Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nearest Universal Orlando by IHG

Breakfast was really good, with lots of choices each morning, and the room was nice and clean. The staff and GM were friendly and accommodating, and housekeeping did a great job. It’s extremely close to the parks, with a complimentary shuttle offering several drop-off and pickup times. I highly recommend it.

The location is great, just across the street from universal, and the $7 lift was pretty good. The shuttle was convenient, but the last one back is at 8 p.m. That makes no sense when island of adventure closes at 11 p.m., and Rock the Universe could leave you getting back by 1 a.m. After walking 15,000 steps all day at the park, then another two miles, a lift or Uber is essential. I gave it two stars because the room was filthy. The double beds were more like full size, so although it says it sleeps four, it’s more like two. The floors were so gross that a wet washcloth cleaned a spot with just water, so you know they don’t mop. The bathroom baseboard and water pipes had dust all over them, like the back of a water heater closet. It’d be simple to fix, and it’s gross that they aren’t even dusting. We won’t stay here again.

The rooms weren’t sparkling clean, but reasonably clean, and the sink was in the bedroom area rather than the bathroom. The bathroom had Dove products. Holiday Inn Express is within a mile of Universal City Walk, which links Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It’s a standard Holiday Inn Express, mostly as expected, a little more worn than newer locations but fine for a couple of park days. Breakfast was the usual, with plenty of heavily processed items, though I could find a few healthy, minimally processed options. The women working in the dining area kept things tidy. There’s a park shuttle, but its hours are limited, so we took an Uber for under $10 each way. They also have an on-site “Universal” desk or sales area, but it has limited hours. A few hours before we arrived, the hotel called demanding an updated card payment, saying the card on file had expired. I said I didn’t have time to give it over the phone, and it was already in my online Holiday Inn Express account. They said they would cancel the reservation if I didn’t provide it, which definitely frustrated me.

The only problem was that the pillows were too soft. Otherwise, it was a great stay: the heated pool was nice, parking was free, and the free shuttle took about 10 minutes to Universal. Breakfast options changed by day and included omelets, eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal, fruit, and pancakes.