Hard Rock Hotel 8/21 and 8/22

[MariaTM]

We just returned from HRH yesterday and I have to say I was surprised by the noise. Not party goers or loud teenagers, just moms and children walking in the hallways! It just must not be well insulated for sound or something.

We payed 199- a night through AAA but it had a yucky view. HRH really needs the pool view. All action is at the pool as well as movies and entertainment.

Other than that, I was unimpressed with the 10- a day charge for a tiny fitness center, a note asking you not to stow anything in the stocked refrigerator, and the parking fee. If you check out from your room TV, it asks you to leave your room keys there, even though you can't leave the parking lot without your room key. Some of the rock memorabilia and "Rock On" on the prerecorded message got old and corny fast. It felt more wannabe than cool. We came back to our room to change at 3:30pm and it still had not been cleaned even though we had been gone since 7:15am. And the shower head stunk.

The people were really nice, but they make sure that you know that they are not affiliated with the parks and all questions go to a park representative. It's just not the same as Disney!

We loved the pool. The movies and entertainment at the pool are really nice. It's a very close walk to the parks. But I would try a different hotel next time.

 

[mjohnson96]

When you try another hotel next time keep in mind that they are not Disney. If you are going in thinking it should be then you are going to be disappointed. Maybe try PBH next time since it is more laid back and relaxing. RPH has some nice views as well but the rooms are smaller.

Just a note the parking fee is at all the hotels, unlike Disney Universal does not build the parking into the nightly rate but charges only those that need to use it. Also, I never understood why hotels ask to leave the key when usually in the case of the Universal Hotels they have your name on them and really can't be reused It might be just something they have programmed on their checkout system that can't be changed for each hotel.

 

[kevin harrison]

We just returned from HRH yesterday and I have to say I was surprised by the noise. Not party goers or loud teenagers, just moms and children walking in the hallways! It just must not be well insulated for sound or something.

We payed 199- a night through AAA but it had a yucky view. HRH really needs the pool view. All action is at the pool as well as movies and entertainment.

Other than that, I was unimpressed with the 10- a day charge for a tiny fitness center, a note asking you not to stow anything in the stocked refrigerator, and the parking fee. If you check out from your room TV, it asks you to leave your room keys there, even though you can't leave the parking lot without your room key. Some of the rock memorabilia and "Rock On" on the prerecorded message got old and corny fast. It felt more wannabe than cool. We came back to our room to change at 3:30pm and it still had not been cleaned even though we had been gone since 7:15am. And the shower head stunk.

The people were really nice, but they make sure that you know that they are not affiliated with the parks and all questions go to a park representative. It's just not the same as Disney!

Your opinion- Some people like looking out at the gardens.

I like the transparency of the parking fee, at least the choice is there. Disney hide the cost in the price of the room, so if you are not driving, guess who is still paying it?

 

[Brit_Jude]

We must remember that these hotels are not operated by Universal. Most of the higher end 4 and 3 star hotels charge for parking in Orlando and in most major cities across county. This is not Disney and we all have to change our mind set to a different business model for these properties.

I know it is seems strange when staying at a Holiday Inn Express you get free breakfast, free wifi, refrigerator in your room and free parking but when at a higher end hotel nothing is free you have to pay for the extra luxury and service.

Personally I don't really care for what the view from my room is on this type of vacation. I hope that I am not in my room that long and I'm certainly not planning to spend much time gazing out the window.

 

[MariaTM]

I agree with all that about the room view, (which is why we never pay for an upgrade), but when I was there those rooms seemed really nice! We looked at a tar roof and couldn't tell whether the pool was open. Just fyi if someone is considering the splurge....

 

[SmallWorld71]

We just returned from HRH yesterday and I have to say I was surprised by the noise. Not party goers or loud teenagers, just moms and children walking in the hallways! It just must not be well insulated for sound or something.

Funny, we just got back last night from an 8 night stay at the HRH (our first) and DH and I were commenting on how this was the quietest hotel we have ever stayed at in terms of guest noise in the rooms/ halls! It was like we didn't even have neighbors even though we knew the place was packed! I'm a Disney girl at heart, but we were wishing the Disney hotels had such good insulation. Guess it's just luck of the draw no matter where you stay. Noise elsewhere in the hotel was different of course, with the music playing everywhere you go.

 

[kevin harrison]

Funny, we just got back last night from an 8 night stay at the HRH (our first) and DH and I were commenting on how this was the quietest hotel we have ever stayed at in terms of guest noise in the rooms/ halls! It was like we didn't even have neighbors even though we knew the place was packed! I'm a Disney girl at heart, but we were wishing the Disney hotels had such good insulation. Guess it's just luck of the draw no matter where you stay. Noise elsewhere in the hotel was different of course, with the music playing everywhere you go.

