On November 13th, 2006, we stayed at the Quality Inn Plaza located at 9000 International Drive in Orlando, Florida. I booked the room on Travelocity.com last minute at the rate of $44.96 plus tax, which came to $51.75. After searching for a hotel and reading the reviews, I found that the Quality Inn Plaza was my best bet for the price. I feel that reviews are key because advertisements can be very deceiving and the “star” ratings do not always reflect the comments that people write.
The hotel consists of six buildings and 1,020 rooms. The standard rooms have 2 double beds, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, cable TV, hair dryer, iron, ironing board, safe, and alarm clock. Check in went smoothly and we were directed to “Building D”. Our room was located on the sixth floor (also the top floor) and elevators are available. Parking was plentiful and convenient. When we entered our room, it was definitely the “standard” hotel/motel room. The bathroom was very small and our toilet paper holder was missing, with the toilet paper sitting on the back of the toilet. There were also many ink marks on some of the walls and doors, most likely done by a devious child! Our alarm clock didn’t work so we had to set the alarm on our cell phones to wake up for our early flight home.
One of the best points to this hotel is the location. It is centrally located on International Drive and convenient to all the popular area attractions. Free Shuttle service is available to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, and Wet ‘N Wild. It is also in walking distance to popular restaurants such as Race Rock, T.G.I.Friday’s, Pizza Hut, and The Olive Garden. The hotel has its own “Plaza Garden Restaurant” that serves a daily Breakfast Buffet from 6:30-10:30 AM and a Dinner Buffet from 5:00-9:30 PM. They offer a “Kids Eat Free” (11 and under) with a paid adult program for the Buffets and also a 50% discount (Early Bird Dinner Special) for Seniors (50+) between 5-7 PM. It also has a Mini Market/Deli located inside the lobby called “Lite Bites” which features snacks, beverages, soups and sandwiches. Another option located on hotel property is “Zebra’s Sports Bar” which offers a late night Bar Food Menu. I already had my heart set on The Olive Garden so we bypassed the hotel options.
The property has 3 pools, a children’s playground and Video Arcade Room to keep the kids busy. The hotel is also “Pet Friendly” at an additional $10.00 nightly fee. It is only 10 miles to the Orlando International Airport and easy to get to.
Overall, the hotel has many things to offer and is very conveniently located. The hotel advertises $59.95 for the 1st night and $49.95 for the 2nd night on its sign outside. I was able to get a better deal through Travelocity (44.96). If I were to rate the Quality Inn Plaza based on a 10 point scale, it would be as follows.
Room- 5 out of 10
Service- 9 out of 10
Amenities- 9 out of 10
Location- 10 out of 10
Price- 8 out of 10
