My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.
- Highlights
- Lobby
- Room
- Hotel Space / Ambiance
- Food & Drink
- Fitness
- Miscellaneous
Highlights: Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive
At the Four Points, I got basically what I expected. Decent service, food, quality, everything. Nothing in particular stood out, except for the Timeshare stand left of the check in. The Four Points had a nice pool, and it is located on International Drive, very close to Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and the convention center. It serves its purpose adequately, as Four Points hotels do. The shuttle service to Universal Studios and other attractions is a decent amenity, despite the fact it make several stops at other hotels.
Lobby
We arrived in the evening, and found there to be no Gold/Platinum check in desk. A Sheraton associate informed me that because the Four Points is an older property, it does not have such refinements. The check in agent was very helpful, giving me one (and later two) drink tickets, in addition to the Platinum breakfast vouchers. Directly to the left of the check in desk is a reception area for Universal Studios, where you can purchase park tickets, in addition to a Sheraton Vistana timeshare desk. More on that in my next article. To the right of checkin is a hallway to the elevators, pool, and fitness center. Further to the right is a lounge area and business center, with a hallway that leads to the restaurant.
Room
Having been upgraded to a large king room, we had more than enough space for our needs. I’m getting used to these Platinum upgrades – and will hate to lose them. Very interesting checkered design in the bathroom floor. Large comfortable king bed, with a microwave, refrigerator, and a small sink directly next to the bed. We arrived late and spent the next day entirely at Universal Studios, so we did not spend much time in the room.
Hotel Space / Ambiance
Clearly, it caters to families – being directly located right next to Universal Studios (although it is still a 20-30 minute walk). We saw many small children in various states of cosplay and costume, with tired looking parents arms full of merchandise. Additionally, we saw several tour groups in the lobby / restaurant. However, they also have a decently sized pool and pool bar, perhaps to cater to those tired parents.
Food & Drink
Breakfast was decent the first day – with a fresh eggs/omelette station, an interesting and tasty croissant option, and smoked salmon. However, I was severely disappointed during the weekday, where the fresh station is closed, and the offerings were limited (no more salmon, good croissant, crustinis). I learned upon leaving you had to special order eggs, omlettes, etc., with the hostess. However, if you don’t inform the patrons, how will they know?
Everything else at breakfast looked quite sad and should be avoided.
For drinks, we had some beer and wine at the Pool Bar after Universal Studios. They have a very interesting local brew, which is much too hoppy and has a weird aftertaste.
Fitness
We checked out the pool – which was outdoor and looked decent for a hotel of this size. We did not see the fitness center as we did all our fitness walking many, many steps in Universal.
Miscellaneous
The Sheraton timeshare desk is an excellent touch – however the discounts are not nearly as large as I would expect (~$100 off two tickets). In addition, you need to see if you can spare two to two and a half hours for a presentation. Tickets on the Universal website should be the cheapest.
Note their shuttle stops at several hotels before going to Universal. It could be faster just walking, or taking an Uber/Lyft. Universal’s regulations say that only Uber Select can pick up at Universal – so take a cheaper Lyft instead.
All in all, the Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive fulfilled mediocre expectations, and I would stay here again based on the price alone. The cost of me generating points is (nearly) 0! Stay at Universal’s doorstep for just 7,000 points for two nights? (Category 2, 4,000/weekday, 3,000/weekend) Can’t argue with that. Also, make a Green Choice and get an additional 250 points per night.
Featured Image of our bed in the large room.
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