Crazyhotelguy

I have seen a lot of chatter lately regarding the new HILTON hotels in Orlando. The Hilton BC, W-A, and the Hilton Orlando at the Convention Center have all had their time in the spotlight.

While the Doubletree Resort does not really compare in terms of services and lavish facilities, it is kind of a hidden gem for the BUDGET minded traveler who still likes the perks and points.. My partner and I stayed here for one night for my birthday.

I had originally booked the Hilton Orlando, but the January sale rate of $62 at the Doubletree including breakfast for two made this a nearly impossible deal to beat.. We live in Orlando, so it will be no big deal to check the others out soon.

This is an older hotel, but it has been completely renovated. I had my doubts, but I was pleasantly surprised. The lobby is nothing really elegant, but it is large and spacious. The grounds are extensive and have a lot of little places to discover.

The front desk staff is friendly, though they do not really seem to know how to work a line. I was able to check in early and was given a high floor tower room.. There is really no upgrade as their is no executive level. I think that they have a few larger rooms with wet bars and maybe some suites.... I had reserved the tower room as I do not like exterior entrance rooms. The exterior rooms were about $5 less.

The tower is nice if you can get bast the lobby which smells like a vanilla candle had just exploded. The rooms are typical Doubletree, but new.

The breakfast was actually pretty extensive. Not anything really out of the ordinary for Hilton, but better than some other Hilton properties that I have been too recently.

Since the gate was broken, we managed to avoid the parking fees

All in all, this property is not going to satisfy those that will only stay at BC or the W-A, but for a family looking for a nice hotel at an affordable price, the Doubletree was a nice surprise.

This was a great value, especially to get some early in the year credit and to get a step closer to the free night voucher.

CNWO4LIFE

I agree. This property was listed a couple of weeks ago at $45 a night. Thats cheaper, and better than any Hampton Inn.

Muerz

Are there in-room safes at this property? Also how much is breakfast buffet and do they prepare fresh eggs and waffles? How much is self parking? Any idea if I should book tower rooms or regular rooms? Don't like motel style exterior corridors.

CNWO4LIFE

lol! First, I would call the hotel for those in depth questions about how the eggs are prepared, second, I cannot recall any DT with exterior corridors.

kanerf

Doubletree took this property over from someone else and the non-tower rooms do have external entrances. They are located in two story buildings that look for all the world like a Motel 6. I have never been in those rooms so I cannot say what they are like.

Muerz

I meant to ask if they have an egg station at their breakfast buffet, the way a Courtyard does or if they don't have such an egg station. Easy question for someone who was there and had the buffet...

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,


Thanks for the reviews.

I will be spending 2 nights here when I am in Orlando on 6-8th October.

( I am spending 3-6 October at the Doubletree at Universal studios before 2 nights here for Sea World and a week at Disney)

The room price was high ( $200 per night) but I actually managed to get a point stretcher reward rate ( 42k points for 2 nights)^ and was able to select a tower room.

I'll post a review on my return in mid October

Regards

TBS

IsleOfMan

Will be here on a 2 night point stretcher this coming weekend. From the looks of my reservation I have already been upgraded to a king suite which was a request I made in my reservation notes (traveling with infant triplets). I'll report back after the stay if anything is exceptional, though an upgrade this far out is a good sign, especially in the wake of NOR1.

txrus

I am also going to be on I-Drive the weekend of 8-10 & am finding very high rates for any property I've looked at. Then I looked @ the Orlando Convention Center Calendar & figured out why-the American Dental Association is holding their national mtg that week & I'm guessing the hotels are hoping to make a killing. I suspect, though, that as the actual date gets closer & they still have rooms open, the prices will drop.

TNGALINFLORIDA

You'd be right about the convention and the rates. It's a huge trade show/convention. I attended the FL Dental Association show last year and it was packed, I can't imagine how big the ADA show is going to be.

