Universal Orlando opens Sapphire Falls Resort, its fifth hotel

July 14, 2016, 10:49 AM · Universal Orlando Resort officially opened its fifth on-site hotel to guests this morning.

The Loews Sapphire Falls Resort is located between the Royal Pacific and Cabana Bay — both physically and in terms of price and amenities. The Caribbean-themed hotel offers 1,000 guest rooms, including 83 suites, and, like the Royal Pacific, is connected to CityWalk and the theme parks by the resort's free water taxi service.

However, like the Cabana Bay, Universal Express Unlimited passes are not included with your room, though guests can enjoy early access to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter each morning. The Sapphire Falls includes Universal Orlando's largest single hotel pool, as well as four restaurants: Amatista Cookhouse, Drhum Club Kantine, New Dutch Trading Co., and Strong Water Tavern and convention meeting space.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
Photos courtesy Universal Orlando

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort guest room

Rooms rates will start between $119-176 per night, depending upon season. The addition of the 1,000-room Loews Sapphire Falls Resort brings Universal Orlando's on-site room inventory to 5,200 across five hotels, with planning for a sixth hotel underway.

Replies (11)

July 14, 2016 at 11:31 AM · The pictures and video don't look much like the Caribbean, except maybe the music, but it looks like a nice hotel. The buildings look kind of standard, it reminds me of the non-themed buildings of the proposed Disneyland luxury hotel.
July 14, 2016 at 11:43 AM · Maybe it's a cruise ship docked in a port in the Caribbean? ;^)
July 14, 2016 at 11:49 AM · @Robert Niles

That would be a clever theme for the smaller 600 room hotel they are building next. Could easily tie into Cabana, Sapphire, and volcano bay without breaking theming.

July 14, 2016 at 2:26 PM · Do they have king-size beds in the room is my question? I peaked at their website a while back and everything I saw looked like two queens and are geared at families. I just want a nice room with a king size bed.
July 14, 2016 at 2:34 PM · A cruise ship themed hotel, now that is a winning idea! Kind of like the ship at Tokyo Disney Sea, or the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, now which company is going to beat the other to the punch, Disney or Universal?
July 14, 2016 at 5:24 PM · I've always wondered about the management of Universal's hotels. Seems like at some point Universal might want to run their own properties instead of contracting with Loews.

(I'm under the assumption that Universal is the full owner and Loews has the management contract to run the hotels and provide the reservation systems. I just tried to verify those assumptions, but couldn't get a definitive answer.)

July 14, 2016 at 5:27 PM · Tracy: According to the current website, standard view rooms only have two queen beds. Lagoon view or pool view have either two queen beds or one king bed.
July 14, 2016 at 7:21 PM · Alex Daley, Loews has about half ownership of the hotels
July 15, 2016 at 7:31 AM · I am going to be there in September, I am so excited to go back to Universal as always, plus staying in a new fresh hotel is always a plus.
July 15, 2016 at 7:41 AM · anybody know what the kid suites theme is yet?
July 15, 2016 at 9:47 AM · Thanks 24.148.57.19. That's the information I tried to find yesterday without success.

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