We’re learning so much about Universal’s Epic Universe park and its neighboring hotels during its massive construction. We’re eagerly anticipating a closer look at what’s to come with Universal Orlando opening an Epic Universe preview center soon that will feature a scaled model of the park and augmented reality that can be worked right from your mobile device.
But while there’s already been tons of information released about Epic Universe’s park, Universal seems to be more coy on the details of its newest hotels, specifically the Universal Helios Grand Hotel.
The Universal Helios Grand Hotel is currently under construction along with the rest of Epic Universe’s theme park and hotels near Universal Studios Orlando.
We’ve already caught our first glimpse of this massive hotel from afar but there’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye! While not much has been shared so far about the hotel’s rooms, its pricing, and even when it will be ready to welcome its first visitors, there are a few key details that have already been shared. Let’s take a deeper dive into each of them now!
©Universal
We already know this place is going to be gorgeous, but what little Universal has put out in the description of the hotel sounds like a dream. It’s described as having “beautiful details of celestial patterns and constellations (that) adorn the hotel with an elegant Mediterranean-inspired feel.” Ok, seriously… um, wow!
Similar to other major theme parks, this hotel will have an in-park entrance. While Universal has yet to have a true in-park entrance, the closest we’ve seen until this point was a short walk between the Hard Rock Hotel to Universal Studios and the nearby entrance to Volcano Bay from Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
While the convenience factor certainly shot up with this single detail, we’re willing to bet the price tag for a stay here will also reflect a hike, as hotel guests will have their own dedicated entrance into Epic Universe.
Universal seems to be keeping us in the dark for now with releasing more details about the hotel’s look inside, we do know one thing about the rooms here. Universal Helios Grand Hotel is slated to hold 500 “luxurious” rooms for its guests.
If you find yourself having a hard time pronouncing its name, that’s because it’s quite literally another language than English — Greek, actually! This hotel is named after the Greek god of the sun by the same name, Helios. According to Britannica, as early as the 5th century BCE, he was regarded as the chief god and drove a chariot across the sky.
We’re also willing to bet that we’ll see a lot of this influence in the construction and design of the interior of the hotel and its rooms, and it’s probably the reason we’re seeing so many shiny gold details on the outside construction, too!
Like many of the Universal hotels, we’re anticipating this hotel to be included in the lineup of Loews Hotels. If you’re not familiar with Loews Hotels as a company, you’re probably more familiar with them added into the individual names of the hotels like Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.
This hasn’t been confirmed just yet but we’re also expecting this new Universal hotel to follow in the footsteps of Universal’s typical hotel perks. These perks usually include early park entry before regular day ticket holders can enter, and (depending on the price and hotel category that’s yet to be announced) should Universal classify this hotel as a premier resort, we could also see included Express Passes for everyone staying in the hotel room which would also include both your check-in and check-out days with valid park admission.
But we’ve also not talked about the fact that it’s not the ONLY new hotel Universal Orlando is currently building. Sure, Universal Helios Grand Hotel sounds like it will be a great addition to the hotel options already in place, but it won’t be your ONLY option in such close proximity to Epic Universe.
Sister hotels, Universal Stella Nova Resort and Terra Luna Resort will be situated nearby at the front entranceway to the new park giving Universal’s visitors plenty of options to explore when deciding where to stay for their visit. These resorts look like they’ll be almost mirror images of each other’s hotels which Universal already did (and executed fairly successfully) with its Universal’s Endless Summer Resorts in both Dockside & Surfside Inn and Suites. These will open on January 21st, 2025, and February 25th, 2025 respectively.
This hotel really does mark the first-of-its-kind for Universal Orlando’s hotels and we’re excited to see more information released about it soon — including an opening date!
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UPDATE: Universal’s Epic Universe Reveals Name Change for NEW Coaster
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Which of Universal Orlando’s newest hotels are you planning to stay at first? Tell us which is your pick and back up your answer in the comments below!
It should have been Luigi’s mansion hotel
Compare Universals massive investment into enhancing their guest experiences to Disneys Penny pinching. 10 years of turmoil at Epcot for a glitchy Moana attraction and a couple minimally themed shops, versus 5 years to build a gigantic all new theme park and three luxury on site hotels. It’s clear who is taking their guests for granted versus who is really competing for hard earned tourist dollars. Disney better up their lackluster efforts rather than constantly upping their ridiculously high prices. Consider spending some or all of your next vacation at Universal instead of Disney. That might wake up the woke accountants currently in charge at Disney.
When will the rooms become available to start booking to be some of the first people to stay in the hotel?