The Helios Grand Hotel, along with all of Epic Universe, is opening soon. Today, May 19th, 2025, select media and content creators were invited to experience Universal’s newest park as a part of a promotional experience intended to allow citizens of the internet worldwide to see the incredible accomplishments of Universal Orlando Resort’s creative team as they officially unveil their newest theme park on May 22nd, 2025. Theme Park Shark was honored to be among the media outlets invited inside Epic Universe to this four-day experience, with our very own Dustin Sparage on the front lines of this incredible opportunity.
With four days of this breathtaking new park to explore, Theme Park Shark is bringing you the full Epic Universe experience, with live streams, ride reviews, food and beverage directories, and the true Universal Orlando Resort experience as we take a deep dive into the offerings of this brand-new, cutting-edge theme park.
To start off, Theme Park Shark is breaking down everything you need to know about the Helios Grand Hotel. We previously covered Universal’s breaking news about the Helios Grand Hotel back in August, long before the final details had been polished on this astounding new hotel. Now that the doors are officially opening for guests, let’s take a look Inside Epic Universe.
The Helios Grand Hotel
While there are plenty of options on- and off-property for those looking to travel in to Orlando for the vacation of a lifetime (or even those of us here in Florida looking for a back yard getaway!) – none of them compare to the Helios Grand Hotel. This 500-room hotel is the crown jewel of the new park, sitting squarely at the back of the main land, towering over Celestial Park. This hotel not only includes its own dedicated entrance to Epic Universe, but offers some of the most astounding views of the park from any one of its front-facing upper-floor windows and observation areas, allowing guests to experience not only the whole breadth of Epic Universe at its finest, but the experience of Epic’s new nighttime show in Celestial Park and an unparalleled view of the park lit up at night.
Featuring three restaurants, room service, and two state-of-the-art lounges like Bar Helios, this hotel was built for luxury; and being a Loews property – a hotel property management firm with a long history partnering with Universal Orlando Resort – that’s hardly a surprise. The newest addition to Universal’s illustrious list of luxury hotels, like the Hard Rock Hotel, the Loews Portofino Hotel, the Loews Royal Pacific Hotel, and Sapphire Falls Hotel, the Grand Helios is a worthy addition to the portfolio of accommodations that Universal Orlando Resort has deemed their “Premier” tier hotels.
The Helios Grand Hotel is a Mediterranean-inspired getaway whose design focuses on the opulence of the celestial Gods, but that provides a luxury experience at reasonable rates, with nights starting in the 200s. This affordability comes with only one drawback for those well-versed in Universal’s premier hotel line: booking at the Helios Grand Hotel does not entitle guests to express passes for the duration of their stay, as booking with the other premier-tier hotels would. This should be factored into guests’ planning, as express passes will have to be purchased separately from the hotel accommodations – but with nightly rates as low as they are, purchasing express passes comes at a much more reasonable cost.
However, guests staying at the Helios Grand Hotel are still entitled to Early Park Admission (when offered), complimentary shuttles across Universal Orlando’s property, resort-wide charging privileges, and complimentary merchandise delivery.
The Helios Grand Hotel offers a variety of amenities, including a resort-style pool, a fitness center, and a game room, as well as a three-meal restaurant, a rooftop bar, a pool bar and grill, grab-and-go options for those busy theme park days, and room service.
The Helios Grand Hotel Restaurants
The Flora Taverna
The full Flora Taverna menu, including beer, wine, and cocktails, can be found [here] and offers guests the chance to make reservations for this dining experience.
This full-service restaurant is the star of the show at the Helios Grand Hotel. Offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and desserts, this restaurant offers a wide array of delectable dishes that offer something for everyone.
Offering a full breakfast buffet and a lunch and dinner menu full of Mediterranean comfort foods, this restaurant is truly second to none. Guests can enjoy an open kitchen, live cooking, a pizza oven, open grills, a gyro station, and the light and airy atmosphere of the Mediterranean brought to live in Orlando, Florida as they enjoy their meal amid breathtaking views of Epic Universe below.
The Flora Taverna opens at 7 AM and serves breakfast until 11; lunch is served from 12-2 PM, and dinner is served from 5-10 PM, offering guests the flexibility they need during the intense and sometimes hectic experience of a theme park vacation.
