Choosing Accommodation in Orlando

Orlando has more than 116,000 hotel rooms, a staggering figure. Some 57 million visitors come every year for theme parks, conventions, and outdoor recreation, making the city the world’s most popular family vacation destination.

As you can imagine, with numbers that large, competition can be fierce, and at some properties, quality can be lax. A little too often, you find yourself shrugging and saying, "Eh, it does the job." Most of Central Florida’s monolithic hotel architecture steals and inflates Europe's palatial traditions; often on such a scale that even a Texan would blush. You’ll find arcades, frescoes, columns, Spanish tiles, arched windows, and marble . . . but knock on the columns. They’re hollow. Get close to the marble. It’s often painted on. And the rooms are just rooms. That’s why Orlando’s resorts, as much as they charge, rarely achieve true opulence. Here, when you pay for a fine hotel, you’re mostly paying for mood. I’ll help you look beyond the set dressing to find the best value for you—which may not end up being a hotel at all.

Following are a few key questions to ask yourself to help you choose accommodations in Orlando:

How much space would I like to have? If you have kids with you, will a single hotel room supply the elbowroom everyone needs? Disney's most affordable hotel rooms, for example, have a maximum occupancy of four people in two double beds, so if your group exceeds that number, you’ll have to rent two rooms or upgrade to something more expensive. For most families, renting a home or condo solves the space issue, and usually for less money.

Will I have a car? Unless you’re a Disney-only type of person, you should have one. The rival resorts plot to keep you on property. Cars can speed you away from their clutches, saving your sanity and your pocketbook. They enable you to see both Disney and Harry Potter as well as Orlando's many appealing diversions.

How much time do I plan to spend at my accommodations? If your schedule will be jammed and you’re planning to use your room only to hit the sack, then why pay more than you have to? Do you really need a fitness center after slogging around the 1.3-mile path of Epcot’s World Showcase all day? No, you don’t.

Then, grill your hotel about their true value: Is there a resort fee? It's increasingly common, and they effectively increase the rate. Is there a parking fee? It’s another way to hide the true cost of a stay. What's in the breakfast? If it’s “continental”, it could be just instant coffee and a mound of stale croissants. What’s the view? Properties boast of fireworks views, but neglect to mention they’re from 8 miles away.

 
—Jason Cochran