Discouraging reviews, onsite hotel

[chimo2u]

I thought I had my mind made up to stay at Portofino Bay this February when my 14 yo son and I go to Universal for 3 nights. However, after spending the day reading reviews on Trip Advisor/Expidia, etc....I am dissapointed to read the many negative reviews of PBH that seem to be popping up with recent stays. Many seem to be discouraged about horrible management, and the negative reviews seem to be overshadowing the good ones! The 2 resorts I am trying to decide between are PBH and HRH.....

My son wants HRH for the rockstar feel/fun theme....I was leaning towards PBH for the luxury feel, Italy theme. If HRH has lovely rooms and the theme is not too over-the-top (ie) to me, something I would NOT tolerate would be excessively loud music I can hear while IN my room.... well, then I might consider booking HRH as a surprise for my son. I want an enjoyable experience at my Universal Hotel....I am a Deluxe gal when I chose a Disney resort: LOVED AKL Club Level, and am staying at Beach Club Club level for this upcoming trip. (If this helps you understand the level of room/service I enjoy) A big plus for HRH would be the convenience/closeness to the parks compared to PBH.

I am planning on staying Club Level at whichever hotel I choose. The recent reviews of HRH seem much more positive in comparison, however, I would like to hear from my fellow Dis'ers as to which resort they prefer and why.

I would like a resort that has terrific service, nice rooms/beds, good pool and a FUN slide is very important (I have a teenage boy, so he likes the pool slide to be fast and fun, and have at least a "substantial ride" to enjoy....no "baby slides!" Which resort is the nicest/provides the best experience do you think?? And which Club Level is the best? I REALLY would appreciate your help!!

Thanks in advance for your recommendations/ reviews, it is much appreciated.

 

[Qtips4Mick]

I just returned from Portofino, 2nd stay and will stay there again next trip. The place is gorgeous. For a teen boy HR may be more his liking, not necessarily yours. Have fun!

 

[yakkin' yeti]

We had a wonderful time at Portofino Bay in March -- so much so that we're planning to stay there another night in November. The main pool is gorgeous, but the water slide isn't superfast or anything. I believe HRH has music piped in underwater, so I'm thinking that would have more appeal for a teenage boy. We loved Portofino for the elegance and quiet. Our son loved it, too, but he's younger than yours.

If you do go, Sal's had great pizza, and then you can duck right next door for gelato.

 

[rcraw45425]

We've stayed at PBH twice, HRH once. Our last stay was PBH in January'10. We had some issues with the front desk, basically misinformation, which I relayed back to them when I did an afterstay survey they sent me. The manager contacted me quickly, apologized and insisted on sending me a voucher for one night at the same level we stayed (bayview). The situation was handled promptly and courteously and I would not hesitate to return. My issue was with the way my stay was charged and the information that the front desk TM gave me. HRH was surprising. Not gaudy, or over the top, nor was it noisy. The pool is lovely and the music is piped in, when we stayed there they also had a very talented young man on a guitar as well. THe restaurants are wonderful. I don't think you would go wrong with either choice. HRH is a good bit closer to the parks than PBH though, easy walk. Another option is pedicab from all resorts. Good luck, I'm trying to decide which resort for a visit during Christmas Break. HS band is performing in a bowl game down there and they plan to visit the parks. I prefer to stay onsite rather than offsite with them!

 

[damo]

We're headed back there tomorrow for our second trip this year. I think this will be our fifth time there. Then we are headed over to RPR for our second time this year. All the resorts are great but each can have a bad review now and again. Remember that not very many people jump to write a good review but will rush to tripadvisor to write a bad one.

 

[rpbert1]

We had a few issues when we stayed a few years ago, got it all sorted, we returned for a week last summer, and had a fabulous time. The resort is a step above the rest and rooms are big, RPR is our fav and we stay everyyear, but considering PBH for our stay next summer.
Found all management and staff more than helpful.

 

[JohnnyB2]

We have stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel 4 or 5 times ( including club ) and have nothing to say but good things about our stay.PBH has become our favorite at Universal.

 

[chimo2u]

Thanks for all the re-assuring posts about PBH....I think I'll just stick with the plan to stay there and take the negative reviews with a grain of salt , As one poster said, people are always quick to speak of the bad! I think the positive of this resort outweighs the bad!

 

[francie57]

Agree with a pp, most of the reviews you will read anywhere are negative. Seems people are quick to complain but then you won't hear about great visits since there is nothing to complain about! We have stayed for years at the HRH and love it. The theming is really nice and not over the top or gaudy. There is no music in the halls and we have always had very quiet trips. There are Ipod homes in the rooms so you can listen to music. The pool area is really nice and even there the music isn't loud. Since you are sticking with your original plan, on your way back from the parks one day just stop in and look around the HRH for future trips.

 

[nhrenee]

My dd (16) and I just returned from a 3 night stay at Portofino. Everything was wonderful. I gave her the option of staying at HRH but she prefers the quieter atmosphere at PBH.

I previously stayed at the Hard Rock and enjoyed the close proximity to Universal studios. While not as cushy as PBH that probably wouldn't matter to a 14 year old boy.

 

[joalexajeff]

Our family of 8 loved the Hard Rock! We stayed club level and it was worth its weight in gold along with the express pass for the parks. However, we took one night and went to Mama Bella's at the Portofino and fell in love with this hotel. My husband insists we stay there next time. The Hard Rock is closer to the parks and City Walk, but the Portofino is only a boat ride away if you don't like the walk. You can't lose either way.

 

[tony67]

Something else to keep in mind.

Many of the people that think the Disney Hotels are the be all end all are very quick to bash the Universal hotels for even the smallest thing IMO.

