Hotel Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando
Universal Studios Orlando is one of the most popular theme parks in the world. In order to meet the demand, there are many lodging options around the park, ranging from budget hostels to luxury resorts. The PointsMiler team took a few days off to unwind in the Sunshine State and paid a visit to Universal Studios Orlando. After browsing the lodging options, we decided to stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando for its proximity to the park without breaking the bank for luxury amenities or resort fees. The stay was bearable and was nothing spectacular with a lot of room for improvement.
In spite of what the name suggests, the hotel is about 20 minutes away from the entrance of the Orlando Universal Studios.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
American Express Hilton Honors Aspire
The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card is currently offering a signup bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $4,000 in 3 months. Be aware that since this is an American Express (AMEX) card, you’re only allowed to receive the signup bonus once per lifetime. With a valuation of 0.6 cents per point, the signup bonus is worth about $900. In addition, until 12/31/2021, cardmembers will get a monthly statement credit of $20 when they spend more than $20 at restaurants each month. The annual fee is $450, but cardmembers get a weekend night certificate (redeemable on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at non-premium hotels), $250 incidental credit towards your airline of choice, $250 Hilton resort credit at select Hilton resorts, and Hilton Diamond status, the highest in Hilton’s member ecosystem.
The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card is one of my favorite credit cards for its benefits and perks. Photo by AMEX.
The Aspire Card earns 14X per dollar spent on Hilton hotels and resorts when booked directly through Hilton and 7X on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly with select companies, and U.S. restaurants. All other purchases will earn 3X per dollar spent. As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, you’ll get a 100% points bonus and 10 extra points per dollar spent at Hilton properties. Therefore, the Aspire card earns a total of 24X per dollar spent on Hilton properties when booked directly with Hilton, yielding a grand return of 14.4%. With Hilton’s frequent points promotions, you can rake in a serious amount of Hilton Honors points in no time. Even if you don’t stay at Hilton properties too often, this card is definitely worth the annual fee due to its amazing perks and benefits, and I strongly believe it’s the best hotel credit card available on the market right now.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
American Express Hilton Honors Business
Alternatively, I could’ve used my American Express Hilton Honors Business card to book my stay. The AMEX Hilton Honors Business card is currently offering a signup bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $3,000 in 3 months, which is also worth about $780. Like other AMEX cards, the card is subject to the once-per-lifetime signup bonus rule. The annual fee is $95, and unlike the Aspire, it doesn’t come with airline or resort credits. However, it can be a great workhorse card as it offers generous everyday and business multipliers. It earns 12X Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on hotel and resort purchases booked directly with Hilton and 6X at U.S. restaurants, U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless telephone services, U.S. purchases for shipping, and flights booked directly with airlines or with AMEX Travel. All other purchases earn 3X points per dollar spent. Because cardmembers receive automatic Honors Gold status, you’ll get an 80% points bonus and 8 extra points per dollar spent at Hilton properties. In addition, you’d receive 10 complimentary Priority Pass visits and have an opportunity to earn a free weekend night certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year. As a result, the Surpass earns a total of 20X per dollar spent on Hilton properties when booked directly with Hilton, yielding a return of 12%.
The American Express Hilton Honors Business card can cover a wide range of daily expenses and still comes with a great multiplier for Hilton stays. Photo by AMEX.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Hilton Honors Business card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
Lobby & Check-In Review
The lobby was spacious enough to host many guests at once. Because I went during the low season and the Coronavirus was still rampant, the occupancy rate was significantly low. Without the typical Disney crowds, the emptiness of the lobby felt bare.
The lobby remained quite desolate during my stay.
To the left of the lobby were check-in desks, and each desk had plexiglass barriers as safety measures against COVID-19.
Each check-in desk enforced plexiglass barriers as a safety measure against COVID-19.
Upon checking in, I was upgraded to a slightly better room, thanks to my Hilton Honors Diamond status, and received warm, gooey cookies: a true sign of DoubleTree hospitality.
DoubleTree cookies are pretty darn delicious.
The lobby also featured a depressing gift shop and a universal studio concierge desk, where hotel guests could book shuttles to and from the park. Please note that you must stop by the concierge desk at least one day before to reserve your spot on the shuttle. Because of COVID-19, the shuttle service was extremely limited, and if you were to miss it, you would either have to walk 20 minutes or take an Uber, which may cost up to $30 depending on the demand at the time of the request.
Be aware of the shuttle schedule because if you miss it, you will have to walk about 20 minutes.
Bedroom Review
Our room was located on the 15th floor, and there was a sticker on the room door indicating that the room had been sanitized and cleaned. As I opened the door, the sticker tore in half, which meant the room was no longer “sterile.”
I thought the CleanStay sticker approach was clever, and it gave me another element of peace of mind.
There was a king-sized bed at the center of the room, and the bed frame was squicky, and the mattress was nothing to write home about. In addition, we were slightly disturbed when we noticed grease on the headboard. The two nightstands were equipped with USB ports and electrical outlets, and I was surprised to find that the hotel was still using an outdated phone. The phone was slightly discolored from repeated usage, discouraging me from touching it.
The bed was mediocre at best, and the headboard was not properly cleaned
Next to the bed, a green chaise lounge and a small side table took the corner. It wasn’t necessarily comfortable, but I enjoyed the color as it brightened the room with a refreshing green color.
The refreshing green color of the chaise lounge gave the room vibrancy and livelihood.
