Just Back - HRH Experience

[packy]

We just returned from a split visit at Disney and Universal. We did not have a great check-in at HRH. We had booked a Pool View room 6 weeks in advance directly with Universal. When we arrived (4:45 p.m.) there were no Pool View rooms and the desk agent offered an obstructed view second floor room. I told her that this was not acceptable and eventually talked to the manager. He offered a garden view room at a reduced rate (which I could have booked in the first place at the same rate). In the end, he offered to put us in a GV room for the first night then move us to a Pool View room for the last two nights at the reduced rate. Having no real choice at this point, I agreed and we took a GV room then moved down the hall (same floor) to a pool view room the next day. The manager honored the agreement so in the end we saved about $35 but the experience was not what we expected nor desired while on vacation.

That said, we still had a good time at HRH and loved the FOTL. We had done this in 2001 and I didn't think it would be the same, but it was - it felt like you were elected Mayor for the day and had the key to the city.

With regard to the room, the white comforters and pillows that were there in August 2001 were gone in favor of green bedspreads and the carpets and furniture were showing some wear but it is still a first rate hotel and the pool area is even more beautiful now that the trees have grown.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

A couple of questions:

How was the overall service?

Were the rooms showing alot of wear and tear for a 4 1/2 star resort?

Have you stayed on site at other Universal hotels?

If you have, can you make comparisons?


Thanks in advance!!!

 

[packy]

SpideyHulk24 - We have stayed at HRH twice, in Aug 01 and Aug 03 (none of the other resorts though). Our pool view room was showing some wear. It was a non-smoking room but there was what appeared to be a cigarette burn in the shears. The bolt lock didn't work, the arm chair was worn and there were some marks (stains?) on the carpet. The wood edging on the refigerator (also where they put the coffee maker and ice bucket) was also pretty worn. The glass shelf above the sink in the shower was coming out of the wall on one side. All that said, we really enjoyed our stay. The room was still nice and it had a great view and the pool area was just beautiful. The one thing I noticed having just come from Disney is that everything, really food, seemed to be more expensive at HRH. Disney doesn't charge for self parking either so you are really paying an extra $6 per night over the room rate when staying at US if you have a car.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

I want to stay here so bad, but I want a good room if I do.

Thanks again!

 

[tiggerguy2000]

My first stay when they just opened the resort was a joke.I payed for a pool view but they gave me a garden view at first and then had it changed but that room was horrible.The rug was stained by a dog and the bedspreed had hairs and stains on it like someone just fooled around on the bed.The last chance they had was just as bad with giving me the pool view room in a corner with 2 views (The wall or the tree) that was not the pool.I was not going to let this get to me so I waited until I got home to voice my opinion to the management team at the HRH.I ended up getting a 2 night stay out of this.Paying for parking should be changed because why do you have to pay for parking when staying at the resort?
tiggerguy2000

 

[packy]

I really looked at the rooms facing the pool after our check-in experience. We ended up in a 6th floor room with a great view but there are many rooms, from the 4th on down in which you would be lucky to even get a glimpse of the pool. Some of these rooms looked like they were completely blocked by treees. I think HRH needs to re-look the definition of pool view - some of these rooms should probably be called garden view.

 

[tiggerguy2000]

Packy.My last trip I got the garden view instead just for that reason.We had a 5th floor view of the backside that was great.Who needs the pool view when it has no porch .
tiggerguy2000

 

[minijeanie]

there are no balconies and henceforth,the view is irrelevant.

we had gardenview(but paid forpoolf view) on 6th floor in 2001. I absolutely loved the room.. am disappointed to hear that the great white duvets have been replaced...best bed I ever slept on (except for harbor court hotel in new orleans)

going again this halloween...so shall I expect green bed covers...(ugh) hate that color.



but you know what...don't really care...fotl access is worth it all

 

[damo]

Make sure you let somebody (hotel management) know that you don't like the green bed spreads. When we got back I received an e-mail from the hotel there asking how everything was. I was very honest (most things were great), but not having your proper room and the awful green bed spreads were two of the things that are easily fixed. I found the green bedspreads very tacky. They can do way better than that without having to go back to the white duvet covers if they were such a problem.

