Help..amerisuites Universal

[galwayman]

Howya ,,,, new to the board...thanks for info
Quick Question.....has anybody stayed at the above hotel, are any one got anything good or bad to say about it,

would have loved to stay at the hard rock , ,,,just to expensive for 30th march-7 april....$100-150 is my budget,

My main focus is on the universal experience for the week, esp city walk for the night time entertainment...


please advise...thanks Neil

 

[suzysezso]

I stayed at the Amerisuites last July and I have one thing to say about it:
DON'T STAY THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously,first of all the term "suite" is a real misnomer here... they are actually standard sized rooms where they shove the 2 double beds close together and throw up a partition wall large enough for a loveseat, chair and small coffee table. There is a coffee maker, micro, sink and small fridge too, and the desk doubles as the dining table. Even so it would have been bearble because of the close location to the parks and a decent continental breakfast buffet (no other food service)
EXCEPT....

The first night the fire alarm when off at 3AM, false alarm and even the next day the front desk offered no explanation or apology. Okay, accidents happen...
Second night the toilet backed up and it took them 2 hours to send up a plunger.
Our fifth day there we arrived back from a long day at USO/IOA to find our room not only unlocked, but wide open. Apparently the maid flipped the metal bar open to hold the door while she took care of some other business but then she never came back to the room. Considering they allow local pizza places etc. to slip flyers under doors, Thank God no one else decided to visit!
I have a habit of doing a "last check" under beds and in drawers etc just before checking out of any hotel I stay at... checking under the loveseat I found a vodka bottle...
that was the last straw-
As I was checking out I let them know it was my worst experience in 10 years of visits to Orlando- at this point the desk clerk finally did apologize for any inconvienience and offered to take the 6th night off our bill...nice try but I will never stay there again and will actively discourage anyone else from doing so!
There are at least 6 other hotels on that same street, notably Holiday Inn which has a Friday's on premises. Don't rule out the onsites like HRH- they run lots of specials that really make it worthwile-
Good Luck

 

[tinaluis]

We stayed at the Amerisuites on International Drive (just a hop, skip and jump away from US/IOA) and loved it. We have three small girls (one being an infant) and we loved the convenience of the microwave, refrigerator, sink, etc. I agree that it's not a typical suite, having only a partition instead of a wall, but it was adequate for our needs. In fact, our kids loved sleeping on the sofabed. The deluxe continental breakfast was nice too. I got the room thru Priceline for $13/nt. plus $20/bonus (but the $20 bonus money isn't available anymore - it's $5/bonus now). I wouldn't pay full price to stay there (or anywhere else for that matter -- I'm spoiled by Priceline) but if you're willing to take a chance with Priceline and you know the rules, you might get the Amerisuites or another similarly suitable hotel. TravelSheryl has a board, www.biddingfortravel.com which has some great info. Be sure to read the FAQ'S before you attempt a bid and review of the the bids that others have gotten in the Orlando category. Good luck!

 

[suzysezso]

I am glad your amerisuites experience was better than mine.
At a price of 13 per night (I paid 79) I guess I might give a different Amerisuites a try but NEVER the Amerisuites Universal which was the one I stayed at and the original poster asked about. (That one is located on Caravan Court just off the Kirkman entrance to USO/IOA- be afraid- be very afraid!).
Besides I would say close to half of the hotels in Orlando are now "suite style" including a micro and fridge. On Caravan court alone there are several suite and regular hotels and all are walking distance to the parks, Holiday Inn being the closest.
I have checked into Priceline - I consider myself a gambler but to let THEM choose from an unknown list of hotels and make non-refundable reservations is just too scary for me- more power to ya! lol
Of course having now stayed at the HRH and having the luxury of Florida resident rates I doubt I will ever stay anywhere else again!

 

[galwayman]

thanks guys for responing to my request,
seems that there is mixed reviews,, might do better with my bucks elsewhere,
will check out holiday inn....????
oooooooooo so many maybes ...

thanks neil

 

[willydoit]

Hey galwayman,,,not so fast. My DW and I stayed at the Amerisuites on Caravan Ct. last June and had NO problems like suzy. Didn't use priceline, but they had an internet managers special for @39 dollars. Rooms were clean although not a true suite,,fridge, microwave, and coffemaker were nice to have. Pool was small but never crowded, service from the staff was fine. As a matter of fact I though they did a good enough job to merit a few extra bucks. They had a shuttle available but we found it much more convenient to take the car acoss Major Blvd and right into the parking garage. Parking for Citwalk is free at night and once you have a daily parking ticket you can get in and out all day if you like at no extra cost. I guess suzy, it's just the luck of the draw sometimes, we came out OK at the Amerisuites. Anyone else??

JW

 

[Kay1]

I like Amerisuites as a chain and have stayed at the one by Universal twice. I would certainly stay there again but we also like the Raddisson Twin Towers very much. I have to say, we stayed at Amerisuites Convention Center for Christmas and had some severe problems. Our reservations were messed up, then the second night the fire alarm went off at about one o'oclock, followed by a knock at the door and firemen with axes telling us to evacutate. Seven fire trucks came and we had to stand outside in the cold for about an hour until they decided the fire alarm just wasn't working. The alarm went off again the next night though no one made us leave. Then, when we left the next morning, part of the roof of the lobby had collapsed.

I can't help it, I still like Amerisuites, but we're trying Country Inn and Suites for my son's upcoming birthday.

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by Kay1
I would certainly stay there again but we also like the Raddisson Twin Towers very much. .

That Radisson is known as Radisson Universal now, the "Twin Towers" was dropped some time ago. I made the mistake of mentioning that name to them once and they QUICKLY corrected me....