UNIVERSAL GRAND HELIOS info & FAQ

[schumigirl]

Welcome to the new Universal Grand Helios thread.
Opening May 22nd 2025 this much anticipated brand new hotel looks to be an ideal choice for those who want to be in the heart of their new theme park Epic Universe.

As the hotel isn`t open yet this thread again will be a work in progress and some links may not have any info in them yet, macraven and I will try to update as and when information becomes available as best we can. ​

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Information & Policies​

Check-In And Check-Out Times

Universal Helios Grand Hotel check-in is at 4 pm, and check-out is at 11 am. You may check out by television, phone, express check-out box available at the front desk or traditional check-out at the front desk.

Deposit Requirements

The credit card will be charged within five business days of the booking date, and the deposit is equal to the first night’s room rate plus tax. Arrivals within five days of booking will have their credit card charged upon hotel check-in. Full cancellation policies apply.

Please note, deposits are forfeited if you check out of the hotel prior to the check-out date.



The following major credit cards, as well as money orders and personal, certified and travel agency checks are accepted for deposits*:

• Visa®
• American Express®
• Diners Club International®
• Discover®/NOVUS
• Japanese Credit Bureau (JCB)
• Mastercard®

Hotel Taxes

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels will include applicable taxes to be collected each night of your stay, and they are included as a percentage of the room charge.

Florida State Sales Tax: 6.5%
Orange County Occupancy Tax: 6%
Total Tax: 12.5%


Cancellation Policy

Six days or more prior to stay: full refund
Zero to five days prior to stay: cancellation fee of one night's room rate, plus tax
Please note, deposits are forfeited if you check out of the hotel prior to the check-out date.

Address And Phone Number

Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel
8505 S. Kirkman Road
Orlando, FL 32819
(689) 218-1000

Reservations

Room Reservations: (888)273-1311

Lost And Found

If you believe you lost an item at Universal Helios Grand Hotel, call the front-desk and ask for Lost And Found.

If you believe you lost your item inside one of our theme parks, click the link(s) listed below.
Universal Islands of Adventure: click here
Universal Studios Florida: click here
Universal Volcano Bay: click here

Transportation & Parking​

Transportation

This hotel offers complimentary shuttle bus transportation to the hub at Universal CityWalk for access to Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure theme parks. An additional dedicated bus route connects to Universal Volcano Bay water theme park.

Airport Transportation

Universal’s SuperStar Shuttle provides dedicated welcome service and transportation between Orlando International Airport and our spectacular Universal Orlando Resort Hotels (fees apply). Guests may inquire about booking this service by calling 800-823-4733 prior to their arrival at Orlando International Airport.

Rental Car Service

The Avis® car rental desk is located in the hotel lobby and is open seven days a week from 8 am – 6 pm.



Overnight Guest Parking

Self parking: $36* plus tax per night, per vehicle.
Valet parking $45* plus tax per day, per vehicle

Day Guest Parking

Self Parking: $125*
0-5 minutes: Complimentary
5 minutes – 30 minutes: $10* plus tax, per vehicle
30 minutes or more: $50* plus tax per day, per vehicle
Valet parking $128* plus tax per day, per vehicle

*Rates are subject to change without notice.

Guests With Disabilities​

All resort hotels at Universal Orlando are compliant with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines in specially equipped guest rooms, and restaurants are wheelchair accessible.

Accessibility Features:

• Closed-caption television
• Closets with rods 48" high
• Doors with peepholes 3' 6" from the floor
• Entry doors 36" wide
• Roll-in shower stall with adjustable shower head; or combination shower/tub with adjustable shower head, tub seat and hand bar
• Smoke detector with light
• Toilets with hand bar

Sight And Hearing Impaired Features:

• All entrances to individual guest rooms include the room number in braille
• Hearing Impaired Kits (that include a TDD relay service) are available from the front desk for use in any guest room

Mobility Scooter Rentals:
For guests who need to rent a mobility scooter during their stay, we have four preferred vendors allowed to deliver equipment on hotel property.
The preferred vendors are listed below. Please be aware that no other companies are allowed to deliver mobility scooters on hotel property.

• Buena Vista Rentals
• BP Mobility
• Scooter Bug
• Apple Scooter

Hotel Services​

Pack and plays are complimentary. Rollaways are available on a first-come, first-served basis through Star Service Hotline for $35 per day, plus 12.5% sales tax (one rollaway allowed per room).

