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Top theme park hotel spotlight: Universal's Portofino Bay and Hard Rock Hotels

By Robert Niles
Published: May 28, 2009 at 12:10 PM
With two roller coaster premieres last Thursday, I didn't have a chance to post our weekly feature on one of the hotels vying for this year's 'best hotel' award in the 2009 Theme Park Insider Awards. So today, we'll put the spotlight on two, both from the Universal Orlando Resort.

Universal's Portofino Bay Hotel

We'll start with Universal's Portofino Bay Hotel, the 2002 winner of the Best Theme Park Hotel Award.

Also up for consideration is Universal's Hard Rock Hotel.

Universal's Hard Rock Hotel

Both hotels, along with Universal's Royal Pacific, offer unlimited front-of-the-line access to attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure, earning both hotels wide-spread praise from Theme Park Insider readers, in addition to the hotels' accommodations, dining and services.

If you've stayed in one (or both) of these hotels within the past year, please click on their names to go to their Theme Park Insider listing pages, where you can submit your rating and comment.

We'll announce the winners on the Fourth of July, based on cumulative reader ratings submitted over the past 12 months. That's why it's important that you click over to our park listings page to submit your rating for any rides, shows, restaurants and hotels you've been to over the past year. Just pick the parks you've visited in that time, click their names on that page, then click on the locations you'd like to rate.

Once you've rated one, you'll be given links to the other attractions and restaurants in that park, so you don't have to keep clicking back and forth. If you want to rate a different park, just return to the park listings page, or click the park's link in the green column on the right side of the page.

If you've not submitted ratings on Theme Park Insider before (and you do not need to register first), please read our guide for rating before you start. Thanks for rating, and thanks for reading Theme Park Insider.

Readers' Opinions

From Joshua Counsil on May 28, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Are you going to review these, Robert? I would love to stay on the Universal property, but it's just so expensive.

I manage to afford staying at Disney because we usually travel with 8 people, each paying their own way, and split a 2-bedroom DVC.

From Robert Niles on May 29, 2009 at 11:35 AM
I haven't stayed in either of these myself, but am looking at one of them for the roadtrip this summer. Definitely will post a report and review if that happens.

I stayed at the Royal Pacific last year and posted a review then, for folks who'd like to look that one up in the June 2008 archives. (Link in green column to the right.)

From Rob P on June 1, 2009 at 12:40 AM
This is disappointing. I've been waiting to extol the virtues of the excellent Royal Pacific where we've stayed twice before and it's the only onsite Universal Resort of the three that's been omitted from your list.
Hey Ho.
But for what it's worth..........the Royal Pacific offers the same top notch service as the others but at a slightly better value. Have nothing negative to say about the place. As Bob Dylan says : " It's all good "

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