The PBH and RPR are run by Loews, a company that is in the Hotel business, not the theme park business. If you have an issue talk to the manager and it will be addressed, unlike my experiences at Disney hotels.

I have had some real issues at Disney hotels and been completely blown off by the manager. Even after sending letters to Disney corporate they blew it off as well.

I had one very minor issue at the RPR and they bent over backwards to address it on the spot.

 

[rcraw45425]

Something else to keep in mind.

Many of the people that think the Disney Hotels are the be all end all are very quick to bash the Universal hotels for even the smallest thing IMO.

The PBH and RPR are run by Loews, a company that is in the Hotel business, not the theme park business. If you have an issue talk to the manager and it will be addressed, unlike my experiences at Disney hotels.

I have had some real issues at Disney hotels and been completely blown off by the manager. Even after sending letters to Disney corporate they blew it off as well.

I had one very minor issue at the RPR and they bent over backwards to address it on the spot.

I echo this wholeheartedly. I adore the Disney hotels, but the Loews ones are great too. As Tony mentioned, if you pursue a problem, they WILL make it right. I had a few issues with check in back in January, mentioned it in a survey and the manager of PBH contacted me personally asking what could he do to make it right. Asked that I give them another chance and sent me a voucher for one night's stay to encourage it.

 

[mjohnson96]

I think that many of the negative reviews that are popping up are people staying for the first time due to WWOHP and expecting everything to be perfect. With the increase in business at the hotels I don't think they were quite prepared for this summer's rush and hopefully all the initial problems have been dealt with.

We stay at the RPR and love the feel of it, this year we are either going to RPR Club level or stay at PBH. Parents want to stay at PBH to try for a balcony but I hate being that far away from the parks

 

[rcraw45425]

I think that many of the negative reviews that are popping up are people staying for the first time due to WWOHP and expecting everything to be perfect. With the increase in business at the hotels I don't think they were quite prepared for this summer's rush and hopefully all the initial problems have been dealt with.

We stay at the RPR and love the feel of it, this year we are either going to RPR Club level or stay at PBH. Parents want to stay at PBH to try for a balcony but I hate being that far away from the parks

Good luck getting a balcony at PBH! I agree about it being a hike to the parks too, in fact I factored that in when I booked RPH this morning for Dec26-29. I almost had heart failure when they told me the "best" rate too, $375 a night with tax for standard view. I tried to use my voucher for PBH but was told that those were blackout dates. Ouch, gotta get motivated for RPR!

 

[chimo2u]

I agree....rack rate is quite the sticker shock right now! Although the price is higher than I like, I still booked to guarantee our club level room at PBH in FEB. Rack rate right now is $397 for our first night and $499 for Sat and Sun nights!! YIKES....that's crazy, there better be some discounts

 

[rcraw45425]

I agree....rack rate is quite the sticker shock right now! Although the price is higher than I like, I still booked to guarantee our club level room at PBH in FEB. Rack rate right now is $397 for our first night and $499 for Sat and Sun nights!! YIKES....that's crazy, there better be some discounts

good luck with a discount, I've never had anywhere the luck with either discounts or upgrades at US/IOA. Nowhere near the one I got at the CR back in May. I had a 40% off rate for atrium club level, then was upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite on the 14th floor. I'll never be able to top that. Most I've ever had at US/IOA has been AAA/CAA discount.

 

[jacksmom]

We recently returned from a 5 night stay at PBH! We thought it was okay, room was clean but somewhat worn! We did go over to HRH to use the pool and really liked the atmosphere there a lot more! If we ever go back, we will stay at HRH! I don't really think we would ever stay at PBH again! Just not our taste!

 

[ElizabethB]

We just returned from a stay at Portofino Bay Hotel. We started our vacation there and then moved to a one-bedroom BCV at Disney. We liked PBH so much, we cut short our BCV stay and moved back to PBH. Our impression was that Loew's really knows how to run a hotel. Service was excellent and every question was answered with a "yes".

At Disneyworld resorts these days, every question seems to be answered with a "no, we can't do that". This has been our experience -- even at GF RPC and BWI Innkeeper's Club.

We stayed club level at PBH and would definitely stay there again. We're thinking of spending our entire stay there next time we are in Orlando, and simply driving to the Disney parks.

Our room was in excellent condition and the beds were great. We had a view of the bay. They were happy to disable the motion sensor on the A/C for us. The food offerings in the CL lounge were great -- much nicer than what Disney CL is offering these days. The boats were much more efficient than the boats at the Epcot resorts. However, the day we had a thunderstorm, the boats did not operate and we gave up waiting for the bus to the resort and took the rickshaw. So, they could improve on that. The CL lounge also needs an espresso machine (it's an Italian themed resort!). The pools can't compare to SAB, but are very nice -- plus they have lemon water available at the pools and came around with small tastes of gelato at noon.

We didn't care much for our HRH club level stay a few years ago. But, we would definitely go back to PBH.

We had a AAA rate and paid about the same as we paid for the one-bedroom villa on a 40% off discount. Since we were sleeping on the very uncomfortable queen sofa bed at BCV, we were relieved to return to the wonderful bed and bedding at PBH.

 

[wegs3000]

I've found with TripAdvisor reviews that there are times it seems I stayed at a completely different property than the one I read reviews on and we didn't have that experience at all. In broad strokes, it seems that any negative perception is immediately posted. And I think often the reviewer is so picky and expected the Amazing Kreskin hotel staff to anticipate every want/need/desire before the reviewer even thought of it, that it is impossible to make that person happy. Take the reviews with a grain of salt and evaluate with what is important to you and your traveling party.