Extra Person Charge

• An additional charge of $55 + tax per extra adult applies for more than 2 adult guests per room. Maximum occupancies may require a rollaway at an additional fee plus tax per day. Only one rollaway is allowed per room. Available on a first come first serve basis.

Microwaves are available on a first-come, first-served basis through Star Service Hotline for $15 each per day, plus 12.5% sales tax (one microwave allowed per room).

Laundry services include a credit card laundromat, dry cleaning, quick pressing and shoe shine; 9am – 6pm, seven days per week. Express or same day service is available.

Enjoy complimentary WiFi in each room and most common areas of the hotel, or upgrade to Premium Plus^^^ WiFi for optimal entertainment and business needs (Fees and Restrictions apply).

Mail Services

Guest can receive mail throughout their stay. If you intend to receive mail during your stay, please be sure to include the resort's mailing address, along with your name and arrival day for your reservation.

Please note that a $5 per package handling fee will apply to all packages that are received through the Luggage Storage desk.

The hotel cannot accept groceries or any other perishables that are mailed to the hotel.

Hotel Policies​

For your safety and enjoyment of Universal Orlando Hotels, please note the following: Guests are not permitted to have any type of explosive, weapon, item that can be used as a weapon or has the appearance of a weapon, illegal items or substances within Universal Orlando Hotels. This includes guest rooms and public areas within all resort hotels. Click here to view all Universal Orlando Resort policies & restrictions.

Age Requirements You must be 21 years of age, and provide proper identification upon check-in, to book a room at any Universal Orlando Resort hotel. There must be at least one person in the reserved room who is 21 years of age or older. Guests with active Military IDs who are at least 17 years of age will be able to check in. The military member must be staying in the room and is only valid for one room.

Modifying Your Reservation Modifications to existing reservations are subject to availability at time of change. To retrieve your reservation, click here.

Pet Policy Universal Helios Grand Hotel does not allow pets but if you want to bring your furry friend, the following hotels allow pets for a fee of $100†††: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel®, Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort.

Smoking Policy All of our resort hotels are 100% smoke free. Our non-smoking policy applies to all areas of the hotels, with the exception of designated outdoor smoking areas. The cleaning fee for smoking in guest rooms is $250.

Severe Weather Cancellation Policy While an incredible vacation awaits at Universal Orlando Resort, unfortunately we can't make guarantees about the weather, but your travel plans can still be stress-free. In the event that a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center or a state of emergency is declared for the Orlando area or in your place of residence, within seven days of your arrival, you can contact our team in advance to reschedule or cancel your Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations Package, hotel room only accommodations and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked directly with Universal Orlando, without any cancellation or change fees imposed. If you have purchased airline tickets as part of your Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations package, you may still be subject to cancellation and change fees assessed by those airlines.

ROOMS AND SUITE INFO


https://www.universalorlando.com/we.../universal-helios-grand-hotel#Room-and-Suites






DINING AT GRAND HELIOS



More details to follow regarding menu`s.



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Aurora Market - The Quick Option for The Ready to Roll​

Aurora Market is the contemporary grab & go area featuring a coffee bar and food and drinks like paninis, wraps and gelato. When you’re in a hurry to hit the parks, this is the spot.

See More Details

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Lotus Lagoon - Stay Cool by the Pool​

Cool off with a frozen cocktail, cold beer or refreshing fountain drink. When hunger strikes, snacks and appetizers can be ordered and enjoyed in the open-air restaurant or right from your chair.

See More Details

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Bar Helios - 360 Degree Views​

Along with exciting beverage options, delicious comfort food and creative tapas, Bar Helios offers unmatched views of Universal Epic Universe.

See More Details

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Flora Taverna - Open Kitchen & Al Fresco Dining​

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Flora Taverna offers a full breakfast buffet and Mediterranean comfort foods. Whether dining indoors or al fresco, guests have amazing views of Universal Epic Universe.

See More Details

Pools & Activities at Universal Helios Grand Hotel​

Nobody Does Pools Like Universal​

The zero-entry pool with a hot tub at Universal Helios Grand Hotel is a focal point. A server will be by soon to take your order.

Gear Up for Games​

Purchase a game card and then let the games begin. You’ll find the latest arcade and video games in the hotel’s game room.

