Confusion about Room Categories at HRH - pool v garden v standard

karaintn

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Hi all,

I'm looking to book the HRH for our visit during Thanksgiving week - November 19 - 23. I would like a Deluxe Queen, but don't see any available. What I do see is that they offered a Garden View queen, but then it says + $xx for Pool view, or + $xxx for "standard". What is Standard? And why would it be MORE than both garden and pool? I did an online chat on the Uni website and the chat agent literally responded to that question with "I don't know, I didn't know we offered standard".

Thanks in advance!
 
Pool views cost more and will have a view of the water canal or pool at HRH.

Garden view are general rooms of all types vary.
Could be the landscaping or view from the front of the hotel
They are nice and some have the view of the guitar fountain that is in front of HRH.

Standard view sounds like it is different from what I am aware of.
I have read some trip reports and peeps remarked that their standard view was of a parking lot.

But, some trip reports are not current so suggest you call the hotel direct and ask them what are the views if you book a standard room.

Deluxe Queen can be requested when you check in.
There are not many of them so they do not have them listed as bookable in advance to the general public.
If one is available when you check in, you can request it.
 
Pool views cost more and will have a view of the water canal or pool at HRH.

Garden view are general rooms of all types vary.
Could be the landscaping or view from the front of the hotel
They are nice and some have the view of the guitar fountain that is in front of HRH.

Standard view sounds like it is different from what I am aware of.
I have read some trip reports and peeps remarked that their standard view was of a parking lot.

But, some trip reports are not current so suggest you call the hotel direct and ask them what are the views if you book a standard room.

Deluxe Queen can be requested when you check in.
There are not many of them so they do not have them listed as bookable in advance to the general public.
If one is available when you check in, you can request it.


Thanks. I actually have a deluxe queen booked for October - it was available to choose on the website as I booked. I would also expect a "standard" room to be the worst view - parking lot or whatever - so that's why it didn't make sense to me that it's MORE expensive than Pool or Garden. If I get a definitive answer I'll post back!.
 
Please do as things change frequently and it helps having new info so I can update the hotel stickies

You are lucky as I don’t see the deluxe rooms always listed on the booking site

Glad you got it
 


If you check on www.loewshotels.com, it shows standard being cheapest (limited views), followed by garden (lets you look out upon a different area of the hotel's scenic grounds) and then pool (I assume it looks over the pool).

So I assume standard has trees in front of the windows or is a parking lots, pool is pool and garden is everything else.
 
Looking at your dates, I see them same thing as OP. Standard is showing $386.40 (Seasonal Rate). Garden Queen is $341.65 (Stay More Save More). Pool Queen is $367.40 (SMSM). However, both Garden and Pool also show a Seasonal Rate, but Standard only shows a Seasonal Rate. I think it's just a strange artifact of the two different rate categories.
 
I see the same thing for RPR Thanksgiving week. I interpreted it as the SMSM rate for the cheaper standard is sold out, only the seasonal rate is available. A pool view room has the SMSM rate available, so it is actually less than the standard.

I checked last years thread and APH rates for Nov became available on Aug 8, so I will be stalking the website around then!
 


I had the same thing for Cabana Bay. I assumed they did not offer SMSM rate for standard view - the standard view reverts to "Seasonal" rate, but if you select SMSM you can select Pool view, suites, or a few other options. And of course the SMSM rate is cheaper than the seasonal.

Edit: Since I am booking over a year out and tried a few different dates / different hotels, and saw the same thing, I don't think the standards are fully booked for SMSM rate at that time. I think it is a policy.
 
I have definitely had a SMSM standard room at Cabana Bay, and I actually had a standard booked for 5 nights at RPR over Thanksgiving with the SMSM also*. I just modified it today to 4 nights and had to go with pool view for the lower SMSM rate. With Universal the advice is to keep checking back because things can change.

I just checked a random 5 night stay at CBBR in September in the website and got a SMSM rate on a standard room. If you are looking a year out, they may eventually show up for your dates.

*Here's my old SMSM conf for a standard room, I booked it on May 31 after the SW flights came out -
Reservation Number
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Guest Name
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Arrival Date Tuesday, November 20, 2018
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Departure Date Sunday, November 25, 2018
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Total Number of Nights 5
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Room Type Standard 2 Queen Room

Room Rate Per Night
Nov 20 $231.75
Nov 21 - Nov 22 $317.90
Nov 23 - Nov 24 $343.40

Rate Description
Stay More, Save More Enjoy special savings - the longer you stay the more you save! Not combinable with other offers/discounts.
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Number of Guests 2
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Total Cost $1,554.35
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The above rate(s) do not include a 12.5% room tax and other taxes associated with this reservation. This rate does not include parking fees.
 
Last edited:
I think when the same rate is compared, the standard is cheapest followed by garden and pool view.

I also think that SMSM is often inventory based.
 
Last edited:
Georgina, you were right. The SMSM standard view room showed up for my dates a week or two after I booked, and I switched my reservation to the cheaper view.

I wonder why they would gradually release room types so far out? They can't possibly have been previously fully booked.
 
Conventions book up blocks of rooms even at 3 years out

Quite a few cancel their conferences and the rooms that were held

You will see rooms open up in large numbers when this happens

Sometimes smsm code will be available in order to book those rooms quickly
 

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