Across from the bed, there was a 48-inch TV on the work desk, which had storage drawers and a mini-fridge built into it. It was disappointing that the TV didn’t support smart TV functions, but it was not a surprise. Above the work desk, a rectangular gold mirror gave the room a renovated look. To me, it was as if the hotel compromised on fully renovating the unit and got a few new accent furniture to make the room seem renovated.
The gold frame of the mirror was well coordinated and went great with the green lounge chaise.
Over the three nights of the stay, we realized the room had more issues than the initial impression. First, the ac unit was very loud. It did function and cooled down the space effectively, but the noise was hardly bearable. Second, there was no microwave in the room. Of course, this varies on the property, but given that almost all Hampton Inns have a microwave in the room, I expected to see one at DoubleTree. Third, some appliances were broken. The inner compartment of the mini-fridge was broken, so I could not store bottles upright, and the opening of the hairdryer was severely chipped and dented.
The basic Cuisinart coffee machine seemed like it hasn’t been used for a while.
Lastly, the room was not soundproof. I could hear clearly what other people were saying from the hallway, and despite being on the 15th floor, I still heard plenty of car noises from outside. These “issues” are not out of the ordinary, as many low to mid-tiered hotels have one or two. However, when there are one too many, they become clear signs that the property is not carefully overseeing the standards of the guest experience.
You can technically see the Universal Studios from the room, though you may need 20/20 vision.
Bathroom Review
The bathroom felt cramped but because the vanity stretched across the room, there was a lot of counter space to place toiletries and personal items.
Ample counter space was nice, but I wish there was another sink.
The showerhead was a standard showerhead but had some deposit on it, again making me question the room's cleanliness. On top of that, the shower curtain liner was awkwardly long to the point I constantly stepped on it while taking a shower.
The long shower curtain really
Adding to the inconvenience, the shower towels were frayed and rough to the touch. The toiletries were by Crabtree & Evelyn, used at most DoubleTree properties in the U.S.
I’ve only seen Crabtree & Evelyn at DoubleTree properties I’ve visited, including Canadian ones.
Breakfast Review—Sunshine Café
The breakfast was served at Sunshine Café, located next to the courtyard. The restaurant was big enough to host a large number of guests but due to Coronavirus, only the main hall was available for dining in.
Sunshine Cafe looked empty most of the time.
After we were seated, we were told that Hilton Honors Diamond members were only eligible for the Continental Breakfast. On the menu, the Continental Breakfast was priced at $14, and I couldn’t understand the level of hospitality towards Diamond members. I believe the hotel should allow Diamond members to order an entree of their choice from the menu since the dishes the hotel was serving were not anything out of the ordinary.
The menu was overpriced given they were serving microwavable dishes.
We opted for the Continental Breakfast, which included yogurt, fruit, muffin, and croissant. We also enjoyed complimentary coffee. The Continental Breakfast was ok at best. I appreciated that the muffin and croissant were warm, but the fruit was somewhat mushy and not ripe.
The Continental Breakfast was mediocre, microwavable food.
I was still happy that the hotel was not doing a Grab & Go Style breakfast option, but the quality of breakfast was severely lacking, especially for Hilton Honors Diamond members.
Pool, Gym, and Other Amenities
The gym was challenging to find. After following the sign in the lobby, I was left alone in the courtyard. Because there was no sign of the gym in the courtyard, I had to go back inside to ask the front desk for its location. The gym was located adjacent to Sunshine Cafe.
Finding the gym was an adventure in itself.
Unfortunately, I could not take detailed photos because some hotel guests were working out. The gym was small for the size of the hotel but had all the essential equipment. There were no social distancing measures at the gym; All cardio machines were open, and hand sanitizers were not present. The lifting area was mainly comprised of dumbbells and kettlebells, and there was an all-in-one gym machine to make up for the lack of proper lifting equipment.
The gym lacked social-distancing measures but had essential equipment.
The pool was next to the courtyard, closer to the North Tower. Lounge chairs and palm trees surrounded an outdoor pool.
I didn’t see anyone using the pool since the weather was brisk.
Next to the pool, there was a small heated outdoor pool. It was big enough to accommodate at least 8-10 people.
I was surprised to see some people using the heated pool when it was quite chilly outside.
Across from the pool, I noticed there were other amenities. The laundry room allowed hotel guests to wash their clothes, and all washers and dryers supported credit card payments.
The laundry room machines supported credit card payments.
Next to the laundry room, there was a depressing-looking game room, which was filled with outdated arcade machines. The ceiling was falling apart, and there were two unclean microwaves for guests if they wanted to heat some food. I don’t know where the guests would bring the food from, but after inspecting the cleanliness of the room, I was unsure if anyone would feel comfortable using them. As with other rooms, there were no safety measures against COVID-19.
The game room was dismal and I questioned the level of sanitation of the hotel even more.
Summary
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando is a decent budget option for families and couples visiting Universal Studios in Orlando. Because of COVID-19, the shuttle service is extremely limited, and if you were to leave or come back to the hotel outside of those time slots, you would have to walk about 20 minutes from the park’s entrance. The bedroom and the bathroom were both outdated and made me question the hygiene of the rooms due to noticeable signs of uncleanliness. Even as a Diamond member, I was only offered the Continental Breakfast option, which was better than nothing. If you are a budget traveler, this DoubleTree property may be a good fit, but remind yourself that you are sacrificing the comfort and amenities for the price.
