Radisson Hotel Orlando UCF

On a recent trip to Orlando I decided to stay at a new location, the Radisson Hotel Orlando UCF in Orlando. I make frequent trips to Orlando for business and leisure and like to try out new places. A friend of mine recommended the Radisson near University of Central Florida. He’d never given me a bad recommendation before so I figured it must be a decent place. I’ve stayed in plenty of Radisson hotels before but mainly on the west coast in cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

I’ll be the first to admit it I like hotel lobbies that have a “wow” factor. Radisson does a great job at making a great first impression with their lobbies and this Orlando location was no different. The ornate marble tiling along with the detailed craftsmanship in the ceiling, fixtures and walls gave it that five diamond feel.

I went for the upgrade and booked myself a business class room that gave me access to better amenities. What really caught my eye were the free in-room gourmet breakfast and drink voucher that I was able to use every day during my three night stay. The rooms were nice and I enjoyed the mahogany décor. If I owned a hotel I would require mahogany in all the rooms. It just looks upscale and professional. With my business class room upgrade I got to check in a couple of hours early before everyone else which allowed me to take a shower, eat, and fit in a quick workout before heading off to my meeting at UCF.

Back to the room…the upgraded room was noticeable especially to me because I’ve stayed at my fair share of hotel rooms. The desk was oversized and gave me plenty of room for my laptop, iPad, phone, and business papers. One thing I can’t stand is having to try and fit all of my stuff on a desk that looks like it should be in a kindergarten classroom. There were also several more outlets which are great for tech geeks like me who have a gadget for everything. I noticed the work chair was very comfortable and high quality.

I was in Orlando giving a presentation at the University of Central Florida for some colleagues so having that nice large desk to organize printed out PowerPoint slides was great. Oh, the room also came equipped with a laptop safe which brought a great deal of peace of mind.

That night after my meeting I had worked up a hefty appetite listening to presentation and presentation on global logistics and supply chain management strategies. I headed back to the hotel and decided to eat at the hotel restaurant Dillinger’s Chophouse. I wasn’t sure what to think about it because I’ve been to plenty of steakhouses, seafood houses, but never a chophouse.

Anyway, the restaurant had kind of an old school Chicago flair to it. The atmosphere was pretty lively for a hotel restaurant as Big Band music was playing through the speakers. The staff was really attentive and I didn’t have to stand around and wait like at many other hotels. I ordered the grilled chicken with vegetables and a glass of white wine…trying to keep my figure.

Anyway, when you eat by yourself you have time to thoroughly examine your food and your atmosphere because you’ve got nothing else to do. Although I ordered a pretty boring dish it tasted great. The chicken was seasoned just right and was obviously baked in some fresh olive oil. The vegetables were crisp and had that thin coating of oil on them that gives them a crisp texture and great taste. Even though it was a healthy meal I felt guilty for eating it. I used my drink voucher so the wine was free and since Dillinger’s has nightly specials I walked out of the place not as light in the pocket book as I thought I was going to.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay at the Radisson Hotel UCF in Orlando. I definitely recommend upgrading to the business class because the amenities are well worth the extra cost especially if you plan on spending time in your room working and need space for your things.