It makes me laugh when I hear about complaints about music in the HRH.

The clues in the title of the hotel.

 

[bookgirl2632]

It makes me laugh when I hear about complaints about music in the HRH.

The clues in the title of the hotel.

So do they play rock music at this hotel?

 

[SmallWorld71]

It makes me laugh when I hear about complaints about music in the HRH.

The clues in the title of the hotel.

It's definitely not for everyone. DH and I (38 years old) are certainly among their target audience as we knew all the songs playing and spent the week walking around singing. I will say that my kids also loved the constant music even though the younger two didn't really know any of the songs. I was actually surprised at how quiet the hallways were given the obvious noise (music) throughout the rest of the hotel. We loved our stay there and would love to return some day.

 

[quentina]

It's definitely not for everyone. DH and I (38 years old) are certainly among their target audience as we knew all the songs playing and spent the week walking around singing. I will say that my kids also loved the constant music even though the younger two didn't really know any of the songs. I was actually surprised at how quiet the hallways were given the obvious noise (music) throughout the rest of the hotel. We loved our stay there and would love to return some day.

Target audience here also...we LOVE it at the HR. It is my favorite hotel!!

 

[SueInBoston]

we were there the same nights 8/21 & 8/22 but our impression is very different.
we had room 1121, garden view and we loved it. We don't spend much time in room anyway, so view is not a big preference for us. Our room wasn't noisy other than the normal hallway noise. I had the all access card so the gym was free. We loved the music and the location. Iggy the bellhop was great, took the time to explain the lay of the land to us, got us ice, gave us tips and hints about HP. Due to a last minute work obligation, my husband wasn't able to make this trip with us, but I'm booking one night in Feb for him to experience this hotel.

 

[DisneyAlly]

When we first checked in, I felt a twinge of regret for not booking at PBH which we had stayed years ago. I missed the space, larger bathroom and generally more luxurious atmosphere. But I have to say after a few days, HRH really grew on me. We LOVE the music. When we were in the room, we actually had our TV tuned to the HRH music channel. Listening to those old 80s classics - wow - brought back so many good memories. We were dancing in our room more than a few times. I could not believe they were playing the Cure and the Smiths. My teens heard many of the songs before so they loved it as well.

I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. The only minor issue I had was that our rooms were not tidy up till really late into the afternoon. I attributed that to the hotel being booked up solid during our stay.

 

[kungaloosh22]

If you check out from your room TV, it asks you to leave your room keys there, even though you can't leave the parking lot without your room key.

Ooops!

Seriously though... so then what do you do? Do you have to just remember to take the key with you anyway? If you don't, how do you get out of the parking lot on your last day?

 

[SmallWorld71]

Ooops!

Seriously though... so then what do you do? Do you have to just remember to take the key with you anyway? If you don't, how do you get out of the parking lot on your last day?

We took ours; we needed it for the express pass as we had a later flight and spent the day at the parks. It wasn't a problem.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. The only minor issue I had was that our rooms were not tidy up till really late into the afternoon. I attributed that to the hotel being booked up solid during our stay.

Probably. Ours was generally cleaned quite early. We usually left the hotel by 9 and surprised the housekeeping staff the day we were there until 10.

 

[sunshineNJ]

I found the HRH to be very noisy. I don't mean the music. The walls must be paper thin. I stayed at Disney's Carribean Beach for less money and found it very quiet. There is also a lack of quick service food @ HRH. The Beach Club restaurant by the pool made 2 out of 3 us sick. They also add 18% on the check no matter how many or little people there are. The service was not good. The pool is very nice. The water slide is long but it twists and turns alot, so it's long but not that high. There was supposed to be bands at the pool both nights were there. There weren't though because they said it wasn't busy enough. I thought that stunk and my kids were dissappointed. Portafino has many more eating options. HRH is a very nice looking hotel but I think I would stay @ Portafino if I went back. I've not been to Royal Pacific but my friend loves it. It also bothers me that I got a free refrigerator @ CBR for $45 less per night then I paid @ HRH.

 

[Clemson Bama Fan]

We love The Hard Rock Hotel. We stay there every year. We have stayed Pool View and Garden View. Quite frankly, we don't spend a lot of time "enjoying" the view. We try to spend most of our time enjoying our vacation. We always have our room cleaned prior to noon. You can call Star service and request an early cleaning. Works great when you are planning to return to the room for some rest. We won't stay anywhere else when in Orlando.