We stayed at the Homewood Suites on American Way for 6 nights from the 27th March. We chose the hotel because it was a 2-room suite, with the 2-queen bed room separated from the sitting and kitchenette area, it was near Universal / Wet and Wild and it had very good reviews on Trip Advisor. We were pleased with our choice although the breakfasts became rather repetitive.
There are many good things about this hotel. The pool and hot tub were good sizes and never got very crowded, despite the hotel being full. The rooms were pleasant and had good kitchen facilities. The staff were pleasant and helpful, and the morning shuttle bus to Universal, Sea World etc was very convenient and swift.
The worst thing about the hotel was the lift. Although there were two lifts only one was convenient for 80% of the rooms and was busy and usually frustratingly slow in arriving. Despite being on the 5th floor (the top floor) we chose to walk down the 64 steps rather than wait for the lift after the first couple of days – and frequently walked up too. This would not be an option for some people.
We were put on a smoking floor although we’d asked for non-smoking but the staff were very good and fumigated the room twice for us to ensure it was acceptable.
We were dismayed on arrival to find a huge and unexpected building site next door to the hotel. However this gave us no problems (very liitle work was carried out during our stay) and it meant that there was a very open view from our rooms.
The internet room in the foyer was very useful. Coffee was available from a machine in the foyer 24/7. The managers evening “welcome” from 5 – 7 pm Mon – Thurs was useful when we returned tired and hungry from theme parks.
Wet and wild was within a 5 minute walk from the hotel (which we rated higher than Aquatica), and Universal was about 25 minutes walk. Taking the shuttle bus to Universal / Islands of Adventure (10 minutes in the bus) and then getting a taxi back ($6) was very successful for us. The shuttle bus to Sea World / Aquatica / Discovery Cove was equally successful (only around 20 mins maximum) but we then took the I-trolley back to the hotel (rather than wait for the shuttle at around 6pm) which took us over an hour – a long ride when you’re tired!
We weren’t very ambitious in our meals. Denny’s Diner was a big hit (especially the take-away banana splits!) and we enjoyed a meal at the friendly Red Lobster, both were only 5 minutes walk from the hotel.
The hotel was close to Prime Outlets, which was great and we had a couple of shopping trips.
We were pleased with our hotel choice and paid £89 per night.

This was our first visit to Orlando Universal. We arrived on April 9 and stayed through April 13. Check-in was at 4pm but we arrived around 11a.m and were told a room would be available in 1 hour. The front desk clerk suggested we catch the free shuttle to the park instead of waiting in the lobby. Great idea!! The shuttles provided convenient ,quick,safe transportation several times per day to all the parks in the area. We typically pay cash for all our hotel rooms which proved to be somewhat of a problem initially. Plus the hotel wanted extra for incidentals!! We worked out the kinks and headed to our room. The suites have a great kitchen with full sized fridge, a pull out full sized sofa bed and a seperate room with 2 queen beds. All bedding was fresh and soft , all towels were clean,soft and white!! Housekeeping was available everyday to tidy up. We ate the free hot breakfast every morning. There were heaping piles of bacon,toast,bagels,fruit,cereal,waffles,eggs...endless supply of juice,soda or milk. We didn't eat the free dinner because the kids wanted to eat out, but it looked pretty good to me.The hotel is located off a quiet side street but is close enough to International Drive. We had no problems locating the site right off I-4. By the way, our room faced the highway and it didn't bother us at all!!
Of course there were a few problems. The t.v. picture tube kept going in and out. We complained twice and finally got a new set.
Parking is shared with the Hilton Garden next door so there were times late in the evening when parking was scarce. The shuttles leaving CityWalk at night weren't as reliable as the daytime shuttles. The last night, we waited almost 2 hours for a return shuttle. Beware, people drink alot down there and the heat adds to the frustration. The shuttle rides may get a little rowdy at night.
I can't wait to go back!! As we traveled on the shuttles I was able to see the other hotel choices. I was never disappointed in my decision to stay at the Homewood near Universal.

We stayed here last year for Spring Break and had a reasonably nice time, with the exception of food freeloading guests from neighboring Super 8 and Motel 6. I'm happy to say that I did not witness that again the second time around. They did, however, have Hilton Garden Inn guests eating breakfasts and evening meals. But since it is considered their sister property, and H.S. guests are invited to attend their Tiki Bar, I guess they must have some sort of arrangment. It still does add to the lack of seating/crowds at mealtimes.

I was a little disappointed to arrive and see the whole area in front of the hotel streetside under construction. There was no indication when I made the reservation on the hotel website stating this. There is a sign upon check in asking to "pardon their dust" as they expand the hotel. It seems to be a popular place and expansion is definitely a good idea.

We had a room facing the pool (hence, facing the construction). To my pleasant surprise, there was no construction noise at all. The living area was a little smaller in this room, but it was still nicely decorated and clean. Staff was very friendly. Breakfast and evening receptions were nice with food readily replenished. However, seating is at a premium, so it's best to get there early.

We had a nice stay this Spring Break. Considering that we also stayed free with our Hilton Points, it was a really nice stay :) The location is nice if you're going to Universal. There was free transportation, but we opted to drive ourselves. We liked not having to pay for our breakfasts and dinners since we stayed during the week, and we liked that the pool area was spacious. We can't wait to go back!

I chose the Homewood Suites based on the reviews from this web site and their own web site which shows a floor plan of the rooms. We wanted a suite because I’m an early riser and my wife needs her sleep, these suites fit the bill perfectly. I had booked a king suite when I made the reservation, then confirmed it a few weeks prior to arrival, but upon arrival we were told only double queen suites were available. We were not happy about this arrangement but felt we had no choice but to accept. We were able to arrange to change to the first king suite that came available, this went surprisingly painlessly and within a couple of days we were in our king suite. The rooms are well used but in good condition, we found no maintenance related problems with our room. Our bedroom was right beside the elevator so we were concerned about that, but not once did we hear the elevator operating. The rooms have very good sound proofing on either side and up and down but noise from outside and the hallway was quite obvious. We often cook for ourselves while vacationing, the kitchen of our unit was very well suited and equipped for this, and the full size dishwasher and fridge were a real bonus. The housekeeping staff were friendly and polite. We stayed for a total of 16 nights and we found the front desk staff to be helpful and polite as well. The location of the hotel was not an issue to us, there are several transportation options available, so getting around was not a problem. We were very pleased with this hotel and would consider staying here or at another Homewood Suites in the future.