Doubletree Suites by Hilton Orlando Review (Disney Springs)

Sometimes the need might arise to reserve a hotel with separate living spaces that won’t break the bank. Sure enough, there are tons of options surrounding the Walt Disney World Resort.

Unfortunately, most larger accommodations in more reasonable price ranges aren’t close to the theme parks. That’s where a hotel like the Doubletree Suites by Hilton at Disney Springs comes into play. It’s the only all-suite hotel in the area.

Over the years, I’ve heard many positive reviews of the Doubletree Hotel at Disney Springs. So I thought it was time to stay here to compare it to a few other resorts in a similar price range and location.

For this review of the Doubletree Suites at Disney Springs, we’ll examine the hotel in full detail. Additionally, we’ll preview a standard suite to see what in-room amenities you can expect.

Doubletree Disney Springs Review

Unfortunately, my arrival at the Doubletree didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. After leaving Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel, I checked in to the Doubletree on a Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Earlier that morning, I had left my luggage with bell services at the Swan Resort and spent the day at their pool. However, the weather threatened rain, and I figured by 2:30 p.m. that surely my room would be ready.

A few days before, the Swan had texted my room assignment at 10:30 a.m., which exceeded my expectations. So I was feeling lucky.

Upon arrival, I was notified that my room wasn’t ready yet. When I questioned how long I should expect to wait, I was told rather abruptly that rooms weren’t guaranteed until 4:00 p.m. and that they would text me the room number.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but when I’m paying to stay somewhere, I don’t care for anyone to treat me like I’m trying to take advantage of their system. It isn’t uncommon for rooms to be ready early at hotels, and guests arrive at all different times of the day.

In addition, I had a headache and asked where I could purchase something for it. I was then told I would have to leave and go elsewhere because the hotel’s convenience shop didn’t open until 5:00 p.m.

For whatever reason, I decided to press my luck and ask if they had a first aid kit with individual Tylenol samples or something similar. At this point, it was nearly 3:00 p.m., and the last thing I wanted was to have to leave to find something. You know, since my room was guaranteed at 4:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, there was no help at the hotel. So I returned to my car and headed out to find the nearest drugstore. At 4:00 p.m. I still hadn’t received my room assignment via text, so I headed back to the hotel.

I had to wait in line at the front desk again, but thankfully, this time, my room was ready. Needless to say, things started a little rocky.

That said, the bell services guy who brought my luggage was an angel. In a nutshell, he provided me with need-to-know information for my stay. For instance, he mentioned that the hotel offered shuttle service to the parks, told me about the pool, and even recommended stellar dining options nearby Disney Springs.

When I asked him how long he had worked for the company, he mentioned that he worked through a temporary service but had been there for a while. All I can say is that the Hilton is lucky to have someone at the hotel who cares about the needs of their guests.

He turned an unpleasant check-in process around and made me feel like a wanted guest. Isn’t that how most of us want to feel on vacation?

Anyway, I was pleased with the size of the suite I had reserved. This room cost $182.25 for the night, and I paid $22.00 extra for parking. Thankfully, this hotel doesn’t charge a resort fee.

Regarding pricing, the higher price of the room was likely due to the time of year. For reference, I stayed here over a weekend in mid-July.

In August, the rates are much more reasonable than what I paid. Of course, you’ll want to consider that extra cost for parking if you have a vehicle.

Below is a photo of the living room area for the one-bedroom suite with a king-size bed and sleeper sofa. This room comes in at 540 square feet and sleeps up to four guests.

I appreciated having a separate table and chairs in the living area. Since I ran a few errands while waiting on my room, I brought dinner back to the hotel. It was nice to have a proper place to enjoy dinner and get a little work done.

In the corner, there was a small kitchenette area that provided a sink, microwave, and an individual cup coffee maker.

As of this trip, I’ve decided I’m over this style of coffee maker. Unfortunately, the coffee isn’t good, and I miss being able to make a pot of coffee while I’m getting ready. These allow the coffee to get cold so quickly, and you can’t warm it up by adding a little more.

Underneath the counter, there was a nice-size mini-refrigerator. If you were to bring back leftovers from any of those nearby restaurants at Disney Springs, you could store them here and heat them later.

In addition to having a large living area, it was nice to have a separate bedroom. You could close the doors between the two rooms if desired for added privacy.

The bedroom had a pretty dated television that didn’t work well. Since I spent most of my time in the living space, it wasn’t an issue. Inside the closet was extra bedding for the sleeper sofa and an in-room safe.

The guest bath was one ample space.

Here is the bathtub with a combined shower.

