Best Western Plus Universal Inn

The Best Western Plus Universal Inn is situated inside a stucco building painted yellow, orange, and red. Families with kids flock to the property, which is surrounded by small, manicured lawns with tall palm trees and lovely, colorful flower patches. The lobby is what one might expect of the chain, with a seating area comprising somewhat dated, reddish- and brown-patterned chairs and a couch atop a faded brown rug. Guests can purchase tickets to Disney theme parks in the lobby; displays of park brochures and a ticket desk are easy to find on entrance through sliding glass doors. The free breakfast is served in a small room with gray tile floors and cramped wood laminate tables -- the space sees a lot of foot traffic, so many guests opt to bring their food back to their rooms. There’s an outdoor pool area with a few exotic potted plants, and inside is a fitness center with a mirrored wall and tightly spaced equipment. 

The Best Western Plus Universal Inn is well-situated for tourists, within a 15-minute walk of Universal Studios and a short drive from other area theme parks. There are a pharmacy and several restaurants in the immediate area, including fast food, a brew pub, and a Japanese steakhouse. Disney World and Sea World are within a 15-minute drive, and the hotel provides a free shuttle to those attractions twice in the morning and twice in the evening. The hotel is also about a 10-minute drive from the Orange County Convention Center. 

Rooms are decorated in a typical chain hotel style, with brown carpeting, pale yellow and clay-colored walls, muted red curtains, and crisp white bedding with gold accents. The dark wooden headboards and clean-lined bedside lamps add a bit of modern appeal, but the overall look is somewhat tired. All rooms have microwaves, mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs with cable satellite, coffee/tea facilities, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms have granite counters and brown tile floors, with long mirrors and shower/tub combos. Guests recommend getting a room away from the elevators to avoid noise. Some rooms can feel dark, even with the curtains drawn. 

The hotel has an outdoor pool with pretty green surroundings, and there’s a small fitness center with a few machines including a treadmill. The free breakfast includes cereal, pastries, waffles, and hot items like eggs and meat. Parking is free in the large on-site lot, and the hotel provides a free shuttle service to nearby theme parks four times daily. The business center has two computers and two printers. The hotel also has vending and laundry machines. Disney tickets are sold at guest services. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.