Helios Grand Hotel Announced For Universal Orlando Resort

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Get ready to experience a new level of luxury at Universal Orlando Resort’s highly anticipated Universal Helios Grand Hotel. This stunning Mediterranean-inspired resort is set to redefine your vacation with its luxurious amenities, prime location, and exclusive access to the groundbreaking Universal Epic Universe theme park that opens in 2025. Let’s take a look at what this new hotel will offer!

Universal Orlando Resort’s New Hotel Categories

Before we dive into Universal Helios Grand Hotel, we need to talk about how this is also changing the resort categories at Universal Orlando.

Universal Orlando Resort previously categorized their hotels into four categories, but with the announcement of the Helios Grand Hotel, they have changed the categories a bit. Now there are only three categories, which are as follows:

Signature Collection

This includes Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, Royal Pacific Resort, and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. These hotels offer full service amenities, distinguished service, exceptional dining, and more. These are all going to be the most expensive hotels on Universal Orlando property most of the time.

It’s important to know that at the time of writing this post, only Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay, and Royal Pacific currently offer the Unlimited Express Pass benefit, so if you stay at Helios Grand Hotel or Sapphire Falls, you aren’t going to get Express Pass for free for everyone in the room when you stay.

I feel like at some point down the line Helios will get an Express Pass option – that just may be tied to whenever Epic Universe starts utilizing Express lanes. At first, I was upset that Sapphire Falls wasn’t going to get the free Express option, but it is nice that you have an option to get one of Universal’s nicest hotels for a little cheaper since you don’t have to pay for that Express Pass essentially. 

Prime Value Hotels

Included in this category are Universal Aventura Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort (opening January 21, 2025) and Universal Terra Luna Resort. These resorts will offer a mix of services and amenities designed for comfort with a smaller price tag than those in the Signature Collection.

Value Inns and Suites

Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites & Dockside Inn and Suites – are included in this category. They are fun, affordable options offering standard rooms and spacious suites with kitchenettes.

Helios Grand Hotel Theming and Location

Universal said that the Helios Grand Hotel is Mediterranean-inspired. They already have Portofino Bay, which is themed to (you guessed it) Portofino, Italy, so if I had to guess, this is probably going to have more of a Greek or possibly Spanish-style theme throughout.

They mentioned that elements were another thing they wanted to use as theming to incorporate in this hotel. In the renderings, it looks like there’s a lot of gold which they said can be attributed to the element of fire that they wanted to bring in.

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Being attached to the back of Universal Epic Universe, right when you walk into the lobby of Universal Helios Grand Hotel, you’re going to get a floor-to-ceiling window moment where you’re going to be able to look right out into Celestial Park, and it looks spectacular.

This hotel is definitely part of the newer “Southern Campus” of Universal Orlando Resort. This is really really nice if you’re planning on going to Epic Universe, but if you’re going to be planning on going to the more “Northern Campus” parks (Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, Universal Studios Florida) and CityWalk, you will have to take bus transportation to get to those.

Helios Grand Hotel Guest Rooms and Suites

The guest rooms look so nice. Now of course they’re showing off the views on the park-facing side, but you get an amazing view of Epic Universe. The rooms have some floral and lush theming to them and I’m sure that the bed will be comfortable, just like it all the other Universal hotels.

There are going to be kids suites themed to How to Train Your Dragon. The kids will particularly like the headboards that are actually themed to some Viking ships. That’ll be a nice option if you’re looking for a room that is themed more for kids, so it’s nice that they’re giving you some options with this hotel.

Dedicated Entrance to Universal Epic Universe

For the first time ever, a Universal hotel is going to have its own exclusive entrance attached right to one of their theme parks. Right off of the lobby, you’re gonna be able to walk out and walk right in to Universal Epic Universe. This will be really convenient, especially for that early entry perk that you get when you stay on property at Universal Orlando Resort.

You don’t have to worry about catching a bus or a boat or walking along distance. You literally walk out the door from the lobby and you’re in Celestial Park. It’s gonna be really cool and really convenient.

