Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

Kimi Robertson

We had a fantastic experience at this hotel from the moment we checked in. The check-in process was smooth and efficient, and the front desk staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. They took the time to explain where everything was located on the property and even placed us in a room near the west wing, which was conveniently close to the boat shuttle service – a thoughtful touch that we really appreciated! The room itself was spacious, and we were thrilled with the beautiful bay view. The balcony was the perfect spot to relax and take in the scenery. We also want to commend the bellhop, who was not only friendly but also promptly brought our luggage to our room with a smile. The room was spotless, and the housekeeping team did a wonderful job of keeping everything clean and well-maintained throughout our stay. All in all, the combination of great service, a beautiful room, and thoughtful amenities made this a truly memorable stay. We would definitely return!

Cheyenne Conrady

We absolutely loved our stay at Loews Portofino Bay. We stayed in a pet-friendly room booked months in advance, and after seeing so many mixed reviews, I almost canceled. I’m so glad I didn’t! We knew the hotel was going to be under construction and that we’d have to get a first floor room to have our dog with us. But with the convenience of the location, the water taxi to the parks and the Express Unlimited passes, we felt it would still be worth it. And it definitely was! The resort is beautiful, and the water taxis and dining outdoors made for a wonderful trip. While the hotel room and amenities isn’t really “five-star”, the service we received from every single team member and the ease of our stay being so close to the park was. The passes made our Universal days so wonderful, and with a short trip back to the hotel, we could easily come and go from the park as we pleased to walk our dog or nap. The rooms are very basic and lack toiletries that I’d expect from a hotel with this price tag, but ours was clean and easy to get out to the dog area from. Room service was awesome (we had the hamburger three nights in a row, it was just that good) and each team member we interacted with was so friendly and helpful. We can’t wait to come back! Ciao!

Melissa Hebert

An interesting experience. Was beautiful but lots of unnecessary walking. Hotel under construction as well. Contacting guest services (front desk or luggage services) was difficult, and very inconvenient. Couldn't get anyone to fix our private covered balcony lights either though we tried 3 times to get someone to come fix it but we got put on eternal hold when we finally got someone on the phone, so we couldn't really enjoy the beautiful balcony of the very expensive room. The room was nice but not as nice as I expected for the price point. Also, I was very irritated and disappointed that parking is $34/day (not mentioned when booking), especially since I get free parking at the Universal parks with my season passes. We could also not take the boat ride back to the hotel at night after being at the parks because they were too busy servicing the other hotels; even though we were promised that boats for all hotels run every 5 minutes. Our line never moved, so we made the 22 minute walk with 2 small children, and did not see one boat pass us by to bring anyone in that long line back to the hotel. The walk from the lobby to the room was extremely far, and even further to get to the parking garage. One of the only redeeming qualities was the included express passes with the room stay and the convenience of proximity to the parks. Otherwise, the experience was kind of a disappointment.

Christine O'Mealy

Stayed here for the firs time a couple weeks ago. Currently undergoing some renovations which we were aware of, so I didn't mind that. It is a little further away from the parks than the other hotels I have stayed at, but is a very large spacious property which is very nice. We stayed in club level rooms which included access to the club dining which provided food and beverages - all the staff working there and at the restaurants we visited were very nice and helpful. I definitely recommend staying in club room to save on food if you can! At the time i booked, the club room was $100 more so it was a steal! Unfortunately we planned our day around using the pool later in the day and I specifically booked this one at a higher price than other hotel I was looking at for the waterslide. When we got to pool area, they had closed the outdoor dining/bar early and the staff out there said they didn't know why. The first hot tub we went to was quite dirty, full of debris, and was about 18 inches low on water - so your legs weren't even fully covered while sitting. The girl said she didn't know why that was. We went to the other hot tub and it was fine. The water slide was closed and we were kicked out of the pool after about 15 minutes and told it was because it was too cold. My kids were extremely upset about this and I was a bit upset we weren't informed about them closing pool early if too cold - as we would have planned our day differently to avoid the kids getting so upset. We were told pool hours when we checked in and not informed about any possibly changes. Overall if you don't plan on using the pool the hotel is fine to stay at - pricey, but fine.

Stephanie Wood

We really enjoyed our stay here. The rooms were spacious and the hotel was BEAUTIFUL for Christmas time. We loved the convenience of the water taxi. We got to skip the line coming in which was a huge plus. The staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. I was able to text the front desk for anything I needed and for an easy check out. Our only complaint was the food. We got pizza and pasta and it was terrible. You would think an Italian themed hotel would have good Italian food, especially for the price you pay. But it was bad. I thought even bad pizza is good pizza but I was proven wrong. The steak and breakfast we ate was great though! I would definitely stay here again!