Orlando Hotel Near Universal Studios Florida
During our recent visit to Universal Studios, we were looking for a nearby hotel where we could utilize our Hyatt points, spend some time at a pretty pool, and be a short distance away from the parks. The pictures online of the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Drive looked beautiful and when I saw that there was a waterslide I knew my kids would be all about that!
General Information About the Hyatt Regency Orlando
They Hyatt Regency Orlando is a family friendly resort that will have you close to all of the iconic Orlando theme parks and entertainment. If you look at the map below you can see that it splits the difference between Universal Studios and Disney World and that Sea World is also a short drive away.
You’ll also find plenty to do here if you’re just looking for a place to rest for a few days. At the hotel you’ll find two pools, a water slide & waterfall, a full-service spa & salon, 24-hour StayFit Gym, and 7 dining & lounge options. They Hyatt Regency Orlando is about a 18 minute drive from the Orlando International Airport, a 10 minute drive to Universal, a 16 minute drive to Disney World, and 6 minute drive to Sea World. The hotel has 2 towers with a total of 1,641 guest rooms, all newly restyled with Hyatt Euro Pillowtop beds.
How to Book the Hyatt Regency Orlando with Points
We reserved our rooms through the World of Hyatt website and paid with points earned from our Chase credit cards and World of Hyatt credit card. The standard rate for rooms at the Hyatt Regency Orlando is 12,000 points per night while the cash rate is somewhere around $239+taxes and fees (depending on the date) plus a $27 per night parking charge and a $30 per day resort fee. What’s great about booking with points is that you will not pay a resort fee on award stays and if you have Globalist status you will not have to pay for parking either!
If you want to start accumulating points for free travel I always recommend starting with Chase Ultimate Rewards. My favorite card to start with is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because of its low annual fee and ability to transfer points to travel partners like Hyatt (my personal fav!). Plus the sign up bonus would get you 5 free nights at the Hyatt Regency Orlando! Not a bad way to eliminate one huge expense of an Orlando vacation!
The World of Hyatt Card doesn’t have a very impressive offer right now, but I still think it’s worth it for the free night each year!
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Since offers change so frequently, visit my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card link for the current welcome offer!
- $50 hotel credit
- 5X on Chase Travel℠, 3X on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs) and 3X points on dining
- $95 annual fee
World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Visit my Best Offers page for the current welcome offer
- 1 free night each year at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
- 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- $95 annual fee
You can read about how we got started in points and miles in this post and see which cards we opened first!
Hyatt Regency Orlando Rooms
Hyatt Regency 1 Bedroom King Suite
As I mentioned we booked 2 nights in a standard double Queen room for 12,000 points a night. Because of my husband’s Hyatt Globalist status we were upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite with a King bed and pullout couch. My parents were in a connecting double Queen room so it ended up being a great layout for an extended family traveling together.
One of my favorite features of the 1 bedroom suite was the floor to ceiling windows in both the living area and bedroom. We were on the 24th floor so the views were pretty amazing. We were even able to watch fireworks at Sea World and Epcot from our room at night.
The living area has a television, dresser and attached desk, 2 arm chairs, and a sofa bed. There is also a balcony that is accessed through the living room that we checked out for a brief moment until my fear of heights kicked in and I quickly shuffled everyone back inside.
The bedroom has a second television, a dresser, and 2 night stands with more storage space. I wish I had thought to open the curtains in the photo below so you could see the amazing views from the corner room! I found the bed to be very comfortable with plenty of pillows to choose from.
The feature that always gets me is the night light under the nightstand that turns on when it senses motion. Call me easily impressed, but for someone who gets up frequently at night to use the bathroom and doesn’t want to disturb sleeping children, it’s pretty great. And yes, I will be trying to recreate it at home.
One thing I would have changed about the design of this room is the access to the bathroom. The bathroom is accessed through the living area and if you’re sharing that space with a connecting room you just might need to be careful about walking out of the shower on the way to get dressed in the bedroom.
But besides that I found the bathroom to be spacious with plenty of extra counter space. I liked having the extra ledge and mirrors to the right of the sink to put my makeup and curling iron on while my family was using the sink area. There is also a tv in the mirror to watch while you get ready in the morning… another one of those unnecessary but awesome features.
Outside of the bathroom there is a mini fridge and coffee area. Our refrigerator came stocked with water bottles. Since we were headed to Universal the next day it was nice having a water bottle for everyone to bring and refill throughout the day.
To the left of the coffee area is an average sized coat closest with a luggage rack.
Hyatt Regency Orlando Pool
One of the features that drew us to this hotel was the pool. There are 2 pools, a water slide, waterfall, splash pad, and separate kiddie pool area as well as cabanas available for rent.
