Helios Grand Hotel

[ReelJustice]

Wasn’t Sapphire Falls always a tier below Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, etc?

Only because it didn’t offer Express

 

[kristenabelle]

Only because it didn’t offer Express

The only reason I've never stayed at Sapphire, TBH. Love that you can still walk to the parks/get there without buses.

Still excited about Helios, but ticket options are definitely going to impact a stay here. If I let anxiety get the best of me and book the first-offered combo tickets, staying here without express is less attractive IMO. And I'm sure other options will come, but I hate waiting haha. I still think this is the best shot to get my family to agree to their first onsite Universal stay.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Excited for this hotel and ready to book as soon as I can. This hotel should really show Disney what a true deluxe resort means.

 

[JustLikeMe]

Only because it didn’t offer Express

Yes, we’ve stayed at the three express hotels many times and prefer Sapphire Falls to all of them. We’d stay there every time if it offered the same Express benefit.

As to Helios - personally I think it looks stunning. I really hope we get some sort of advance warning ahead of reservations going live unlike Stella Nova and Terra Luna. It’s going to be interesting to see how hard it is to secure a theme park view room.

 

[Brian G.]

not really pushing the limits of luxury- besides the prime location and view

Premier/Signature ≠ Luxury.

If you want Miracosta, Portofino is a water taxi away.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

And we're already doing the Vs. crap just shy of over an hour.

Universal hotels have always featured a simple and modern (in relation to the times) look. They've never been over the top. Disney got criticized because they sanitized some of their fantastical rooms (or overinjected IP like Contemporary).

If you don't like it, that's fine - but it's not a fair argument.

These are straight up cheap-looking, though…

On the other hand, the common areas (especially the pool) all look great

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Odd that they drop Cabana Bay down as prices are usually at or above Aventura's and sometimes double Endless. I like Aventura, but Cabana Bay is a far superior resort.

As for the Disney comparisons & "lack" of theming... Universal hotels excel in public spaces, same with the Disney resorts, even with their refurbs. I'm a fan of the simplistic take of theming hotel rooms, not sure how much theming you should expect. Some of Disney's most themed rooms in the past were honestly gaudy and over the top. The All-Stars were improved even if they removed a good amount of theming from the rooms themselves.

 

[Brian G.]

These are straight up cheap-looking, though…

Cool. I guess I couldn't really tell through A CGI RENDER

FFS

 

[Mad Dog]

I've stayed at RP and Sapphire quite a few times. My personal opinion is that Sapphire is a tad better than RP, with the Express designation the only thing that puts RP in a higher price range. If they both had Express, I'd pick Sapphire. Rooms equal, Sapphire restaurants/bars superior, Sapphire pool superior, RP better lobby.....Seems like CBBR has had trouble filling all the rooms since the newer hotels/suites came online, probably partly due to CBBR immense number of rooms to fill. CBBR prices have stayed low. ....Helios looks modern and upscale, with its major advantage being the location. I'll probably continue to stay on the main campus since I prefer the theming of their hotels. Personal preference mostly.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Cool. I guess I couldn't really tell through A CGI RENDER

FFS

What? If we weren’t meant to judge the renders, they wouldn’t be released lol.

I guess we’ll see where rack rates end up settling. I was expecting Portofino/upscale Marriott-level pricing, and from what I can see here (a sales tool released by Universal themselves to generate hype) the room wouldn’t be worth that.

 

[Mad Dog]

If there's no Express at Helios, I'd expect Portofino, RP and Hard Rock to be a bit higher priced. Possibly around $100 less per night on standard rooms at Helios..

 

[Brian G.]

What? If we weren’t meant to judge the renders, they wouldn’t be released lol.

Cool strawman.

Don't like the look? Fine.

But there is no way to determine the hotel to be "cheap" because it's not your design preference (or expectation). When I hear cheap for a hotel, I think of cheap builds, cheap fabrics/sheets, cheap materials, etc. All of which CANNOT be determined through a render - especially since we don't even have the price point in conjunction to compare it.

The hotel's selling point was always the amenities & views, and the room's design is exactly in line with Universal's other top-tier hotels. I don't know what y'all expected.

