Holiday Inn Across From Universal.

*Disclaimer* Performance Hospitality Management invited the team to spend one (1) night at Holiday Inn and Suites Across From Universal.

As we start our coverage of hotels off-site but nearby Universal Orlando, we made our way to Holiday Inn and Suites. The official title of this hotel is the Holiday Inn and Suites Across From  Univeral Orlando. As the name indicates, this hotel resides within a reasonable walking distance. This Holiday Inn classifies as a small to mid-sized hotel with 390 rooms. The hotel has a modern look and feel. Also, the hotel has a unique feature, being connected via an indoor walkway to a TGI Friday. We’ll talk about that more soon. In addition, this Holiday Inn and Suites offers 13,000 square feet of event space for around 400 eventgoers. ​

​As mentioned earlier, this Holiday Inn and Suites is connected to a TGI Fridays. TGI Friday’s offers authentic American food and legendary drinks, served with good service. The chain is known for bringing people together to socialize, celebrate, and maybe even to talk about adventures that were explored at Universal. Kids ages 18 and under stay for free when sharing their parents’ room. Up to 2 kids, ages 11 and under, eat free per adult ordering from the main menu in any Holiday Inn® on-site restaurant. This deal will include up to a maximum of four kids per dining party. This restaurant offers a breakfast buffet for hotel guests to enjoy before their “epic” adventure begins at Universal. Thai breakfast is not included with your stay but you may purchase hotel packages that include breakfast. Our Team enjoyed our unique breakfast experience at the onsite restaurant. The breakfast buffet is priced comparably to theme park prices. With that in mind, we recommend heading to the parks for a themed breakfast at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or an informative breakfast at the Today Show Cafe.

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I stayed in a standard queen room. This room offers a nice space overall. I noticed plenty of USB outlets. These came in handy since I forgot my plug. You will also find standard outlets in this room. The bed was very comfortable. The room offers a single-cup Keurig coffee maker. Yet, the bathroom was a little on the smaller side. ​

Holiday Inn and Suites Across From Universal Orlando offers a load of benefits for their hotel guests. The one I enjoyed the most, though, would have to be their vacation planning center. You iron out the details of your trip by visiting them. Other benefits include free wifi, a pool, and a fitness center, and they are pet friendly. They offer shuttles with limited pickup and return schedules. We noticed that these aren't a great option if your trying to do early park admission.

This hotel is about a seven-minute drive from the parking garage. No worries if you didn’t bring your car, though. The hotel does offer a shuttle service that will take you to the parks in the morning as well as bring you back in the evening. Those coming from the airport will be happy to know you don’t have a far trip from Orlando International Airport. We clocked it ourselves. The drive took about 26 minutes to arrive at the hotel. The hotel is a 23-minute drive from the Walt Disney World Resort and 15 minutes from Seaworld.

The hotel sits at a reasonable price point. We recommend this as an off-site property. The free transport to and from Universal Orlando is excellent for those who have not traveled by car. TGI Friday’s connecting to the hotel is convenient for those who spend a large portion of their time exploring the parks. The rooms are pretty nice. We would compare the hotel to a value resort, like Surfside or Dockside Inn. You can visit plan your next stay at Holiday Inn across from Universal by clicking here. ​

Xavier.H.

​I'm Xavier- a food enthusiast and full-time blogger, theme park lover(especially Universal), and Halloween Horror Nights fan. I do happen to also lead the Universal Food Blog team on our trek to find the best dishes around Universal Orlando Resort to report to you!

*Disclaimer* Performance Hospitality Management invited the team to spend one (1) night at Holiday Inn and Suites Across From Universal.