here I went into the lobby of the Hotel. Very nice, charming, and the theme is Rock-​N-​Roll. I loved looking around the lobby to see all the wonderful interior art.
The Hotel staff inside was very kind, attentive, and friendly as well. The event went smooth and there were no problems here. The Hotel staff validated my parking, so I was fine.
Although I didn’t stay the night here, from what I saw I trust this Hotel to be excellent overall. The location was beautiful, friendly staff all around, and easy navigation in the Hotel. I will be back here soon to stay the evening or two for a Staycation. Then I’ll Update my review.

We were thrilled with our stay at HHH. Our room was very clean and quiet with comfortable bedding. The hotel was beautiful and lively with great music playing. It also smelled great. The pool area was very nice with a zero entry sand beach and a great waterslide. The pool bar had a great drink selection but the prices were ridiculous with drinks being all ice and barely any drink.
This hotel’s close proximity to the parks and other hotels, along with the included Express Pass and use of complimentary water taxis made this hotel a huge value.
We would not consider staying anywhere else while at Universal.

I stayed here when visiting Universal Studios resort. The hotel is very convenient to the parks and CityWalk — either a 10 minute walk or a short ride via the water taxis.
The hotel is a maze, it took me a little while to find my way around but the staff was more than helpful in every way. I didn’t have to drive anywhere and just left my car in the parking lot.
The hotel has a few restaurants including the Palm, The Kitchen, one by the pool that I didn’t visit and a bar called Velvet. It also has a «special» space up on the 7^th floor for special events but I didn’t have access to that or pay to see Brett Michaels who was there when I was staying there.
The room itself was comfortable. Everything was in working order and I appreciated the Kuerig and selection of coffee in the room.
The only criticism I have is with the parking valet. Even if you self-​park, the valet takes your car keys while you check in. Not sure what the purpose of that is. And then there’s the $ 20 per day parking fee. Ouch.
But everything else was perfect. I would consider staying here again just because staying at the resort hotels gets you a free quick queue pass at the Universal parks for as long as your stay.

Fantastic «staycation» for Central Florida residents and passholders. When we checked in I honestly wasn’t in the best of moods. I had just gotten sick the day we left and the kids were acting up. The lady who checked us in was so perky and pumped (she said «awesome» a lot) that it started to turn my day around. We were told check in was at 4pm but our room was ready by 11am. They would have happily held our luggage while we hit the park with our fast passes but we were able to settle into the room before heading out.
The room itself (Deluxe queen) had lots of room between the beds and dresser. Beside the two queens there was a pull out couch. The hotel kindly delivered bed rails free of charge for our 2yo. We were on the 3^rd floor (same as the lobby) and had a decent view of the pool. There is a keurig coffee maker but only two pods, not enough for two coffee drinking adults! Beds, pillows and linens were super comfy. Prices for this hotel are not cheap ($ 280 and up) but the FREE FAST PASSES make it worth it. They give you fast passes the day you check in AND depart. Each fast pass can cost $ 90 and you get 5 per room per day so it’s a great deal!
Cons regarding the room: I like the room to be cold when I sleep and I don’t think the room ever got cool enough. Even though the thermostat was set to 70 degree there was no way it was that cool in the room. Being on the lobby level meant each night we had some very thoughtless, rude people yacking it up outside our door. Common sense should tell people not to yuck it up in the hallway of a hotel at 1:30am! Not the hotel’s fault, per say, but it does indicate thin walls. Some white noise in the room would’ve been welcome. I would’ve liked to pay our neighbors back when our kids woke us up by 6:45am but refrained. My tip? BRING EARPLUGS!
Theme: I absolutely loved the rock and roll theme throughout! From the moment you step in you are surrounded by it. The hotel offers FREE ELECTRIC GUITAR loans while staying ($ 1,000 deposit). We chose one from a list and it was delivered to our room. We had so much fun playing around with it! They even offer lessons on the television.
Pool: The pool is a lovely lagoon style with a zero entry. There is sand under some of the chairs and UNDERWATER MUSIC. They of course have poolside drink and food service (service was excellent) as well as live music (also excellent). Around the perimeter of the pool area they have ping pong tables and other games like giant connect four. The pool grounds were very well kept, lush and tropical. My kids loved the 260′ WATER SLIDE. They rode it again and again… it was even fun for us adults! Life guards are on duty all over fr peace of mind. I highly recommend taking a break from the parks and spending some time relaxing poolside. At dusk they play POOLSIDE MOVIES.
Summary: I would absolutely recommend this hotel. You cannot beat the free fast passes. Rock and Roll theme and service were wonderful. This hotel is the closest to the parks. It is a pleasant, landscaped walk along the water from Universal to the hotel. Water taxi is available to reach other hotels. I’m afraid having the fast passes spoiled us. We will be back!

