Just a quick note on my stay at Royal Pacific, from January 29-February 1.
There are so many informative posts about the hotel, I'm going to focus mine on the features of a Hospitality Parlor Suite as compared to a DVC suite at Disney World. (I stayed at Riviera in a 1 bedroom in September 2021.) I know this is an apples to oranges comparison. However -- if someone (like me) wants to stay on property at Universal, at a hotel with the unlimited Express Pass benefit, AND be in a room that offers some space and kitchen facilities, and you want to compare that to what a similar option would be at Disney, I think this is a reasonable comparison to help understand what you will and won't get in the Parlor Suite.
I'll give you my conclusion now, in case you find this to be TL/DR: I liked Royal Pacific and would definitely consider staying there again. Depending on the price, I would also consider the Hospitality Parlor suite again, and I think it would be a better experience because I would know what to expect and would be prepared for it.
As always, your mileage may vary.
The Hospitality Parlor Suite I stayed in was in Tower 3 on the 3rd floor. It did not include access to the Club. The location was fine. My only quibble was that you could hear everything going on in the hallway through the door. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of traffic down the hall.
The suite is made up of a parlor (with a large sectional sofa and a big square table with chairs that seats 10 or so people.) There is a small kitchen area (more on this in a minute). The parlor also has its own full bath. It connects with a bedroom, in my case, one with 2 queen beds and a bath. A second bedroom can be connected on the other side of the parlor.
Now I'll start with the comparison. Again, I recognize that the comparison won't be exact and it may not even be fair. Riviera is a much newer property than RP and was purpose built to provide apartment like accommodations. But I do think the comparison is somewhat helpful, so here I go.
RP Parlor v. Riviera DVC living area: Riviera's living area is much smaller than the Hospitality Parlor. I thought the seating area was much more comfortable in the Parlor. The dining table in the Parlor, however, is not comfortable. It was huge --reflecting the fact that it probably was designed to be used as a place to host small meetings and receptions. Riviera was designed as an apartment, and the dining area was much more manageable (and you didn't feel like you were at a party where no one else showed up).
RP Parlor Suite Bathrooms v. Riviera DVC Bathroom: Having 2 full baths in the Parlor Suite was nice. Both were on the small side, but were just fine. The Riviera 1 bedroom has only 1 bathroom, although it's much larger than the bathrooms at RP and has a separate deep soaking tub. (The size of the bathrooms may be the place RP shows its age the most.)
RP Parlor Suite Kitchen v. Rivera DVC Kitchen: No contest here -- Riviera all the way. It really comes down to what I said before: Riviera is designed as an apartment you could live in while the Parlor Suite is a place where people can meet or be entertained. The Riviera has a dishwasher; cook top; microwave; full sink; full refrigerator; all pots, pans, dishes, glasses, cutlery; and diswasher detergent, dish soap for hand washing, sponge, paper towel, etc. The Parlor Suite kitchen is pretty bare -- full refrigerator, microwave, a very small sink and some dishes/glasses/cutlery. There is no dish soap, sponge or paper towels. (I ended up having Shipt deliver those things.)
RP Parlor Suite Bedroom v. Riviera DVC Bedroom: The bedrooms were about the same size although the bedroom at the Riviera only had 1 king bed. For the Universal trip, I needed 2 beds, so the Parlor Suite worked well. Beds were comfortable in both places and the rooms were fine. The RP Parlor Suite bedroom was beginning to show signs of wear and tear, but they were pretty slight -- and it's definitely not fair to compare this to the much newer Riviera.
My biggest quibble at RP was housekeeping. I know others on this board have had nothing but stellar housekeeping service recently at RP. Mine wasn't stellar -- not awful, but not what it should be for a room at this price point in a hotel that bills itself as high end. I was prepared to cut RP some slack if they were still having a housekeeper shortage or other COVID related issues, but if so, it was never mentioned that housekeeping would be more limited. Here's what I experienced. Arrived Saturday. In the parks all day on Sunday -- when we returned to the room, towels were replaced in both bathrooms and that's all. The sheets and blankets on the beds were just pulled up (very sloppily). No trash was emptied. Nothing straightened in the seating area. We had left a couple of glasses and 2 small plates in the sink because there was nothing to wash them with--and they were still there. (This prompted the aforementioned Shipt order so that I could do it myself.) Monday, we go back out to the parks. When we return, again towels had been replaced (along with some -- but not all -- of the used shampoo, body wash, etc.). This time, the beds were neatly made. I don't know if they were stripped and changed, but that didn't matter to me for this short stay. I just wanted them to be made up. Again, glasses and a couple of plates left unwashed. Again, no trash emptied. It was a really odd mix of things done and not done. (Yes, I communicated this in my survey reply to RP.)
So there you have it. The Parlor Suite isn't a perfect solution for those who want a bit more space with the option to prepare food and eat in, but it can get the job done (if the price is right). Hope this is helpful and I'm happy to answer any questions, if I can.