 

[JustLikeMe]

If there's no Express at Helios, I'd expect Portofino, RP and Hard Rock to be a bit higher priced. Possibly around $100 less per night on standard rooms at Helios..

I really hope you’re right, but I’m guessing that Helios will be the most expensive by some margin.

 

[twebber55]

Cool strawman.

Don't like the look? Fine.

But there is no way to determine the hotel to be "cheap" because it's not your design preference (or expectation). When I hear cheap for a hotel, I think of cheap builds, cheap fabrics/sheets, cheap materials, etc. All of which CANNOT be determined through a render - especially since we don't even have the price point in conjunction to compare it.

The hotel's selling point was always the amenities & views, and the room's design is exactly in line with Universal's other top-tier hotels. I don't know what y'all expected.

agree
and even if the rooms look "standard" the rest of the resort looks amazing
Those views!!!! are special
i would imagine express will come soon as well maybe after the first year

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think we should "split" Helios in two when it comes to pricing. Rooms with park views will be the most expensive at UOR possibly, with garden/parking-lot views underneath/competing with the other signature collection hotels.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Premier/Signature ≠ Luxury.

If you want Miracosta, Portofino is a water taxi away.

I’ll bite — what do you mean by the distinction here?

 

[Brian G.]

I think we should "split" Helios in two when it comes to pricing. Rooms with park views will be the most expensive at UOR possibly, with garden/parking-lot views underneath/competing with the other signature collection hotels.

It appears there are 6 categories (not counting suites)

Standard
Pool
Skyline
Theme Park
Deluxe (bigger room)
Club

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Cool strawman.

Wait, do you not agree that a CGI-rendered image shown along with a press release is a tool meant to help sell the rooms based on how they look?

I think the common areas look incredible—is that fair to say based on CGI renderings?

But there is no way to determine the hotel to be "cheap" because it's not your design preference (or expectation). When I hear cheap for a hotel, I think of cheap builds, cheap fabrics/sheets, cheap materials, etc. All of which CANNOT be determined through a render - especially since we don't even have the price point in conjunction to compare it.

That’s why I said “cheap-looking.”

The hotel's selling point was always the amenities & views, and the room's design is exactly in line with Universal's other top-tier hotels. I don't know what y'all expected.

Absolutely…but you get proximity and views at Aventura as well. The “top tier” part is where the aesthetic appeal of the property comes in. I acknowledged I don’t know what the rack rates will be, but was kind of assuming they’d be in the $600+ range. If I’m on the Bonvoy site, I’d assume these rooms belonged to a midrange Sheraton or Marriott property at a tier below that.

And in any case, I didn’t even make that point for the sole purpose of s******g on the place. I saw that you jumped down a guy’s throat for expressing the same thought chalking it up to “Vs crap.” I’m just saying I think if you’re well-travelled in resort destinations then mild disappointment is a fair opinion to have (thoughts on Disney excluded).

 

[Imperius]

That roof top bar though

 

[Brian G.]

I’ll bite — what do you mean by the distinction here?

Luxury, for me, goes beyond the ordinary. It has exceptional elements of a hotel stay, such as premium materials like imported marble and fabrics with a high thread count, as well as top-notch service that attends to your every need throughout your stay, justifying the high price.

Wait, do you not agree that a CGI-rendered image shown along with a press release is a tool meant to help sell the rooms based on how they look?

I think the common areas look incredible—is that fair to say based on CGI renderings?


That’s why I said “cheap-looking.”

Absolutely…but you get proximity and views at Aventura as well. The “top tier” part is where the aesthetic appeal of the property comes in. I acknowledged I don’t know what the rack rates will be, but was kind of assuming they’d be in the $600+ range. If I’m on the Bonvoy site, I’d assume these rooms belonged to a midrange Sheraton or Marriott property at a tier below that.

And in any case, I didn’t even make that point for the sole purpose of s******g on the place. I saw that you jumped down a guy’s throat for expressing the same thought chalking it up to “Vs crap.” I’m just saying I think if you’re well-travelled in resort destinations then mild disappointment is a fair opinion to have (thoughts on Disney excluded).

I said what I said, and I'll leave it at that.