Universal Orlando shows off its next two theme park hotels

Is it just me or do the pools look extremely small for 750-room hotels?

These look very nice with rooms that are efficiently designed and appointed, though they might be pretty tight if you have 4 adults or 2 parents and 2 teenagers. Ultimately it will come down to where these are priced. If they're on par with the Endless Summer Resorts (Dockside and Surfside) on the "value" end of the spectrum, then I think these will be a big hit, but if they're priced closer to Cabana Bay, Aventura, and Sapphire Falls on the "moderate" part of the spectrum, I could see these being less popular. While these are closer to Epic Universe than Endless Summer, they're further from the rest of the Universal Orlando Resort (IOA/USF/CityWalk) than the value-based property. Unless there's walking access from these resorts to EU (like there is for the other moderates to the current parks with clear and well-maintained paths), I don't think Universal can market these hotels on the same level with their other "moderate" resorts.

Ultimately, I would wait for the details on the Helios Grand before booking a stay at either of these hotels right now, and would much prefer to stay at Endless Summer if I'm planning a visit before Epic Universe opens.

The first thing that came to my mind when seeing the thumbnail of the video is how they replaced all the neighboring development with trees. I am in this area frequently, there is an apartment building literally rubbing up on the side of one of these resort buildings lol.

These do look like nice resorts, but they are definitely in the middle of tacky sprawl-ville USA. Sadly UO will never be able to replicate the remoteness feeling of WDW.

Is it just me or do the building colors in the rendition differ significantly from the colors of the what's being constructed? I like the light blues, greens, and oranges in the concept art, but so far in the construction all I see is dark purple. Maybe there's still work left to be done?

Functional but very clinical. The first thing I thought when they went into the bedroom was "where's the straight-jacket?" I, personally, wouldn't consider staying there as they have absolutely zero charm or character.

These must be the worst looking hotels ever built in Orlando. I drive past them at least once a week, and they are definitely the proverbial blot on the landscape.

And when driving north on Universal with the sun on your left and directly on the tiles, the glare is a danger for drivers.

Can't see the tiles lasting .....

As an interior designer, who's also worked on several hospitality/commercial projects, the hotel's interior comes off as an insipid space motif. Albeit I didn't expect much of the interior rooms after seeing previous hotels on Universal's property, but I figured they'd step it up a notch with the lobby. Very much reminds me of the Grande Centre Point Space hotel in Thailand but on the cheap. Unlike others who've stated here previously, I actually the exterior.