If, like every other theme park fan in the world, you’re looking at planning a trip to Universal Orlando, you’ll almost definitely want to stay at one of Universal’s hotels. In this post, we’ll walk you through the different ways to think about Universal’s eleven hotels, including why the tier breakdowns don’t make much sense, and how factors like location and theme are going to be relevant. Read on to learn all about picking your hotel for a trip to Universal Orlando Resort!
Universal Orlando “On Site” Hotels
This guide covers the “Universal Hotels.” These are the hotels that you can book through Universal and that are run in partnership with Universal. There are (soon to be) eleven of these hotels. Here they are broken down by “tier” (since that’s how Unviersal does it), but we’ll discuss why these tiers are very misleading a lot in this post (links are to reviews):
Signature Collection: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
Prime Value: Universal Aventura Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort, Universal Terra Luna Resort
Value: Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal Endless Summer Resort (Dockside Inn and Surfside Inn)
Three of the above-listed hotels are not yet open as of this update:
Universal Helios Grand Hotel (opens May 22, 2025)
Universal Stella Nova Resort (opens January 21, 2025)
Universal Terra Luna Resort (opens March 25, 2025)
Early Admission at Universal Orlando
We have a post that takes a deeper dive into the perks of Universal Orlando hotels, and we’ll discuss the differences in available perks throughout this post. But right away, I just want to highlight that all guests of all Universal Orlando hotels get access to the Early Admission perk. It doesn’t matter if you’re paying under $100 per night for Surfside Inn or over $300 for Portofino Bay. All guests get this perk and it works exactly the same for all guests.
Is it worth it to stay at a Universal Orlando hotel?
Yes, Universal hotels are worth it. If you’re planning a multi-day trip to Universal Orlando Resort, you should pick a Universal hotel to stay at. The lowest-priced options are competitively priced with other hotels in the area. The not-as-low priced options are great hotels with convenient access to at least one park. And, again, all the hotels get Early Admission. When you consider the overall cost of a Universal Orlando trip, spending a little extra to be in Universal’s hands is well worth it.
The only caveat I’d give to this is that if you’re definitely going to rely heavily on a car, you might opt for a cheaper option if you can find a decent one. Universal hotel guests do not get complimentary parking at CityWalk, which is how you get to two of the three parks (Epic Universe parking TBD). And if you’re driving everywhere, you won’t find a big advantage in the transportation / walking conveniences I mention a lot in this post.
Breaking Down the Universal Orlando Hotels
This guide is meant to showcase the major differences between the Universal Orlando hotels in terms of perks, location / transportation, and ambiance. While I’ve very much enjoyed all of my stays at Universal Orlando hotels, the hotel categories they use are a bit amorphous and don’t really tell the whole story. Disney’s “value, moderate, deluxe” categories are much more straightforward than Universal’s “Signature Collection, Prime Value Hotels, Value Inns and Suites” categories.
Nonetheless, since Universal primarily uses those categories when talking about their hotels, it makes sense for this guide to be broken down that way, too. But before we get there, I’m going to provide two other quick ways of thinking about the Universal hotels. First, I’m going to give the whole list of eleven hotels ranked by Universal’s advertised “starting” price. Second, I’m going to give a quick breakdown by location / transportation. Finally, I’ll go through each of the categories—Signature Collection, Prime Value Hotels, Value Inns and Suites—and discuss the hotels in each category.
Universal Orlando Hotels By “Starting” Price
This list is just meant to give you a quick idea of how the prices at the Universal Orlando hotels compare to each other. These prices are the “starting” prices Universal advertises as of November 5, 2024, which are not necessarily the absolute lowest prices you’ll find through third parties or even Universal.
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel - $393
Hard Rock Hotel - $386
Loews Royal Pacific Resort - $337
Universal Helios Grand Hotel - $293
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort - $222
Universal Aventura Hotel - $145
Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort - $145
Universal Stella Nova Resort - $134
Universal Terra Luna Resort - $134
Universal Endless Summer Resort (Dockside and Surfside)- $99.20
You can sort of already get a sense of how these will break up when we get to the categories below. Based on these prices alone, you’d probably expect three “top tier”, two “middle tier”, and five “lower tier” hotels. We get…something within the ballpark of that breakdown. But before we get to the specific categories, let’s change gears. I want to first talk about location and transportation.
