Near Orange County Conv Center and Universal

[Zakery]

Hi

I am looking at attending Microsoft Ignite at the Orange County Convention Center. It runs from the Monday until the Friday during the last week of September. I am trying to decide on whether it would make more sense to stay at a hotel right by the Convention Center and to taxi back and forth to Universal on the weekend before or whether I should stay at Cabana Bay and commute via cab to the conference during the week.

The conference has an attendance of between 20 and 30 thousand people so commuting might be painful if I have to do it every day.

This is a solo trip so I don't need the biggest or best when it comes to hotels, I just need clean.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a hotel or should I go with Cabana?

Ps. After the conference I'm going to move over to a Disney resort for a few days to do the parks.

Thanks.

 

[writerguyfl]

The conference has an attendance of between 20 and 30 thousand people so commuting might be painful if I have to do it every day.

Getting a cab to the Convention Center shouldn't be a problem. However, I'd bet that the cab line leaving at the end of the day might be very long.

This is a solo trip so I don't need the biggest or best when it comes to hotels, I just need clean. Does anyone have any suggestions for a hotel or should I go with Cabana?

It's been several years, but I had a couple of excellent stays at the Hampton Inn Orlando International Drive/Convention Center. (The one at 8900 Universal Blvd.) It's a typical Hampton Inn, but the staff were top notch and the rooms were clean. It is roughly 15 minutes walk to the North Building of the Convention Center.

Link to official website: http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/ho...al-drive-convention-center-MCOCCHX/index.html

One thing about the Orange County Convention Center is that it's a massive place. There are two main buildings: the West Concourse and the North Building. Hotels that are within walking distance of one building probably wouldn't be walking distance to the other. The closest hotels with easy access to both will likely come with a high price. A map courtesy of Bing Maps:

1. Hampton Inn Orlando International Drive/Convention Center
2. North Building - Orange County Convention Center
3. West Concourse - Orange County Convention Center
4. Hyatt Regency Orlando
5. Hilton Orlando
6. Rosen Centre Hotel

At map location #1, you'll also find a SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, Hyatt Place, and Homewood Suites.

 

[Zakery]

Thanks a bunch. If my work is covering the hotel then I'll definitely look at it. I think they already adjusted their price during the conferenc (it is huge) and they are asking around 230 a night which is out of my personal budget. The info is really good and helps.

 

[thegoof121]

I stayed at the Hampton Inn near Universal one time and drove to the Convention Center from there. Drive was not bad at all. Coming back was a bit of a pain because I had to make a left turn to get into the parking lot.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

Hang the cab idea - The Orange County Convention Center is WELL served by the I-Drive Trolley, which is an ultra-cheap week-long ticket. It'll get you close to the main entrance to Universal, like within reasonable walking distance. I did it several times in July, in a heat index of 118, and I'm from Seattle (allergic to heat).

Stay at a hotel on the I-Drive Trolley line, take the trolley to and from if it's too long to walk to the conference center. There are a metric TON of hotel rooms on the lines. Stick with the Orange line, since it runs every 20 minutes. The Green line runs every 30.

In that neck of the woods, there is zero reason to use a cab for anything. Uber or the Trolley will get you most places. I've even ridden the Lynx local transit there, and it was just fine. When you switch, use Uber. It's the easiest way and you can usually get a discount via your CC.

 

[Zakery]

I like the trolley idea. Currently toying with two options.

1) actually stay at Cabana Bay. This would be great for the weekend but would mean a longer bus ride back and forth to the conference but would means I can walk easily over each night to City Walk. I'm a bit worried about the bus commute time each morning. Is it something I should be worried about?

2) stay at Avanti or the Best Western that are near the Eye and just have a good walk to the conference. I tend to walk about 30 minutes back and forth to work each day. This would be a bit cheaper but I'm wondering if it would actually be less convenient.

 

[bearzabout]

Check to see which official conference hotels offer bus service to and from the convention center. We always feel it is better to have the bus driver sit in traffic while we park or stay slightly off the beaten path. It is possible that a universal hotel is on the conference's bus route which will make getting to the convention center easy and you will end up right where you want to be at the end of the day.