Helios Grand Hotel Dining, Restaurants, and Bars

Lots of great dining options are coming to Universal Helios Grand Hotel, which makes sense since this is probably going to be Universal’s most top-tier resort.

Bar Helios

First off, and the one that I’m probably the most excited for, is Bar Helios. This is a rooftop lounge that’s going to give amazing, unparalleled views of Epic Universe. I’m sure being able to see the nighttime shows from up here will be really cool. This is probably going to be closer than even the Contemporary at Walt Disney World Resort when it comes to nighttime shows and park views.

I know that Universal Aventura Hotel has Bar 17 Bistro, which is something I love a lot. There, you get an amazing view of Cabana Bay, Volcano Bay, and even some of the theme parks. This is going to be even better because this hotel is right up against Epic Universe and attached to it, so you’re going to be right there in the action.

Flora Tavern

Flora Tavern is a full-service restaurant that’ll offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also offers a lobby bar with Universal describing it as “open style kitchen live cooking Mediterranean, comfort foods, pizza, ovens, and alfresco seating that will be overlooking the beautiful scenery of Celestial Park.”

If they’re going to do their breakfast buffets as they do at some of their other resorts, I’d assume this is where it’s going to be. However, they haven’t announced anything official yet.

Aurora Market

Next up is Aurora Market. This is going be the coffee shop and the quick dining option at the resort, so you’ll be able to wake up and grab something to eat while you’re walking to the park. This is where you’re going to be for those grab-and-go items, snacks, and desserts.

Lotus Lagoon

Next to the pool is Lotus Lagoon. This is going to be a poolside bar and grill where you can get cocktails, nonalcoholic drinks, and some casual options like burgers, salads, and sandwiches. Universal’s pool bars are usually pretty nice with quite a few options. So even if you don’t necessarily want to drink alcohol, you’ll be able to have some things to munch on with nonalcoholic options.

Helios Grand Hotel Pools and Amenities

The resort style pool is zero-entry and it looks really nice. If you’ve been to Hard Rock Hotel it’s a really cool thing to experience listening to music underwater – this pool will also have underwater speakers.

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There’s also gonna be cabanas that are going to be available for rent, a hot tub, poolside movies, recreational activities, and more, so they’re going to be offering quite a few of the same things that you get from the other Universal hotels.

And don’t forget that Lotus Lagoon, the poolside bar and grill, is right there right next to the pool if you want to step out and grab a quick bite or something to drink.

Universal Orlando Resort Perks for Helios Grand Hotel Guests

As usual, there’s some really nice perks when you stay on-site at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel. First, you’ll get early park admission to the theme parks. They’re saying that will expand to include Epic Universe when the park opens, so they should be releasing more information on that soon.

You can also take advantage of complementary shuttle bus transportation to the “Northern Campus” – Volcano Bay as well as CityWalk and the attached theme parks. You get your resort-wide charging privileges where you can charge purchases to your room key. You get merchandise delivery, where you can get purchases in the park sent to the hotel for you to pick up.

Again, I want to mention that at the time of writing this post, Unlimited Express Pass is not going to be included with Helios Grand Hotel stays, but keep an eye out here and on the Universal Orlando Resort hotel webpage to see if they decide to include that as a perk in the future.

Let’s Get You To Universal Helios Grand Hotel!

As you plan your next Universal Orlando vacation, the Universal Helios Grand Hotel offers an exciting new option that blends luxury, convenience, and immersive theming. Whether you’re eager to explore Epic Universe, relax by the pool, or enjoy world-class dining, this hotel promises an unforgettable stay.

If you’re as excited as I am about the Helios Grand Hotel, I’d love to help you plan the perfect trip as your personal travel agent and advisor. Feel free to reach out to me to start planning your Universal vacation—let’s make your experience as magical as possible!

What are you most excited about regarding the Universal Helios Grand Hotel? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on my social media platforms!