Universal Hotels Broken Down by Location / Transportation
With Universal expanding its footprint, you can also think of the hotels in terms of location. I’m highlighting this specifically because with a brand new theme park (Epic Universe, opening May 22, 2025), you’ll basically have to choose—do I want easier access to the two older parks, the newer park, or neither. I’m not going to discuss Volcano Bay (the water park) access here because it just makes things even more complicated, and the theme parks are more important.
There are six hotels with walking path access to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida. Four (arguably five) of those also have boat access to the same. These hotels all have access to Epic Universe only by complimentary shuttle bus. These hotels are:
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel (boat access too)
Hard Rock Hotel (boat access too)
Loews Royal Pacific Resort (boat access too)
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort (boat access too)
Universal Aventura Hotel (boat access via Sapphire Falls)
Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort
At least two, maybe three, different hotels have access to Epic Universe by walking path (no hotel has walking access to all three parks). From these, you’ll take a complimentary shuttle bus to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida. These hotels are:
Universal Helios Grand Hotel (dedicated Epic Universe entrance)
Universal Stella Nova Resort
Universal Terra Luna Resort*
Yeah…how is there already an asterisk? Terra Luna has not opened yet (opens March 25, 2025). While it is advertised as being “adjacent” to Epic Universe, it might not have a walking path to Epic Universe. Here is the language Universal uses in describing the other new hotel in the area, Stella Nova (emphasis added):
Universal Stella Nova Resort is located adjacent to the all-new Universal Epic Universe theme park, opening May 22, 2025. Epic Universe is accessible via walking path or complimentary shuttle. Universal Orlando’s other theme parks and Universal CityWalk are also easily accessible via convenient and complimentary shuttles.
And here’s the Terra Luna language (emphasis added):
Universal Terra Luna Resort is located adjacent to the new Universal Epic Universe theme park, opening May 22, 2025. All of Universal Orlando's theme parks and Universal CityWalk are accessible via convenient and complimentary shuttles.
So you can see there’s some ambiguity there. My sense of this, mostly based on satellite views, is that guests at Terra Luna will have to cross a street to get to the walking path from Stella Nova. Maybe this street isn’t entirely Universal-controlled, so they can’t use certain language (for example, you can walk from Endless Summer to CityWalk, it’s just a 30-minute walk on public roads, and Universal wisely doesn’t advertise that option).
The remaining two hotels (again—maybe three) hotels have access to all three parks and CityWalk only by complimentary shuttle bus. These are the two Endless Summer Resort hotels—Surfside Inn and Dockside Inn.
Signature Collection - The Big Three
We’re going to start with the Signature Collection…well, some of the Signature Collection. Universal lists five hotels in the Signature Collection:
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel - $393
Hard Rock Hotel - $386
Loews Royal Pacific Resort - $337
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel
Importantly, we bolded three of those hotels because those three get additional perks that the other two do not. Specifically, those three—Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific—get Universal Express Pass Unlimited and Priority Seating at Select Restaurants.
Complimentary Universal Express Pass Unlimited is what sets these three hotels apart. (We have a separate post covering the ins and outs of Universal Express Pass, if you’d like to learn more.) As of this update, this perk will not include Express Pass Unlimited at Epic Universe. This is a bit of a bummer, but it was already often a good deal to book just one or two nights at one of these hotels in order to get the perk. Including Epic Universe would have pretty significant pricing implications.
Those three hotels also have access to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida by walking path and boat. To get to Epic Universe, you will have to take a complimentary shuttle bus from the hotel.
These three hotels are all meant to be luxury hotels within their respective themes (Italy, rock ‘n’ roll, the South Pacific). All three have Club Level rooms, too. We’ve stayed at Portofino Bay and had a good time.
Hard Rock and Royal Pacific are both about 5-10 minutes walking to CityWalk and the older two theme parks. Portofino Bay is more like 15-20 minutes (it’s past Hard Rock, specifically).
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel - $393
Hard Rock Hotel - $386
Loews Royal Pacific Resort - $337
Signature Collection - The Other Two
And then there are the other two hotels in the “Not As Signature Collection,” I guess you could call it:
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort - $293
Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel - $222
These two hotels—Helios Grand and Sapphire Falls—are marketed under the “Signature Collection” but they don’t get the major perk—Universal Express Pass Unlimited—that the three “select” Signature Collection hotels get. They also don’t get Priority Seating at Select Restaurants, but that’s a minor loss.