Hyatt Regency Orlando Water Slide
The water slide empties into its own pool and there is a lifeguard manning the tower during open hours. You must be 48″ or taller to ride and I believe the slide closes around 6 pm.
The zero entry pool area is a great place for families with small children to play. Right behind this is a gated kiddy pool and splash area as well.
There is no shortage of available swimming space at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. We started at the water slide since it was closing soon, then moved to the big pool. Then my kids and my husband swam in the second pool with the waterfalls while I spent some time in the hot tub a few feet away.
Cabana Rentals
If you’re looking for a way to escape the sun while enjoying the pool, you can rent a poolside cabana for a full or ½ day. Cabanas include two chaise loungers, a couch, TV, small refrigerator, ceiling fan, secured storage and a $25 food voucher. To reserve a cabana during your stay visit this site.
Tip: If you are local and want to take advantage of the resorts outdoor facilities, you can actually purchase a day pass from ResortPass.com starting at $25 for adults and $10 for children (weekends are more). Cabanas are available for rent on this site as well! We actually ran into local friends while we were there that had family in town and rented a cabana to spend the day enjoying the pool.
Hyatt Regency Orlando Restaurants
B-Line Diner
Our family ate 2 meals at the B-Line Diner during our stay. We enjoyed our food and found the prices to be reasonable for a hotel restaurant. We were given a 20% off coupon at check-in for Hyatt Discoverists, Explorists, and Globalists for all food purchased in the hotel so that made the prices even better! I’m not sure if this is something they hand out all the time but it would be worth asking about at the front desk as we were able to use it several times during our stay.
Since the club level of the hotel was still closed due to the pandemic, we were told that we could order breakfast at the B-Line Diner as part of our Globalist free breakfast perk. Just know that the diner does not open until 7 am but you can still get breakfast earlier at the Market, charge it to your room, and the charges will be removed at checkout.
The B-Line Diner is open from 7am – 10pm.
B-Line Diner Menus:
Even if you don’t eat here you have to at least grab a dessert to go from their impressive display out front!
24 Hour Market
We really appreciated that the Hyatt Regency Orlando had food options available 24 hours a day. We grabbed dinner here after a late night at the parks and picked up breakfast as early as 5:45 am one day before we headed out for an early arrival at Universal.
The Market offers grab-and-go options like salads, yogurt parfaits, breakfast sandwiches, pastries and pizzas as well as dinners like salmon with vegetables and pasta with meatballs. You can also get Starbucks coffee drinks like cold brews, lattes, and cappuccinos. View the Market’s full menu here. The same menu is also available for in-room dining.
As I mentioned, Globalists will order breakfast here if the diner has not yet opened for the day. We were told that we could order pretty much anything we wanted from the Market and it would be removed from our bill. Thankfully, that went smoothly and we had no issues with breakfast charges on our bill at checkout.
Tip: If you will be taking advantage of your Globalist breakfast benefits here, grab yourself a bottle of water and a snack for each person to take with you and refill the water bottle throughout the day. Bottled water goes for at least $3 a bottle at Universal (we paid $5 for a Harry Potter themed bottle!!) and you can refill water bottles for free at the Coke Freestyle machines throughout the park.
Coconuts Poolside Bar and Grill
If you want to grab a bite to eat or a cocktail while relaxing poolside, the hotel has a poolside bar and grill open from 11 am until dusk. We arrived around 5 pm in December and they were already closing up so if you have a late arrival plan on getting food elsewhere.
Coconuts Poolside Bar and Grill Menu
Fiorenzo
Fiorenzo is an Italian Steakhouse located on the Atrium level of the hotel that features a variety of steaks and brick oven speciality pizzas. While the menu looked great, it wasn’t the kind of place where you take tired children who have been over stimulated by a theme park all day. But I could see it being a nice place to have dinner if it was just me and my husband.
It is open from 6pm – 10pm.
Getting to Orlando Theme Parks from the Hyatt Regency Orlando
Unfortunately, there is no shuttle service from the Hyatt Regency Orlando to any of the theme parks. So you’ll either have to budget for Uber/Lyft rides or for parking at both the hotel and the parks.
Final Thoughts on the Hyatt Regency Orlando
Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stay! We thought the service was excellent and that the staff went out of their way to recognize our Hyatt status. I also think the nightly rate is very reasonable for the area and for what is offered at the resort. Of course if you are paying with points it’s an even better deal and an excellent use of 12,000 Hyatt points per night!
For more points and miles tips be sure to follow me on instagram at @vacation_pointers!
More on Our Family’s Free Travels
- Hyatt Andaz Costa Rica Review
- How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass
- Costa Rica with Kids: A 10 Day Itinerary
- Points and Miles for Beginners: How to Take Your Family on Vacation for Free
- 5 Reasons Travel with Young Kids is Worth the Headache
- How to Survive Airport Security With Kids
- Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana Review
Pin this for later!