I think every review has pretty much summed this up already, so here’s a brief synopsis of the pros and cons:
PROS:
Pool
Food
Drinks
Proximity to the parks
Fast pass
Theme
Rooms
Service
Entertainment
Activities
Proximity to airport
Transportation to and from parks
Water slide (oh yeah. It’s awesome)
Atmosphere
Amenities
…shall I go on???
CONS:
I only stayed for four days :-(
I have been here at least five times. I will be back; hopefully, at the end of this year. And considering I was just there in July, that should say it all. A++++

We were looking forward to a weekend stay here last December. My mom, who has COPD, joined us. Upon entering the lobby — the scent machines in use are the first thing we noticed. By the time we finished checking in, it was clear we had a problem. Hoping the scent machines were confined to the lobby, we went to the room and at that point she had to take several puffs on her emergency inhaler.
The hallways and room were just as bad. We took her outside to a bench to get fresh air while I went with the bellman to look at a second room. No luck. They are pumping the entire property with high amounts of this (toxic smelling) scent + ionized air. Even by the time we left (I’m a healthy non smoker) my lungs were burning too.
Within the hour, we were checking out and going in search of another hotel. She was embarrassed and felt horrible, but we assured her it was the hotel’s problem. They are clearly trying to mask a mold or stagnant air problem with these scents. A clean hotel should include clean, fresh air to breathe.
The staff was nice! Very helpful in dealing with the situation and were more than apologetic. But even as much as they were helpful, I’m sure if we went back today, there would be no change in the amount of scent they are pumping in. When I questioned why there was so much scent, they all had a «there’s nothing wrong here» attitude and seemed a little numb to it — Like they have been in the gas chamber so long, they no longer smelled the fumes. They suggested we might transfer to one of the Resort’s other hotels, but since all are owned by Loew’s, they felt sure that scent machines were being used throughout the resort.
Like in the old coal mines, HRH might think about installing a birdcage with canaries in the lobby. The way it irritated my healthy lungs is an indication that it can’t be good for the body.
Loews and Hard Rock Hotel should really reconsider the use of these machines throughout all of their properties and limit the amount of scent they are pumping into the lungs of their guests and staff. None of this seems in keeping with the Hard Rock brand.

I stay at the Hard Rock Hotel at least once a year. I absolutely love everything about the hotel. The rooms are always clean and beautifully decorated with rock n roll memorabilia. The location is perfect– even better than Universal’s Portofino Bay. The Hard Rock is a five minute walk from all the excitement of Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and the City Walk.
A stay at the Hard Rock also includes a «fast pass» for all of the rides at Universal (you get to go in an Express line and rarely ever wait in lines.) The pool is tropical and beautiful. The hotel is always playing great music. The restaurant, «The Kitchen,» is also incredible. We always enjoy our meals. There are also great pool bars that serve fancy cocktails and appetizers.
There is always something going on at the hotel. There’s lots of events, movie nights and live music. I would recommend for children and adults of all ages. My only recommendation would to avoid this hotel if you prefer a quiet setting. This hotel is very popular and exciting.

One of the best hotels ever. I loved staying here– I wish we stayed for more than a night. The staff were amazing — always so helpful and friendly.
The room was gorgeous with lots of quirky and cute touches. Super clean and super luxurious.
It was such an easy walk to the park, or you could get a water taxi.
The hotel had so much going on already– you could spend an afternoon exploring it!
I would definitely stay at this hotel next time I head to Orlando (which hopefully will be soon!)

Absolutely stunning hotel. I’ve traveled the country for work and leisure for years and stayed in a lot of higher end hotels and this one takes the cake for sure.
I first stayed here back in June for the annual SHRM (HR) conference. I flew in from North Dakota at the time, obviously before I moved to Orlando, and chose to stay away from the work nonsense and stay at the Hard Rock. I had stayed on Universal grounds before (Royal Pacific) and didn’t think anything could top that. I was very wrong.
What impressed me first was the rockstar greeting from the moment I got out of my car. They bellman offered to help with the luggage, which I declined, but go me in the door and pointed towards the front desk. Upon walking into the Hard Rock Hotel it’s amazing. Great rock music playing, staff full of smiles and a great diverse vibe of people having fun at their jobs and seemingly more working a passion.
Upon checking in, the front desk agent upgraded me to a room, without asking, facing the pool that was recently renovated. I was informed of The Kitchen, their onsite restaurant, of the bars, gift shop, pool, pool bar, fast pass upgrades, and all of the other amenities. I was impressed with the level of customer service.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the room. At some of these resorts you get a killer hotel with a ton of amenities but the rooms can suck. Not here. My room had a beautiful view of the pool, some type of Keurig type machine for coffee (but not a Keurig), two queen beds, a great TV, a cool mirror with celebrity heights etched in, high end soaps, and an amazing shower head with one of the best massaging shower heads to pound away at the migraine the next morning. It was great. One of the coolest things, to me, was the do not disturb sign. It read something like «not now, my ego needs a rest». Fitting.
The pool was great. They show movies outside at night and have pool servers that will keep you fed and dehydrated on booze all day, if that’s your thing.
The pool bar was probably my favorite. Sat out there a few times on the trip. The bartenders were great. There was one bartender, I can’t remember his name, that was a former Marine (as am I) and he was cool to chat with and made excellent drinks. They also sell cigars down there and have some TV’s if there’s a game or anything you want to watch.
Ate at The Kitchen once and it was excellent. Of course it’s pricey, as expected, but you definitely get what you pay for here.
The hotel has transportation to Universal for guests. I recommend the boat as it’s fun and it sure beats the heck out of walking, even though the walk only takes about 5 minutes, if that :)
Now that I’ve moved to Orlando, I’ve been back to the Hard Rock Hotel for drinks on a couple occasions. Even when they know your local they still treat you like it’s your first time there. Great customer service.
Awesome hotel. Definitely worth the price and a must-​see in the Orlando area.