It’s a little odd that Helios Grand—which has “Grand” in its name and will sit at its own entrance to a brand new theme park (Epic Universe) is not in this “top of the top” group, but it isn’t. (FWIW, my gut tells me these are the first steps toward a more permanent reworking of the Universal hotel categories, perhaps with the Express Pass perk having significantly different contours now that a third park is involved.)
Helios Grand has its own dedicated entrance to Epic Universe. To get to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida, you’ll take a complimentary shuttle bus to CityWalk (which is adjacent to the two parks).
The case of Loews Sapphire Falls Resort is a little different. That hotel used to have its own category. Universal decided that was silly, I guess, and they’d rather group it with three other hotels even though they have pretty significantly different perks.
Sapphire Falls is connected to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida by walking path and boat. To get to Epic Universe, you will have to take a complimentary shuttle bus from the hotel.
Prime Value Hotels
You might be thinking “thank goodness, we’re done with that complicated category,” but unfortunately things are awkward in the remaining two categories, too. Let’s start with the list of hotels Universal calls “Prime Value” hotels:
Universal Aventura Hotel - $145
Universal Stella Nova Resort - $134
Universal Terra Luna Resort - $134
Something you might have expected is missing—Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Despite starting at the same price as Aventura, and despite being right across the street from Aventura, and despite not having any obviously significantly different perks / amenities / etc. from Aventura, and despite having formerly been categorized as “Prime Value”, Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort is now simply “Value.” This is especially awkward seeing as the lower-priced Stella Nova and Terra Luna are “Prime Value.” I don’t know.
Aventura is actually physically connected to Sapphire Falls. It has a walking path to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida, and you could use the boat to/from Sapphire Falls, too. (To be fair, this might be enough to justify categorizing Aventura above Cabana Bay, but Universal also doesn’t advertise this option.) To get to Epic Universe, you’ll take a complimentary shuttle bus.
Stella Nova (opening January 21, 2025) and Terra Luna (opening March 25, 2025) are the new “Prime Value” hotels that are “adjacent” to Epic Universe. As discussed above, Stella Nova will have a walking path to Epic Universe, but the situation at Terra Luna is…ambiguous. Complimentary bus transportation will be available to CityWalk and the other two parks.
I think location / transportation is the big factor in choosing between (1) either Stella Nova or Terra Luna and (2) either Aventura or Cabana Bay. That said, if you’re a big “theme” person, you might want to look more into the themes at Stella Nova, Terra Luna, and Cabana Bay (Aventura is, for good or bad, basically themeless).
Value Inns and Suites
This leaves Value Inns and Suites. Here, Universal lists three hotels:
Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort - $145
Universal Endless Summer Resort - Surfside Inn - $99.20
Universal Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn - $99.20
The Endless Summer hotels are what I’d consider the “true” value resorts at Universal. They’re significantly lower-priced than anything else, and they have only complimentary bus access to the three theme parks and Volcano Bay water park. Given my adoration for both walking paths and Cabana Bay specifically, I don’t see myself ever advocating for Endless Summer. This is not a knock at Endless Summer, I just don’t see the math as particularly compelling (if you can get, say, a 20% discount at Endless Summer but not Cabana Bay or Aventura, then I could see a stronger case).
And then there’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. It’s my favorite Universal Orlando hotel and somehow the last I get to talk about in this post. Cabana Bay Beach Resort is connected by walking path to CityWalk, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida. It is the farthest of the walkable hotels, at about 20 minutes. You’ll also have to take a complimentary shuttle bus to Epic Universe. The theme, style, and amenities of the hotel are all on-point.
Again, not to be repetitive, but when it comes to considering Cabana Bay, you really should be comparing either downward to Endless Summer, or laterally to Aventura. Aventura is closer to CityWalk and has easy access to the Sapphire Falls boat dock. Aventura also has no discernible theme other than “hotel,” which I could see being a positive or negative. Personally, I find Cabana Bay to be my preference of the lower-priced bunch.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Universal Orlando planning! Take a second to check out our most important content!
Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Review of Universal’s Aventura Hotel!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide and a Universal’s Islands of Adventure Rides Guide. And to know how to get on them without the long waits, read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, and our Universal’s Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers that park.
Early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks. And read about rope drop at Islands of Adventure, including getting on the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.