Universal Orlando’s next hotel, Surfside Inn and Suites, will welcome it first guests on June 27 — months earlier than it previously announced.
The hotel, part of the larger Endless Summer Resort at the corner of International Drive and Universal Boulevard, is the first in Universal’s “value” category. When Universal first opened reservations for the 750-room hotel, the earliest dates available were August 1.
The new opening date is closer to the June 13 debut of the new Universal coaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It may also capture some guests coming to Orlando for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World on August 29.
“What typically happens is when you have an opening like that, everybody wants to come,” Paul Sexton, vice president of Orlando hotel services firm HREC Investment Advisors, told Orlando Rising in January.
Universal did not respond to a request for comment on why the opening date was moved up.
Surfside Inn is currently under construction on the former site of the Wet ‘n Wild waterpark. It will include a surfboard-shaped pool, food court, fitness center, coffee bar, pool bar and a Universal Studios store. Room options include standard rooms with two queen beds as well as two-bedroom suites.
While the resort was hyped as offering promotional rates as low as $73 per night for a seven-night stay, initial prices are considerably higher. A weeklong reservation from June 27 – July 4 will cost $136 per night in a standard room and $180 per night for a suite.
Surfside will be joined by Endless Summer’s second phase, Dockside Inn and Suites, in May 2020. Combined, the two hotels will add another 2,800 rooms to Universal’s on-site capacity, continuing the resort’s rapid expansion and putting pressure on its I-Drive neighbors that have traditionally catered to budget-minded travelers.
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