We are currently staying in this hotel and it leaves much to be desired. As Diamond members, we travel a lot of Hilton properties and have stayed in 3 others locally that were far better in terms of experience, amenities, and value than this location. The good: - Obviously, the location. This is literally the main selling point of the hotel. It is a 10-15 minute walk to the valet stand, which has its own security line to bypass the crowds at Universal's main access point where all the busses, ride shares, and parking meet. -The Shuttle. There are several morning routes (like if you have 8am admission) and a later one at 920, but you have to make the reservations a day before. This wasn't a problem. We took it 2 times and then slept in and did the walk over and found it to be just fine. In the evening, there are 3 return routes. We didn't utilize any of these, so I can't speak to them. They do let out at the bottom of that central station, so even after getting dropped off, there is still a 15 min walk to the park gates. The pool. We used the pool and the hot tub, and they were both clean and nice areas. Thr table and chairs around the pool were in good condition. The bad. -Rooms had a smell despite a deodorizer in the room. It was an "old hotel" smell, and a lot of people have commented that this is in many rooms, not just a one-off occurrence. The bathrooms have no exhaust fan, so it makes sense given that the moisture from the bathrooms goes into the guest rooms and makes them damp (this is a problem with 4 people showering after a long day at theme parks in the Florida humidity!) -Food was terrible. As someone who has Diamond status, I get 2 $15 credits per adult, no matter where I stay, however in select markets, it is $25, like NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. The buffet was $27 and was mediocre! For context, the Hilton Orlando has a chef cutting g prime rib, has a meat and cheese bar, has a salmon bar for bagels with lox, and I could go on and on for the same price. It was literally the same thing you could get a Homewood Suites for free or Hampton Inn (less the omelet bar) breakfast. My husband and I decided to forgo breakfast there because I could not bring myself to pay for such a terrible spread knowing across the highway they were charging the same for an elaborate set up. -Starbucks. I wanted to love this place bc it offered Starbucks and thought it would be a good alternative to the poor breakfast choices and 4 of the breakfast sandwiches they offer were not available. They do not offer mobile order either, which meant that whatever conference was there, their attendees crowded the Starbucks, so there were 15-20+ people in line each morning. So we skipped that too. -We waited outside, like a dozen other families, for our rooms. The outdoor space was nice but the chairs and beds were all pretty uncomfortable in the main area. The cushions were old and dated and had no plush to them, so the wicker furniture was really uncomfortable. -Beds were uncomfortable and had a tiny duvet and the bedding left much to be desired. It was basically sheets and there was no plush to them. -The gift shop sold me overpriced glasses for $16 and they broke on the 2nd day of use. And of course, they didn't refund the money at all or let me trade them for another pair. -Ice cream shop was good but be prepared to spend a ton. We paid $28 for 4 ice creams! Single scoops, 2 with cones. -The Hotel will tell you that the vendors are outside, thus not their responsibility, however the vendors are all the reasons we won't return. High food pricing yet poor quality, inconsistent Starbucks service, and refusal to honor the quality of their work. It is obvious this hotel is only living off their name and location bc there are few redeeming qualities of the hotel. I could have stayed at any of the other Hilton brands just a stones throw away but I stayed at the Doubletree because it was supposed to offer a service and luxury that the more affordable brands do not but we were sorely disappointed. There are other "Universal Approved" hotels that offer the Shuttles and are actual resorts like Hilton Orlando (which has a lazy river, spa, and the shuttle for their "resort credit" and an incredible buffet) . I would not recommend this hotel, especially if you're a Diamond member. You can totally do better and get more for your status at any other location. Tf …
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.