I agree that it is time for the carpets to be shampooed.

The hotel condition was still better than many that I have stayed at and paid way more money!!! Wilderness Lodge being one of them.

 

[Selina]

Hiya, I stayed at the HRH in 2001 and we had a garden room. I thought in some ways the garden room was better than the pool - we had a short walk to the elevators!! I noticed that some had to walk a loooong way! and why pay extra for a pool view - are you honestly going to be sitting in your room looking at the pool for longer than a few mins at a brilliant hotel like the HR??!! On the relaxing mornings, I was by the pool sipping cocktails not in my room looking at it!! And at night - fotl to Hard Rock Cafe.... I think people worry too much about the room's view - all I like to know is that it's comfortable, has a mini bar, all the usual mod cons, nice restaurants and pools, etc etc.....Mmmmmmm.......can't wait to book my next visit - alas....can't afford the HRH this time round so looking at the Radisson - sent a new thread on that one!!

 

[dgaston]

Gee I liked our celery green bedspread. We were in a 6th floor pool view that looked terrific. No signs of wear, at all.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

still have gotten rooms with the white duvets. I think Cassie who posts on this board actually had one of those. So they do still exist. I just think they are slowly doing away with them.

 

[Dancind]

DD and I stayed two nights in a pool view room the first weekend in August. They should e-mail me, I could give them a few comments. Our view was great, 6th floor ALLLLL the way at the end. So we had a window overlooking the pool, and one overlooking the parks. Got to watch the fireworks from our room. However, the room had some problems. Both mornings we were there, the toilet clogged! Had to call maintenance at 7 am both days. I didn't do anything strange, honest! My DH remembers this happening when we stayed on the 5th floor at HRH in 2001. Also, the phone didn't work. I could make a call for about a minute, but then it would cut out. I let them know about it several times, but they didn't come to fix it until we were checking out. Couldn't use the closet either, the doors were off the track (got that fixed too). We did like the beds though. Diana

 

[packy]

Funny you mention a toilet clog. We had one too (only one)but maintenance fixed it quickly.

 

[BarbaraMB]

Our toliet clogged twice. We were 4th floor in July. But I loved it there. The family misses it more than Disney because it was so easy and less stressful than Disney was.

 

[Dancind]

So who's brave enough to start a thread about toilet clogging at HRH? Sounds like a common but seldom mentioned problem! Diana

 

[bg4]

The toilet in our room on club level - 7th floor - clogged also

 

[ngrier13]

I just returned from the HRH..I have to tell you that our toilet was also clogged the entire week. We finally started using the bathroom in the main lobby. Our room was on the 1st floor. The HRH was beautiful but I was really disappointed about our room. I've stayed in many hotels before but never did I stay in a room and be able to hear people in their rooms. My husband and I could literally hear the conversations in the rooms next to us and the hallways were so noisy. I am writing a complaint letter because I was so disappointed. I was woken up every night from the noise in the hallways and people in their rooms. I was wondering if anyone experienced this problem?

 

[Selina]

Soooo sorry to hear all that. I was there in 2001 - I do remember hearing people walking in the hallway sometimes, but I never heard other people in their rooms, well not enough to annoy. Perhaps the inner door to the adjoining room was not shut - you would hear then. We had friends next door and if they forgot and left there side open, we would hear them switch the tv on in the morning. The only other place - I remember lying in the bath one day and heard someone having a good singsong in their shower above me!!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Originally posted by Selina
Soooo sorry to hear all that. I was there in 2001 - I do remember hearing people walking in the hallway sometimes, but I never heard other people in their rooms, well not enough to annoy. Perhaps the inner door to the adjoining room was not shut - you would hear then. We had friends next door and if they forgot and left there side open, we would hear them switch the tv on in the morning. The only other place - I remember lying in the bath one day and heard someone having a good singsong in their shower above me!!

They were probably singing the music you hear in the lobby....LOL