There was one sink in the guest bath, but plenty of counter space was available.

Overall, the room was spacious, and the price was more reasonable for the size of the room than some of the neighboring hotels. You might remember we reviewed a suite at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace a few months ago.

Here is a video tour of the room if you would like to see the full perspective.

While that hotel was nicer and directly across the street from Disney Springs, the rooms weren’t as large, and the price was higher. However, that hotel offers more of a resort experience, while the Doubletree is strictly a hotel.

Before we wrap things up, we’ll look at a few other amenities offered at the Disney Springs Doubletree. Below is a photo of the lobby.

Seating was limited to these two small spaces.

Guests could rent a DVD with their room key if desired. I thought that was a fun touch and noticed several guests picking out movies.

There were a few workstations that provided computers and printers.

Below is the area that leads out to the resort’s bus stop.

Several hotels in the area offer complimentary shuttle service to the theme parks. This service is once per hour during the park’s hours of operations.

If you’ve read my previous hotel reviews, you know I’m not a fan of these shuttle services because they are restricted to specific times.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice that the hotels offer the service. But as someone who visits the parks often, I wouldn’t want to rely on them.

When I took photos for this review, I saw this sign in the image below and scanned the QR code to see how it worked. No one mentioned the shuttle service at check-in, so I assumed you would walk to the bus stop and wait.

When I scanned the code, it gave me a list of times and prices for the shuttle service. However, after looking at it for a few moments, I was more confused because the prices sounded pretty high.

So I went to the front desk and inquired how it worked. I was given this sheet of paper that provided a complimentary coupon code for the shuttle.

If I hadn’t gotten this code, I would have had to pay for the service. So if you decide to take advantage of this offering, pick one of these sheets up at the front desk.

After finding out about the transportation offerings, I decided to check out the pool at the resort.

I was surprised to find such a large outdoor space behind the hotel.

The pool is open daily from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. There is no lifeguard on duty. You have to use your room key to access the space. Per the sign, the pool’s maximum depth is 6′ (feet).

There is a nice-size gym at the pool with everything you might need for a workout.

Here is an alternate view.

A whirlpool spa sits toward the back of the pool in a private, shaded area.

The resort had a pleasant pool area.

And a pool bar is available during the busier times of the day.

What surprised me most at the hotel was the tremendous outdoor space. There was a small playground.

And there were two large tennis courts. Given my real estate background, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of new and modern hotel would be built here in the future.

As I made my way back up to the front of the hotel, I went to check the walkway to Disney Springs. Most of the walkway is shaded, and thankfully, there’s a large pedestrian bridge when you get to Disney Springs, so you don’t have to deal with traffic.

However, it’s 0.7 miles from the Doubletree to the Marketplace entrance at Disney Springs, which is approximately a 16-minute walk.

Ultimately, I didn’t feel like it was worth the walk when I considered the amount of walking I would do at Disney Springs and then having to walk back to the hotel. So keep those things in mind if you plan to walk over to the venue.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that a breakfast buffet was available for a whopping $23.00 per adult. Since I enjoy eating a pleasant hotel breakfast while on vacation, I always like to check out what a hotel offers.

Unfortunately, this is the same breakfast that most Marriott hotels offer for free. See the following reviews to compare:

As I write this review, I’ve spent the last ten days at the Residence Inn by Marriott, where I’ve enjoyed a complimentary breakfast every morning.

Some mornings I enjoy the make-your-own Mickey waffles shown below at the Doubletree. These are part of that $23.00 breakfast buffet charge.

Other mornings I grab a bagel or muffin. Again, these cost you much more at the Doubletree Hotel.

And often, I grab a yogurt or fruit to take back to the room for a snack.

I think you get the picture. (We also have the same scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage here daily.)

Usually, I don’t like to get into this sort of thing. But since there are no options for breakfast nearby, Doubletree can get away with charging a high price for the same breakfast you would get complimentary at other hotels.

And since I stay at so many hotels, I can’t help but notice these drastic differences over similar items. I hope that reading the reviews provided here on the site helps you determine what hotel is worthy of your hard-earned vacation funds.

Ultimately, the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando is worth considering if you need a little space to spread out and would like to be near Disney Springs. However, there are far better options near Disney World when it comes to overall amenities.

As for the money spent, I would have been happier elsewhere. The lack of customer service at the hotel (other than bell services) also contributed to my feelings about this hotel.

For other off-property hotels, you might consider these articles:

Did you find this review of the Doubletree at Disney Springs helpful? What are your thoughts on this hotel?

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Doubletree Disney Springs Review

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