Step inside Epic Universe’s new hotels before checking in
USA TODAY’s Eve Chen toured Universal Orlando Resort’s three new hotels, right by Epic Universe.
ORLANDO, Fla. – If money were no object, there’d be no question about where to stay while visiting Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park.
Hands down, it would be Universal Helios Grand Hotel because it’s connected to the park and has an exclusive entrance.
“You can … almost literally roll out of bed and into the theme park,” Dennis Quinn, senior vice president of Hotel Commercial Strategy at Universal Orlando Resort, told USA TODAY. “It just brings a whole new level to the guest immersion into our entertainment environment.”
The location not only puts guests at a huge advantage for being among the first to enter Epic Universe each morning, but also for midday breaks, when they can saunter back to their rooms or hotel pool to recharge.
“It’s not like you have to have a dedicated pool day,” he added. “You could hop in and out on any given day.”
Alas for most travelers, money matters, and Helios Grand is one of the priciest hotels at Universal Orlando Resort.
Starting prices vary widely depending on factors like time of year, length of stay and available promotions. Prospective guests can find pricing for their specific travel dates on Universal’s website.
With 11 hotels and 11,000 rooms on property, co-owned by Universal and Loews, there’s something for every budget. And some hotels have arguably better perks.
Here’s what you should know before booking an Epic Universe vacation.
What hotels can you walk to Epic Universe from?
Three hotels are within walking distance of Epic Universe. Helios Grand is adjacent. Universal Stella Nova sits across the street from the park, about a 12-minute walk away. Its twin, Universal Terra Luna, is further, diagonal from the park.
All three hotels opened this year and were inspired by Celestial Park, the heart of Epic Universe.
“With Stella and Terra, we liked the celestial aspect of Celestial Park within Epic Universe, so we took that field and tried to not capture space travel but tried to capture the aura and wonder of space,” explained Russ Dagon, senior vice president of Resort Development, Universal Creative. He said the same creatives who worked on the park drew early concept art for Stella Nova and Terra Luna.
For Helios Grand, he said, they leaned into the look of historic world’s fairs, which also influenced the architecture of Celestial Park.
“We knew when we were designing this hotel that this would be the backdrop to virtually every picture taken within the park, so it’s highly integrated,” he said.
Most of Universal’s other hotels are not walkable from Epic, located on an entirely different campus along with Universal’s two other theme parks, Volcano Bay water park and CityWalk dining and entertainment complex. CityWalk’s transportation hub is about 15 minutes away from Epic Universe by resort shuttle.
Universal’s two Endless Summer hotels are exceptions. They’re not connected to either park campus or within easy walking distance, but located between them. On the plus side, their rooms and suites are generally the cheapest at Universal.
Free transportation is provided between Universal hotels and parks, but guests will want to consider where they plan to spend most of their vacation when choosing where to stay.
What is the difference between Stella Nova and Terra Luna?
These sleek, space-themed hotels are very similar, but there are a few slight differences.
Outside, both are paneled in shiny, multicolored tiles, but Stella Nova’s tiles extend all the way to the ground near its front entrance, while Terra Luna’s do not.
On the inside, they’re mirror images, with Stella Nova’s cafe and quick-service dining venue to the left side of its lobby, when entering from the front, and Terra Nova’s to the right. The venues are also designed differently and have different menus.
The predominant color in both hotels is white, but as their names imply, Stella Nova is accented with cooler tones and starry vibes while Terra Nova has warmer, more terrestrial theming.
By and large, their spacious two-queen guest rooms look the same, but they have different artwork.
Both hotels have a lobby bar and pool bar, gym, game room, hot tub and expansive pool with ample lounge seats.
For families with young children, Stella Nova also has a splash pad. Terra Luna does not, but its pool offers zero-depth entry, unlike Stella Nova’s.
What are the benefits of staying at the Universal Helios Grand Hotel?
Aside from its unparalleled proximity to Epic Universe and exclusive park entrance, Helios Grand is a beautiful hotel.
“One of our biggest challenges – and I think we did a great job of addressing this – was making it rich, making it sophisticated and making it approachable all at the same time,” Dagon said. “We’ve all been in hotels where you felt it was too fancy for you … It’s all still very, very comfortable.”
Half of the hotel faces the park, offering spectacular views that can be seen from its top-floor bar, Bar Helios, and guest rooms where curtains automatically open and close on demand.
Like any Universal Orlando hotel, guests staying there enjoy early entry to select parks each day with paid admission, free resort transportation, free delivery of in-park purchases back to their hotel, room charging privileges – and the feeling of staying inside the Universal bubble.
“That’s the big part of it, feeling like you’re not really leaving the resort grounds, the fact that it’s a continuous vacation experience,” Quinn said.
One big difference, however, from other Universal hotels at similar price points is Helios Grand guests do not get free Universal Express Unlimited passes to cut waits at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. Those passes typically cost between $149.99 and $349.99 per person, per day, but they’re free with stays at Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort.
Travelers planning to visit Universal’s other theme parks should consider if the perks of staying at Helios Grand outweigh the opportunity cost of the Universal Express passes and time saved in line. (Free Express passes can’t be used at Epic Universe.)
Alternately guests could split their stay between hotels for the best of both worlds.
“None of our hotels are designed to be all things to all people, and because of that, you can create a unique stay at each property and you can find something for everyone,” Dagon said.
The reporter on this story received access from Universal. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
