Universal Orlando Shares First Details of Helios Grand Hotel at Epic Universe

Aug 22, 2024 in "Universal Orlando Resort"

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Universal Helios Grand Hotel

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Posted: Thursday August 22, 2024 9:30am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Universal Orlando Resort is set to expand its portfolio with the introduction of Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, opening in 2025. This new hotel promises to offer a unique blend of relaxation and immersion, including a dedicated entrance to Universal Epic Universe.

Located within the highly anticipated Universal Epic Universe, Universal Helios Grand Hotel is situated in the heart of Celestial Park, a landscaped area that reflects the hotel's astronomical and mythological themes. The hotel is designed with a Mediterranean-inspired aesthetic, featuring elegant yet casual design elements that create a welcoming atmosphere.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Lobby

The hotel's architecture and interior design draw inspiration from the Greek god of the sun, Helios, and celestial patterns are a recurring motif throughout the property. The lobby, for instance, boasts floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of Celestial Park and Epic Universe, immersing guests in the park's brilliance both day and night.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel offers 500 guest rooms and suites, many of which offer views of Epic Universe. Family options include the How to Train Your Dragon Kids' Suites, which are inspired by the Viking village of Berk, allowing children to sleep amongst dragons in a colorful, themed environment.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Guest Room

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Kids' Suite

The hotel offers a variety of dining options catering to different tastes and preferences:

Flora Taverna: A full-service restaurant that serves Mediterranean comfort foods, pizzas from a live-cooking kitchen, and offers al fresco dining with scenic views of Celestial Park.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Flora Taverna

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Flora Taverna Lobby Bar

Aurora Market: A contemporary coffee shop and market that provides freshly-roasted coffees, grab-and-go items, and snacks throughout the day.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Aurora Market

Lotus Lagoon: A poolside bar and grill where guests can enjoy casual fare such as burgers, salads, and sandwiches, along with refreshing cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Lotus Lagoon

In addition to its dining options, the hotel features a variety of amenities designed to enhance the guest experience:

Bar Helios: A rooftop lounge offering 360-degree views of Epic Universe, creative tapas, specialty cocktails, and a stylish ambiance for evening relaxation.

Bar Helios View

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Bar Helios

Resort-Style Pool: The hotel's zero-entry pool is equipped with underwater speakers, a hot tub, and poolside cabanas, making it an ideal spot for relaxation. Poolside movies and recreational activities are also available.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel - Resort-style Pool

Fitness Center: A state-of-the-art facility offering a range of strength and cardio equipment.

Game Room: Guests can enjoy a variety of arcade games, providing entertainment for the whole family.

Exclusive Theme Park Benefits

One of the standout features of Universal Helios Grand Hotel is its dedicated entrance to Universal Epic Universe, providing guests with direct and convenient access to the theme park. This exclusive benefit allows guests to bypass general entry points, ensuring they can maximize their time at the park (valid theme park admission is required).

Additionally, guests staying at the hotel are eligible for Universal Orlando's exclusive theme park benefits, including Early Park Admission, complimentary shuttle bus transportation to the parks and Universal CityWalk, resort-wide charging privileges, and complimentary merchandise delivery to the hotel.

New Hotel Categories at Universal Orlando

The addition of Universal Helios Grand Hotel also brings three reimagined hotel categories to Universal Orlando.

TheSignature Collection – including Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort – offers full-service amenities, distinguished service, exceptional dining and more.

The Prime Value Hotels – including Universal Aventura Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort (opening January 21, 2025) and Universal Terra Luna Resort (opening February 25, 2025) – offer a mix of services and amenities made for comfort.

The Value Inns and Suites – including Universal Cabana Bay Beach
Resort and Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites & Dockside Inn and Suites – are fun, affordable options offering standard rooms and spacious suites with kitchenettes.

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Giss Neric31 minutes ago

One of the blessing Universal has is that they don't have fans who will nitpick and criticize every nooks and crannies (though I feel like they are growing). They can get away with rides/AA breaking down and it doesn't get reported so they can just do stuff discreetly without people knowing. A simple light bulb not working in Disney will get reported on and criticized on socmed.

celluloid3 hours ago

Sun falls in Orlando about 8pm. Even if later. A warning for noise won't be necessary or come sooner*shrug*

lazyboy97o3 hours ago

This is why. Your opinion is something which exists in the present but you keep referring to its acclaim in the past tense as though the general consensus has shifted. Both of these statements are about others, not yourself.

JT30003 hours ago

I didn't misunderstand anything. You stated your opinion as fact. Not only that, you stated the opinions of others were in fact wrong. To any unbiased observer, this hardly implies knowing subjectiveness. And again, the ride had an objective reception when considered as a whole. While not all were in agreement, it still had an overwhelmingly positive reception overall. This part isn't up for debate, therefore it can't be "inherently subjective."

UNCgolf3 hours ago

No it didn't. You may have misunderstood it, but nothing about my comment implies that I was speaking about anything other than my personal opinion. Again, I should not have to add "in my opinion" to the end of a sentence about an inherently subjective topic. That's a waste of words and time.

UNCgolf3 hours ago

The fact that Monsters (and I think Ministry too) doesn't have long sections as a motion simulator should help a lot, although I'm still concerned about a potential overuse of screens instead of physical sets and effects. This is what made Forbidden Journey so disappointing for me -- it has sections with physical effects etc. that are truly great, and then it's back to the awful, boring motion simulator (plus it's way too rough/jerky, but that's a separate issue).

JT30003 hours ago

It's not actually. Instead, your statement implies that the ride missed the mark with most guests, which objectively isn't what happened.

UNCgolf3 hours ago

We're generally discussing topics that are inherently subjective. People shouldn't have to write "in my opinion" all the time; that's implied (or at least it should be).

JT30003 hours ago

You stated matter-of-factly that people were wrong about Forbidden Journey, with no indication or recognition that this is just your outlying opinion. We can all share our subjective opinions about Forbidden Journey until the cows come home, but it was objectively considered a top ride by the general park-going populace when it opened. Monsters getting in your face and trying to scare you is "weird?"

DarkMetroid5673 hours ago

I get ya. It’ll be interesting to see how people feel about Ministry and Monsters five years down the line. Rarely do the tech-heavy E-Ticket dark rides appreciate with time.

UNCgolf3 hours ago

I was only talking my personal opinion; I know people loved it. I found Forbidden Journey wildly disappointing; the queue was much better than the actual ride. I've been on it three times and not sure I'll ever bother riding again for a variety of reasons. I do think some people were just wowed by the technology rather than the actual ride experience, though. That would explain why all of the "best ride ever" talk seemed to die off relatively quickly.

UNCgolf4 hours ago

I've indicated that I'm well aware I'm an outlier numerous times. I don't know why you think otherwise. That doesn't mean I should stop stating my opinion, though -- it also doesn't mean I'm wrong. I will never understand why people look at it and think it's exceptional. Just because it has some great moments doesn't excuse the majority of the ride being a terrible broom flight simulator.

Streetway Again4 hours ago

FJ isn’t a bad ride by any means, the only thing that happened was progress! Old Technology has suprassed, and as a result, so has FJ. it’s only a natural thing, not the rides fault.

DarkMetroid5674 hours ago

Forbidden Journey was incredibly popular at the time, that’s not really it. Its popularity has just waned more severely than other e-tickets. It’s still a hit at USJ and it’s arguably the most popular ride at USB.