Hyatt Place Orlando / I-Drive / Convention Center — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

I cannot recommend this place highly enough! There’s plenty of hotels in Orlando that used to be posh and are now crumbling apart at the seams but this Hyatt Place here is the exact opposite as they’ve done a stellar job with their recent renovation. Now finished, the property looks and feels like one of the newer Hyatt Places out there and the staff is just so lovely, I could not fail them!

My stay went off to a good start when I was offered an early check in free of charge as a Hyatt Globalist member. Arriving just shortly past noon all the way from Dubai, my room was not quite ready but the lovely check in lady assured me that I’d receive the first available. She also acknowledged my Hyatt Globalist status and proactively offered me daily housekeeping and 4pm late check out.

Speaking of- I received my room only about 10 minutes after arriving and it was only on a lower floor which is a bit of a shame but hey, I arrived 3 hours before usual check in so no complaints. Other than that, the staff made me feel truly special and said check in lady made a real effort to greet me by name (and it’s a rather complicated name for an English speaker so she did particularly well!) every single time she saw me which I found just phenomenal! We’re talking Hyatt Place here, most Park Hyatts don’t manage (or bother) to do this!

The room was larger than I was expecting with a very generous sofa area, a small but welcome work desk and even a small kitchenette area with fridge, coffee maker and microwave even. I did not need the latter but it will be quite useful for some people I can imagine! Bathroom was okay enough and I was pleased that it was a walk in shower rather one of those awful showers over a bathtub that you get far too often in similar hotels here in the US (in the worst cases equipped with a mildly sticky plastic shower curtain- yikes!). Nothing of this here and you could tell throughout that the renovation was just recent and very thorough: New faux wooden floor boards? Tick. New carpets? Tick. Bathroom sink? Air con? All new. The bed was a bit too soft and plastic-y for my liking but not the worst I’ve ever had and again, I am lowering my expectations as this is just a Hyatt Place. My very favourite thing of the entire property though was the little swimming pool out the back as it had proper, refreshing cold water which is such a rarity here in North America. It was zero heated, just the way I like it.

Any real complaints? Breakfast was a bit too early finishing at 9 on weekdays and generally tasteless but at least they swapped around the variety of items- one day it was sausage links that will cover your sodium intake for the entire week in one go, the next day it was bland and soggy Canadian bacon. Sweet option one day was French toast and then the next pancakes. So again, good enough for a place of this category and to my surprise the coffee (given it’s American drip filter, granted) was rather strong and tasty instead of the watery “unlimited” stuff you’d get at your IHOP or similar.

Finally: Location. Ideal for Universal or Seaworld and the Orlando Icon with all the associated attractions is just a 5 minute walk up the road. Plenty of dinner options, there’s a Denny’s just across the parking lot but then also plenty of non-chain restaurants which I did not try but there was an Italian, steakhouse and a Mexican all in immediate proximity and probably plenty of others as well. The location will be particularly convenient for the new Universal park opening next year which is literally just down the road. Not quite walking distance but one thing I‘ve learnt with Orlando is that you really don’t need a car as Lyfts and Ubers are both easily available and affordable...

Orlando has no shortage of hotels, and the competition is fierce yet this hotel stands out among its peers. I have stayed here several times and have always had a great experience.

The hotel is organized and well run. The staff and front desk associates are kind and helpful. They are pleased to answer questions guests have, and they go the extra mile to try and assist guests with their needs. I have always been well received and promptly helped here.

The hotel is very clean and tidy in the common areas, and individual rooms are also very clean. This has been the case each time I have visited this property.

The rooms have the essentials and then some. The rooms in which I've stayed have had a comfortable sofa with a pull out mattress, a primary mattress which has a medium firmness (a good middle ground for people) with a pillow top, a good amount of lighting, a refrigerator, microwave and sink, flat screen TV, alarm clock with USB connections to charge devices, and a separate sink area located outside of the bathroom. The shower has an adjustable shower head so you can vary the spray pattern, and the bathroom has premium shampoo/soap/conditioner. The room also contains a safe, iron/ironing board, and some hangers. WIFI has good coverage and speed. The room checks all of the boxes.

Breakfast is another area in which this hotel excels. The available breakfast showcases a number a tasty options. Sometimes the meats rotate or flour-based options rotate, but each day will have scrambled eggs, some type of meat, some type of flour-based food, breads, coffee, juices, etc. I have observed food such as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, steel-cut oatmeal, quiche, bagels, waffles, pancakes, french toast pieces, oat milk, 2%, skim milk, half/half etc... though just remember that my list may not be all exhaustive, and as previously mentioned, meats/flour based dishes rotate daily. The food is of good quality and items are replenished quickly. Staff is friendly and attentive at making sure breakfast runs smoothly and that the common areas are kept clean. If you see something is missing or in need of a refill (like a coffee dispenser for example,) of course you are welcome to speak with an associate. They are happy to help!

The gym is yet another area where this hotel punches above its weight. It features peloton bikes, a cable-crossover weight machine, elliptical machine, tread mills, a seated-row machine, and a weight bench with free weights. I have seen hotels costing two or three times as much as this one without the type of gym this hotel has. The gym is also kept clean and tidy. You will be able to have a good workout here.

The location of this hotel near International Drive is convenient to access many things in Orlando.

This hotel deserves serious consideration for your next stay in Orlando. It is best in class and is run better than hotels costing double or triple. It is a good value, and you will have a great experience. People and process make this hotel successful. Hyatt Place I Drive Orlando has been consistently good whenever I have stayed and delivers a peerless experience. This is my #1 choice whenever I go to Orlando, and it should...

We arrived early to the hotel (around 7 am) and while I knew we couldn't check in that early (even as a Globalist), I asked when was the earliest we could check in. Front desk told me it will be at 8:30 AM. I was delighted and so we waited until then and decided not to go anywhere else since it was only about an hour of waiting (and we were really tired and with a baby). Otherwise, we would've gone somewhere else or drove around instead of wasting our time at the hotel just waiting in the lobby.

So, 8:30 am comes and we get told that they're working on cleaning the room and it should be soon. 9:00 am we ask again, we get told "they're making sure everything is ready in the room." So we keep waiting and so on, until 10:40 AM which was the time we finally got the card to our hotel room.

I don't expect to be checked in early (even as a Globalist), but if you're going to tell me that "we can check you in early at 8:30 am" then I expect you to stick to it, and not keep pushing the time for more than 2.5 hours later. Don't get me wrong, the staff was nice, but pulling this stunt left a really bad taste in our mouths.

Then, when trying to sleep at night, we find out that the heater isn't working in the room. We told them and it took 1.5 days to get it fixed, while having a baby with us who needed the room to be warm. It was in the lower 50s outside and really cold for a baby.

This was one of the worst experiences I had at a...