If Fitness is Your Business​

Being on vacation doesn’t mean you have to skip your routine. The complimentary fitness center has a variety of strength and cardio equipment.

Don’t Forget the Souvenirs​

When you get home, make sure your friends know where you were. Show off with a t-shirt, hoodie, sweatshirt or even a wizard robe.





Comments and opinions welcome!

 

[schumigirl]

Hotel restaurant menu`s now available in the links above.

 

[AstroBlasters]

No Express Pass…

 

[Lewisc]

No Express Pass…

Old news. The first 3 hotels are grandfathered with 2 parks. Hotel passes aren't included with new hotels or new parks.

Why would the theme park divisions give away that much potential revene?

 

[Runnsally]

I am getting Fantasy Springs Hotel vibes from this place which is both good and bad. Will see for myself in December.

Also a bit disappointed by the menus - less inspired than I was hoping for.

That being said, lots of positives!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Old news. The first 3 hotels are grandfathered with 2 parks. Hotel passes aren't included with new hotels or new parks.

Why would the theme park divisions give away that much potential revene?

It wasn’t old news to me… as someone who doesn’t follow Universal closely.

 

[Minnie1222]

Helios Club's welcome letter, in case anyone is interested:

 

[Runnsally]

Will use of the dedicated Helios Grand park entrance be limited to hotel guests (and presumably folks with dining reservations)?

 

[DL1WDW2]

I think I saw a picture of the dedicated Helios Resort entry and it does look like they will have plans to keep this very restricted.
I hope they do keep the parking restricted also .

 

[Lewisc]

I think I saw a picture of the dedicated Helios Resort entry and it does look like they will have plans to keep this very restricted.
I hope they do keep the parking restricted also .

Any day guest willing to pay;$125 is welcome to park for the day

 

[Minnie1222]

Will use of the dedicated Helios Grand park entrance be limited to hotel guests (and presumably folks with dining reservations)?

My guess is it will be limited to Helios guests and visitors with a breakfast reservation during the few hours surrounding park opening. After that, it will be opened for all guests. I can see them welcoming visitors from Epic into the hotel for lunch and dinner. Hopefully, they don't let them use the pool or pool bar since that would be unfair to the paid Helios guests.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

My guess is it will be limited to Helios guests and visitors with a breakfast reservation during the few hours surrounding park opening. After that, it will be opened for all guests.

That would allow people to use Helios as a drop off point for Uber though, and I'm pretty sure Universal wants to avoid that. I would not like that if I were paying to stay at Helios.

Allowing people in from the park to have a meal, and then re-entry would be different, and I would hope they could accomplish that. But not sure the logistics of doing so.

 

[Minnie1222]

Do we know what the current policy is? Can anyone enter Helios via Uber during the Off hours?

 

[Minnie1222]

Maybe they will have a guard checking for hotel or dining reservations upon entry.

 

[tony67]

Hopefully, they don't let them use the pool or pool bar since that would be unfair to the paid Helios guests.

Then they would need to do the same with their other resorts - that said it does seem far more convenient for guests of Portofino to use Helios to take a break and use the pools if they are in Epic than vice versa so will be interesting to see how that goes.

Can anyone enter Helios via Uber during the Off hours?

I have seen people take Ubers over - but they had reservations for the bar - did not see any mention of issues other than its hard to find for the Uber drivers and took a while even from the moderate Epic hotels. They may have to go the route of Disney and only let people with a restaurant reservation be dropped off with an Uber.

 

[tony67]

Helios Club's welcome letter, in case anyone is interested:

View attachment 959425

If anyone is interested Kevin Heimbach did pop into the club lounge in his recent video about his stay at Helios - it was mid day but still had a quick look around. I could see it being quite convenient to come back from epic and take a break in the lounge.

BTW - some find his videos overly negative so if you don't want to hear it skip it - all his stays at the three Epic hotels were not great to say the least. Does he make it overly dramatic - I guess so - but I'd be pretty angry if I had lights turning on at 3AM and waking me.
He had nothing but positive things to say about the food and drink as well as staff.
He pretty much gave everything a 10 out of 10 food and drink wise - but said yeah it's pricey but its also quality so fair enough.
In the room he had many of the same issues - lights turning on randomly - he was not the only one to say as much.
Also walls are again too thin so you will hear your neighbors. Unfortunately that seems to be the way they are building hotels these days.