I love it when a themed hotel really leans into the theming. And few resorts do that better than Hard Rock hotels. I love the rock ‘n’ roll theming at the Hard Rock in Orlando, But I love the level of service even more. I felt like a rock star from the minute I stepped foot into the lobby of this luxury hotel.
The rock star theme is everywhere, from Taylor Swift looking over the shoulder of the front desk clerk who checked me in, to my room key envelope that read “Let my love open the door,” to the rock star height markings on the mirror in my guestroom that topped out at the 6-foot-4-inch Snoop Dogg.
What’s So Great About the Hard Rock Hotel
- You can channel your inner rock star by checking out a Fender guitar and amp and watching the guitar lessons that stream on TV in the rooms.
- The hotel has a VIBE manager (Visionary Individual Behind Energy,) who curates the hotel atmosphere with lighting, music, decor, entertainment and memorabilia.
- Connecting rooms and a “Future Rock Star” family suite are available for larger groups.
- The heated outdoor pool and hot tub are open late for a last-minute dip after a long day at the theme parks.
- Staying here gives everyone in the room Unlimited Express Passes to skip the lines at the parks. (Park entrance ticket purchase required.)
- It’s easy to get to the parks via a water taxi, shuttle buses or garden walking path through the butterfly garden.
- 2 full-service restaurants, poolside bar and a grab-and-go shop that serves snacks, ice cream and fresh-made pizza.
First Impressions
There’s no doubt you’ve arrived at a Hard Rock. The fountain outside the entrance is a group of guitars. Taylor Swift and John Lennon oversee check-in at the front desk. There is even a display letting budding rock stars know they can borrow a Fender guitar and amp to practice in their room or watch a lesson streaming on TV. If, like me, you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you can choose instead to have a record player delivered to your room. (I didn’t do either since I knew I would be spending my days at Universal Orlando rather than in my room!)
From Lady Gaga’s costumes to Keith Richards posters to Nicki Mibnaj’s dessert-themed bra, the rock stars are everywhere at this resort. And the rock theming never ends — from the toilet paper roll with the “B-side” wrapper to the pizza sizes in the quick service restaurant that are shown as 12- and 16-inch vinyl records.
The No. 1 Reason to Stay at the Hard Rock Orlando
Yes, rock stardom and high-thread-count sheets are awesome, but it’s the Universal Orlando theme park benefits that make staying at the Hard Rock or one of the other “premium” Universal hotels the best choice for theme park fans.
Why? Because one night at the Hard Rock comes with two days of Universal Express Pass Unlimited. That’s the pass that lets you bypass the long lines at the rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The perk is good the whole day on the day you check in and the day you check out. When I was there, I returned to the hotel on the boat after the parks closed. Most of my fellow water taxi riders had checked out of their rooms that morning, stowed their bags at the hotel and spent a full day having fun in the parks. They were returning to pick up their bags and move to a different hotel for the night.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Just remember that you still need to buy park tickets for those two days.
In addition, Hard Rock guests get:
- Early admission to the three parks — Universal, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay water park.
- Free water taxi, shuttle bus or walking path to the parks,
- The ability to charge purchases using your room key and free merchandise delivery to your hotel so you don’t have to carry the stuff around.
Guest Rooms
The rock ‘n’ roll force is strong in the rooms. Mine included a mirror with the heights of celebrities marked — from the diminutive 4-foot-2-inch Shirley Temple to the 6-4 Snoop Dogg — and brightly colored drumsticks adorning the wall in the bathroom area.
My 375-square-foot two-queen room felt luxuriously large, but it would start to feel a little cramped with the addition of a rollaway bed. If I needed to sleep five, I would opt for the 800-square-foot Future Rock Star suite with a king bed and two twins in a separate room. Or, if I wanted to rock the Hard Rock like a real star, I would go straight for the 2,000-square-foot Graceland Suite with the fireplace and grand piano.
All 650 Hard Rock Orlando rooms have comfy beds, premium bedding, minifridge, in-room safe and free strong WiFi.
Family-Friendly Features
- Up to 3 children ages 16 and under stay free in a parent or guardian’s room
- Rollaway beds are available for an extra nightly fee
- Cribs are available gratis
- There’s a coin-op laundry on site, which makes it easy to pack light.
- Microwaves available on request
- Waterslide and kiddie pool play area
- Poolside movies
Pool
A great hotel cannot be truly great without a great pool. Or at least that’s my belief. And the Hard Rock has a pool worthy of a rock star. It’s 12,000 square feet, with a sand beach and sand volleyball court, two hot tubs, interactive fountains, and a slide and play area for the kids. Plus, it’s open late, which makes it the perfect place to cool off after a long hot day in the parks.
You can ratchet up the experience to rock star status by renting a cabana. It comes with a ceiling fan, HD TV and a fridge stocked with soda and water.
Dining at the Hard Rock Hotel
I did not eat at the hotel beyond one late-night, surprisingly good, fresh-made pizza from the grab-and-go Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace. I almost bought one of the old-fashioned metal lunch boxes too. But I couldn’t decide between Johnny Cash, KISS and the Woodstock or Bust designs.
Other dining options:
- Beachclub, the poolside bar and grill
- Palm, the hotel’s steakhouse
- The Kitchen, the casual eatery
Or head to the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal CityWalk.
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