Recent HRH Stay

[asta]

Spent two nights last week at HRH, club level. We love the theming of this hotel but we had a few problems.

At check in we walked through the doors with the entire lobby blocked off for a private party. I know that we had no right to enter a private party but it was extremely disppointing to check into a hotel and be told that the entire lobby area was reserved for a private use. This was just a major buzz kill, I mean don't most hotels have conference rooms where private parties take place. We had to stand to the side while my husband tried to check in. The party noise was so loud that the desk clerk and my husband had to communicate by writing notes back and forth.

HRH and Universal need to work out a better plan for early entry for the Harry Potter benefit. The main benefit for this new part of the parks was that you had to get up very early and get to the gates soon after 7am. The HRH club level did not put food out in time to be eaten before you needed to leave for the park. And to add insult to injury, the doors to the pool area were locked and we had to take a longer walk to get to the park. This may sound minor but if they expected us to change our plans to take advantage of the hotel perk then I think they should have adjusted also.

Third complaint, and this is major, our room was infested with ants and we were on the 7th floor. We left a cookie on a plate for about 1 hour and it became swarmed with little brown ants. We called the front desk and asked for another room. They told us that no other room was available but sent a maintenance worker who could only spray to kill the ants. He said that the 7th floor had been having problems with these ants. Hello! If you know you have a problem with these bugs why are you not baiting them to get rid of them. We ended up having to remove all of our luggage from one side of the room to keep from getting ants in them. And we had to sleep in the room with windows that didn't open that had just been sprayed with insecticide. The ants were swarming up the back of the dresser and appeared to be coming out of a cd player that was screwed on to the dresser. My daughter spent about an hour catching ants that weren't killed by the bug spray. All of this was taking place between 10pm and midnight. Not a great time to be packing up and going to another hotel. HRH did refund some of our money but this was just yucky and probably not healthy.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Spent two nights last week at HRH, club level. We love the theming of this hotel but we had a few problems.

At check in we walked through the doors with the entire lobby blocked off for a private party. I know that we had no right to enter a private party but it was extremely disppointing to check into a hotel and be told that the entire lobby area was reserved for a private use. This was just a major buzz kill, I mean don't most hotels have conference rooms where private parties take place. We had to stand to the side while my husband tried to check in. The party noise was so loud that the desk clerk and my husband had to communicate by writing notes back and forth.

HRH and Universal need to work out a better plan for early entry for the Harry Potter benefit. The main benefit for this new part of the parks was that you had to get up very early and get to the gates soon after 7am. The HRH club level did not put food out in time to be eaten before you needed to leave for the park. And to add insult to injury, the doors to the pool area were locked and we had to take a longer walk to get to the park. This may sound minor but if they expected us to change our plans to take advantage of the hotel perk then I think they should have adjusted also.

Third complaint, and this is major, our room was infested with ants and we were on the 7th floor. We left a cookie on a plate for about 1 hour and it became swarmed with little brown ants. We called the front desk and asked for another room. They told us that no other room was available but sent a maintenance worker who could only spray to kill the ants. He said that the 7th floor had been having problems with these ants. Hello! If you know you have a problem with these bugs why are you not baiting them to get rid of them. We ended up having to remove all of our luggage from one side of the room to keep from getting ants in them. And we had to sleep in the room with windows that didn't open that had just been sprayed with insecticide. The ants were swarming up the back of the dresser and appeared to be coming out of a cd player that was screwed on to the dresser. My daughter spent about an hour catching ants that weren't killed by the bug spray. All of this was taking place between 10pm and midnight. Not a great time to be packing up and going to another hotel. HRH did refund some of our money but this was just yucky and probably not healthy.

Your first complaint - Uh yeah, the lobby is a strange place to be having a private party/function. Weird planning.

Your second complaint - Yes, I can see where you are coming from. Especially the club level not having food out early enough so guests could grab a bite before early entry to the WWOHP.

Your third complaint - I'm sorry, but that's just GROSS! That many ants?!?! And coming out of a CD player?!! I mean......blech, totally NASTY!

 

[damo]

Ants seem to be a real issue this summer in the south. I've read reports all over of the infestation and people trying, without success, to get rid of them. I'm not sure if the hotel would be allowed to bait the ants. Leaving toxic traps around might be extremely dangerous with small children and pets. Sounds really yucky, though. I wonder if someone spilled something around the CD player and down the back of the dresser.

We're going in a few weeks. Maybe I'll bring along my own traps and a collection of other stuff just in case.

 

[heidijanesmith]

UGG...that's so gross! We just got back from PBH and luckily did not encounter any ant problems.

 

[asta]

The whole ant thing was really strange. The maintenance man was very nice and I think embarrassed that he couldn't get rid of the ants. My younger daughter was down at eye level with the dresser and he kept wiping it off with something to kill the ants and she kept spotting more. He even took the CD player off the its stand hoping that would stop them but they still kept coming. I think he hoped she would stop but she was collecting them on a napkin to show him. At one point he offered us a free movie. But that was kind of amusing to offer that at midnight when we all we could think about was that we would be getting up at the crack of dawn to get to Harry Potter.

My older daughter has a silly phobia about bugs and talked nonsense in her sleep that night about bugs and her sister packing suitcases. We survived and as far as I can tell we came home without any ants.