As for the DT Int'l Drive - I've stayed at this property probably 4-5 times this year. I've never really used the facilities or eaten at the restaurants, so I can't comment on those aspects. One thing I can say, is that the "resort" rooms in the 2 story buildings are actually a little bit nicer than the Tower rooms. They have hard wood floors, whereas the Tower has carpet.

My biggest complaint about this property is the crappy parking situation. And they charge you $8-10 bucks a night on top of it. If you're staying in a Tower room, wherever you park, is going to be a haul to the main building.

Oh, and for those who don't bring their own hair dryer - the DT keeps them in cloth bags on the bag of the bathroom door in the Tower rooms. Confused the heck out of a co-worker last time. She couldn't find it and eventually had to call down to the front desk to find out where they were hiding them.

The _Banking_Scot

hi,

That's ok as I will not have a car!- I will walk to Sea world then get a cab to WDW after a couple of days.

Regards

TBS

IsleOfMan

I had a great stay here this past weekend. Was upgraded to a huge 2-room suite in building 1. It wasn't the main tower, but it was interior access (building 2 right next to it was exterior access). The interior was recently renovated and excellent in every way. Three cribs were already setup in the living room for our triplets when we arrived. There was a kitchen area bigger than most apartments, but only a 1/2 size fridge and full-size sink were present (basically an over-sized wet-bar), along with tons of empty cabinet/counter space. This semi-kitchen space is likely geared towards parties/entertaining. The bedroom also had a walk-in closet. My only minor complaint was there was no tub, only a double-size shower. I personally think a larger bathroom, possibly with two-sink vanity and separate shower/tub would be a better use of space than a walk-in closet, but this is more of a comment on space allocation than a complaint.

The rest of the grounds were also in excellent condition. I was greeted quickly by the HHonors desk agent and when the desk supervisor heard him speak my name, she came over to greet me personally and assure me everything was in-place for the triplets. We didn't make it to the pools, but the middle of the three looked well maintained and not crowded. The gift-shop is extremely over-priced, even for basic snack items ($3.50 for a 20oz Coke, $5 for a Special-K Protein Bar). The Deli was a bit more reasonable, but still pricey. There's a CVS just down the street if you need to load up on snack items. Parking at $8/day is more than I'd like to pay but not outrageous.

Breakfast buffet is excellent and free for HHonors Gold and higher. Roughly a dozen hot choices, staffed omlett bar, dairy case, meat/cheese area, cereal station, and pasteries. Coffee was also great. A to-go cup stated Starbucks, but it tasted better than the regular Pike's Place drip.

Location on Westwood Blvd is excellent for easy in-out access while avoiding the bustle of I-Drive, Sea World, and the convention center. We didn't touch I-Drive during our entire stay, instead accessing I-4 from Central Florida Pkwy. There's a complimentary shuttle to all of the parks (Sea World, Universal, Disney). Most properties this far east don't offer free shuttles to Disney. We didn't use it, but it's good to have. That said, it probably wouldn't be fast to Disney parks with likely multiple other stops along the way.

I really recommend this property for anyone looking to stay off-property or do Disney along with Sea World and/or Universal. You get resort perks and usually very reasonable rates. Location is great and a short drive to Disney without hitting main traffic congestion areas. I probably wouldn't recommend it on points at full-price, but depending on the equivalent cash rates, it's not a bad value as a point-stretcher. I probably wouldn't be happy with an exterior access room, but these are more common than you might think in Orlando.

sc8077

I was given the same price for (a) 2 queen beds main floor room or (b) 2 double bed deluxe room. It's just me, so the whole 2 bed things isn't beneficial to me in the 1st place, so i picked the queen bed. The funny thing was when I purchased (a) I got the estandby for (b) for $18 bucks / night more.

Anyone stayed here and know the difference?

Any additional thoughts or suggestions?

Oliveredmunds

I am staying at the Doubletree on International drive in September.
I upgraded to a tower room, does anyone have any experience at the hotel and any reviews?

Gagravarr

I'm not certain, but I'd guess there's more than one road called International Drive in the world, possibly more than one with a Doubletree on it. Any chance you could clarify with what city and/or country?