Castle Hotel Orlando: Is It Fit For Royalty

Charles I. Guarria
Jun 23
4 min read

I was looking for an IHG Hotel close to the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida when serendipity took me to Marriott Bonvoy’s Castle Hotel.

**Front entrance to the Castle Hotel in Orlando, Fla.**

This Autograph Collection hotel, located at 8602 Universal Blvd, is perfectly situated no more than 15 minutes from both Universal Studios and Universal Epic. It gets bonus points for its proximity to a top-rated steakhouse and fun entertainment district.

But before we discuss all that, note the beautiful lobby, which would be perfect if it was a bit bigger.

**A welcoming sight. The lobby at the Castle Hotel,**

To the left of the lobby is The Guild Restaurant & Bar. It’s a wonderful bar offering friendly service, advertising “endless alcohol and cocktail options.”

The buffet breakfast at The Guild Restaurant & Bar is small in offerings but great in taste.

The scrambled eggs are spot-on, no matter if you take them with or without cheese.

I topped my yogurt with fruit and various granola-style nut mixes that were outstanding; I was less than thrilled with the apple Danish but will allow that others may have a different opinion of it.

Much like the bar employees, the breakfast waitstaff at The Guild Restaurant & Bar are friendly and efficient.

Walking the surrounding Castle Hotel area, I ran smack dab into Vito’s Chop House. An eatery that consistently lands on top steakhouse lists for Central Florida.

It is sincerely one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten in. The ambiance, experience, and food, be it steak or seafood, sides or main, are outstanding. Equal compliments can be paid to the variety of drinks available for your enjoyment.

The food at Vito’s is so good that I have not eaten a dinner meal at The Guild Restaurant & Bar.

**The main dining area at Vito's Chop House. Private dining options are available.**

On the other side of the hotel, from where Vito’s Chop House is, one will discover ICON Park.

**The Orlando Eye at ICON Park is one of many attractions at the 20-acre entertainment destination.**

It is an entertainment destination consisting of 19 food options, an aquarium, a carousel wheel, a Ferris wheel, shopping, live entertainment, Madam Tussauds (wax museum ) movies, and countless more family fun activities.

Adults are not forgotten at ICON Park. Donna and I stopped at The Winery & Tasting Room by Brewlando. I built my own flight consisting of four one-ounce dessert liquors highlighted by the Tomasello Butter Pecan Cream. All four were outstanding.

That’s not to say Castle Hotel is pure royalty. It has had a few glitches along the way.

I’ve been there twice. The first go-round, the Wi-Fi wasn’t working, seemingly no one was knowledgeable enough to know why. One person at the front desk said I shouldn’t be attempting to log on via my Wi-Fi, while another said I should.

In the end, I restarted my laptop and attempted to log on via my Wi-Fi, and it worked. I am a Marriott Bonvoy loyalty member, have stayed at many of their hotels and have not had such issues in the past.

Once solved, the Wi-Fi fail proved to be nothing more than small potatoes in the big picture of travel, where room comfort is key.

To that point, the rooms are fine but would be better with a few changes.

I suggest upgrading the furniture as some of it looked cheap. An enhancement to the lighting in the area of the desk and the middle of the room would also be good.

We had an issue with our door. The deadbolt lock wouldn’t always close properly. Maintenance said it wasn’t the lock; it was the way the door was being closed, affecting the deadbolt.

It’s not us, it’s you, isn’t the best in customer service. Add that I’ve been closing doors for 60 years and deadbolt locks in hotels for about 40 of those years, and I am pretty sure it ain’t me; it was the door. Nevertheless, the lock did work, just not as it was designed to.

It must be a door thing at Castle Hotel. The door leading back to The Guild Restaurant & Bar from the patio seating was locked from the outside. I had gone to the outside seating to work and was rescued by a diner who opened the door for me.

There are 341 Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection hotels throughout the world. Labeled as upper upscale by STR, Inc. (Smith Travel Research), the brand is known as eclectic and slants toward smaller ownership groups. Its tagline boosts the brand as being "exactly like nothing else."

What’s the upshot at the Castle Hotel? You probably won’t feel like a king or queen if you stay there, but if being a duke or duchess suits you fine, then this is a worthwhile stay. I’ll be there again for that reason and the location. So stay tuned for updates!