 

[drag n' fly]

 

[coastermom]

Now packing bug spray for our trip there in a week UGH ...
We had ants in our Van last year after a trip to WDW and Universal on the way home it was a HORROR .... Had to throw out the luggage and the cooler we had not doing that again . Bug spary added to the list as of now !

Other then that looking forward to our trip LOL

 

[Katies Dad]

Staying here in a couple of weeks, if the doors to the pool area are locked which way do you go to the parks please, and is it further?

 

[damo]

Staying here in a couple of weeks, if the doors to the pool area are locked which way do you go to the parks please, and is it further?

One way would be to go to the parking lot and turn left. Follow the parking lot right to the end and then move out onto the service road on the right. It will take you right to Universal. This is where the bus shuttle drops you off.

 

[Katies Dad]

Thanks, is that a quicker way than walking along the river path? can`t believe IOA is opening early for guests and HRH has doors locked

 

[asta]

If the doors to the pool are locked, you take what I remember to be a hallway behind you (you walk past an area with telephones) and exit a door at the end of that hall. Sorry, I can't remember the name of that area. The walk winds around a seating area and then the end of a building section before getting back to the pathway from the pool area. It may not be that much longer but to tired feet it seemed much longer.

I think that the only door that is locked is the one from the elevator area to the pool. We just always walked by the pool on the way to the parks because it seemed shorter than going out of the side of the hotel. Maybe I am being picky but they had to know that most guest would want to get to the parks early so why not unlock the door that most walking guests use.

 

[damo]

Thanks, is that a quicker way than walking along the river path? can`t believe IOA is opening early for guests and HRH has doors locked

I am pretty sure you can go around the pool (stay left when you exit the hotel by Emack and Bolios) but I am not 100% certain. You can also exit through the doors that go to the boat launch and walk that way.

 

[asta]

I am pretty sure you can go around the pool (stay left when you exit the hotel by Emack and Bolios) but I am not 100% certain. You can also exit through the doors that go to the boat launch and walk that way.

I think that the door we exited might be the door to the boat launch. I didn't pay much attention because we were walking and immediately turned right when we went out the door and walked around a grassy area. Are Emack and Bolios on the ground floor? If they are, this is the door to the pool area that was locked. It probably stays locked until the pool opens to prevent swimming but most people who walk to the park go this way.

 

[damo]

I think that the door we exited might be the door to the boat launch. I didn't pay much attention because we were walking and immediately turned right when we went out the door and walked around a grassy area. Are Emack and Bolios on the ground floor? If they are, this is the door to the pool area that was locked. It probably stays locked until the pool opens to prevent swimming but most people who walk to the park go this way.

That's weird because there is still a gate that you have to go through to get into the pool. Must be some other reason they keep it locked. Perhaps they don't want kids playing shuffleboard and stuff really early in the morning since there are some rooms along there too. Maybe people in those lower level rooms complained because of the noise of park goers heading past their windows at 7 am. I dunno.

I think that the parking lot route is faster than going out to the boat launch. It would all depend on the location of your room. You may even be really close if you are in the wing that is over near the pool slide.

 

[Katies Dad]

Thanks for the advice

 

[kevin harrison]

Spent two nights last week at HRH, club level. We love the theming of this hotel but we had a few problems.

At check in we walked through the doors with the entire lobby blocked off for a private party. I know that we had no right to enter a private party but it was extremely disppointing to check into a hotel and be told that the entire lobby area was reserved for a private use.

Was it the Velvet sessions being held in the lobby? Last Thursday of the month. Normally have a live act on stage.

 

[TraceyL]

We had similar issues with breakfast not being available in the lounge early enough at RPR last week. We were still waiting at 7:15am to eat when we wanted to get out to WWoHP. There were quite a few guests waiting to 'grab & go' at 7:10am - all were expecting the offerings to be available at 7am.

You would think they would be geared up for the early entry by now

 

[asta]

Was it the Velvet sessions being held in the lobby? Last Thursday of the month. Normally have a live act on stage.

I don't think it was a Velvet Session. This was on Wednesday night. I asked two employees who were standing at the entrance to the lobby area what was going on and they only replied that it was a private event. Everyone who entered had a lanyard thingy around their neck. There were at least two chefs who were preparing food just as you entered. To the left, just before you got to the elevators, they were making guests up with a rock star look (makeup and colored streaks in hair) and then taking photos. I did not see a live band but the music was very loud. And they also had those guys in KISS type outfits walking aroung on stilt boots.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Yikes! This is the second report of ants I've read on the DISboards in the past couple weeks. (Other was at PBH.) It's one thing to have inconveniences, but the ants are just plain nasty!

If you don't mind, do you happen to remember what types of appetizers/ snacks were offered at the Lounge? We leave in 2 1/2 weeks and are staying HRH club level. I'm trying to put together a grocery list and figure there's no sense in duplicating.
Thanks!

 

[asta]

My memory isn't very good but I remember night time snack being 3-4 different types of big cookies and brownies. For dinner time each night was different. One night we had cheese and fruit tray, mini pigs in blanket, wings. Another night we had the cheese and fruit tray, noodles of some sort, eggplant balls. There were other things each night but I only remember what I ate. Coke cans and water were always there but there were probably other offerings, we just got these. We never visited for breakfast because we wanted to take advantage of early opening for Harry Potter and the lounge was still locked when we left fot the parks. Sorry my memory is so spotty but this is all that I can remember.