Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
72
Tips
Tight Squeeze
An average hotel or motel room in the Orlando area has about 325 to 400 square
feet and beds for four. Although hardly a castle, most travelers find it adequate
for a short stay. I've made a special note in the listings of properties where the
rooms are substantially larger or smaller than the average.
You'll also find counselor-supervised
child care
or
activity centers
at some hotels.
Very popular in Orlando, these can be marvelous, creatively run facilities that might offer
movies, video games, arts and crafts, storytelling, puppet shows, indoor and outdoor
activities, and more. Some provide meals and/or have beds where a child can sleep while
you're out on the town. Check individual hotel listings for these facilities.
RESERVATION SERVICES
Many of the Kissimmee hotels listed under “Places to Stay in the Kissimmee Area,” found
later in this chapter, can be booked through the
Kissimmee Convention & Visitors
Bureau
(
&
800/333-5477
or 407/944-2400; www.floridakiss.com). The same goes for
Orlando and the
Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau
(
&
800/
643-9492;
www.orlandoinfo.com).
Florida Hotel Network
(
&
800/293-2419;
www.floridahotels.com),
Central Reser-
vation Service
(
&
800/555-7555
or 407/740-6442; www.crshotels.com), and
Hotels.
com
(
&
800/246-8357;
www.hotels.com) are three other services that can help with
room reservations and other kinds of reservations in Central Florida.
HotelKingdom.
com
(
&
877/766-6787
or 407/294-9600; www.hotelkingdom.com) is also a good
source of room or vacation-rental bargains. You can also book Disney World hotels
directly by calling
&
407/934-7639
or visiting
www.disneyworld.com
; Universal
Orlando properties can be booked by calling
&
888/430-7333
or 888/273-1311, or by
visiting
www.universalorlando.com
.
4
HOW TO USE THIS CHAPTER
The hotels listed in this chapter are divided by location and price category. As you might
expect, many of the inexpensive properties are the farthest from the action and/or have
the most spartan, unimaginative accommodations.
Keep in mind, however, that this isn't one of the world's best bargain destinations.
Unlike other Florida tourist areas, there are few under-$60 motels that meet the stan-
dards demanded for listing in this topic. That's why I've raised the price bar. The ones in
the
inexpensive
category charge an average of less than $90 per night for a double room.
Those offering $90 to $180 rooms make up the
moderate
category, $181 to $250 rooms
are listed as
expensive,
and anything more than $250 is listed as
very expensive.
Any
included extras (such as breakfast) are listed for each property. Orlando's peak and low
seasons are often complicated, as the peak times are sporadically disbursed throughout
the calendar. Even remote things such as the International Sweet Potato Growers conven-
tion in Orlando can raise off-season prices. These events especially impact moderately
priced properties outside WDW.
Keep in mind that rates are per night double unless otherwise noted, and they don't
include hotel taxes of up to 12.5%. Also, most Orlando hotels and motels let
kids
