Quality Inn & Suites Winter Park Village Area

Quality Inn & Suites Winter Park Village Area is a simple five-story budget hotel located just off the 4 freeway. The hotel attracts a smattering of visitors including people passing through town to visit family and tourists wanting a cheaper alternative to the pricier hotels in the nearby city center. It's housed in a pale-yellow building at the back of a large parking lot that looks typical of a mid-range chain hotel, but the interiors fall short of this image, with a dark open-plan lobby with a breakfast area off to one side and a flat-screen TV airing the news. Note that during our visit, the lights were mostly off in the lobby and the hotel seemed to be in a state of disrepair due to damage caused by 2017's Hurricane Irma. There was a fair amount of renovation work taking place and many of the rooms and corridors were getting new carpets. 

As the name suggests, this Quality Inn is located in the Winter Park area of Orlando. There's not a lot going on in this area for tourists -- mostly strip malls and chain restaurants -- but the location is convenient to downtown Orlando and its Amway Center, about a 10-minute drive south of the hotel on the I-4. It's a bit far to be used as a base for the theme parks; Universal Island's of Adventure and Universal Studios take 15 minutes to reach by car without traffic. Factor in at least 25 minutes to get to SeaWorld and upwards of a half-hour for the theme parks at Disney World. The Orange County Convention Center is a 25-minute drive south of the hotel. The airport is a half-hour drive away, and it takes at least an hour to get to Cape Canaveral or the Kennedy Space Center by car.

Rooms here have the typically dated and uninspired look and feel of a budget motel with dark printed carpets, wood-finish tables and chairs, and minimal decorations in the form of the odd framed floral print. They're also a little on the dark side, with just one medium-sized window, though soft lighting and beige accent walls create some warmth. Guests can choose from rooms with king bed or two queen beds topped with grass-green bedspreads. Standard amenities include flat-screen TVs, microwaves, mini-fridges, and small coffeemakers. Some of the King Rooms have large whirlpool hot tubs in the living areas, while King Suites add sofas but are still laid out studio style. Smoking and non-smoking rooms are available, as are accessible units. 

This hotel has decent amenities for a budget property, including an outdoor pool and a few lounge chairs that gets lots of sunshine. There's a fitness center in a small carpeted rooms featuring a treadmill, an exercise bike, and a cross-training machine. The hotel also offers coin-operated laundry facilities, a free hot and cold buffet breakfast with waffle irons, and free parking and hotel-wide Wi-Fi. Other features include free newspapers for guests who want them (on weekdays only) and though rooms lack safes, there is a safe-deposit box at the front desk. Note that pets are not allowed here.