Aurora Market
The Aurora Market is a grab-and-go quick-service counter designed to keep guests on the move, whether it be on the way out during a day at Epic Universe or on the way to the pool, this venue offers snacks and beverages to help fuel your day on the go.
Featuring coffee service, pastries, fresh fruit, and more to satisfy your hunger without slowing you down, guests can purchase a wide variety of items at the Aurora Market, including alcoholic beverages. With offerings like croissants, cakes, paninis, wraps, salads, gelato, and more, it’s a convenient option that doesn’t sacrifice taste.
The Aurora Market is located in the lobby of the Helios Grand Hotel, ensuring the most easily-accessible snacks and beverages during your hotel stay. Despite the fact that the Aurora Market, being a grab-and-go counter, does not offer seating, plenty of additional seating is available in the Helios Grand Lobby if needed.
Lotus Lagoon
The full Lotus Lagoon menu, including food, beer, wine, and cocktails, can be found [here] and offers guests the option to place pick-up orders.
The Lotus Lagoon is the premier poolside bar at Universal’s Helios Grand Hotel, offering guests a way to stay cool in the intense Florida heat while enjoying some down time at their world-class, resort-styled pool, whether they be lounging in the sun or splashing in the water. This venue offers frozen cocktails, cold beer, and fountain drinks, as well as snacks and appetizers that can be ordered poolside so you never have to leave the oasis of the lagoon.
Offering ample seating at the open-air restaurant portion of the Lotus Lagoon, or allowing you to take your food and drink back to your poolside chair, the Lotus Lagoon is sure to keep you well-fed and cool in the hot Florida sun.
Featuring snacks like hummus and spreads, chicken wings, salads, and a variety of handhelds, the Lotus Lagoon comes equipped with everything you need to enjoy that relaxing wind-down day at the pool, no clunky cooler required. Kids’ plates and desserts are also on the menu, with plenty of options for palettes of all kinds.
The Helios Grand Hotel Lounges & Bars
Flora Taverna Lobby Bar
The Flora Taverna also offers a Lobby Bar, enticing guests to enjoy the lush plant life and floor-to-ceiling windows featured in the lobby as they create custom cocktails, beer, and wine for guests to enjoy in the light and airy lobby of the Helios Grand Hotel. This lobby bar offers all the same incredible variety as the Flora Taverna restaurant, allowing guests to pick and choose from an impressive list of cocktails, beer, and wine and will get their Helios Grand Hotel stay off on the right (relaxed) foot.
This lobby bar invites guests to slow down and take in the beauty of the lobby and the relaxation that comes with the celestial architecture that was designed for the Helios Grand Hotel; the hotel’s Mediterranean roots are on full display in the lobby, which allow guests a breath of fresh air as they bask in the warm sunlight and admire the details that went into the stunning lobby area, transforming the hotel check-in into a realm celebrating the majesty and grace of the celestial Gods of old.
Bar Helios
The full Bar Helios menu, including beer, wine, and cocktails, can be found [here] and offers guests the chance to make reservations for this dining experience.
Perhaps one of the most highly-anticipated locations at the new Epic Universe property, Bar Helios is an experience unlike any other. This rooftop bar is comprised of three distinct areas: the circle bar with a 360-degree viewing deck, the intimate dining area, and the al freso area that overlooks Epic Universe and offers breathtaking views of the park.
Blending tapas with comfort foods, this bar offers a variety of cocktails, small bites, and full-on meals for all of your dining needs; offering a food menu that features burgers and sliders, salads, seafood, lamb and chicken gyros, there’s something for everyone at Bar Helios, including small bites and appetizers.
Guests aged 21 or over with valid ID can also enjoy one of the bar’s fifteen specialty cocktails, all themed after Greek Gods, legends, and historical allegories. Wine by the glass and select beers are also available for purchase at Bar Helios, with a stunning twenty-eight different selections of wine and twenty different beers available for all tastes.
All available wine and beer selections can be found on the official menu, linked above.
Booking at Room at the Helios Grand Hotel
Universal’s Helios Grand Hotel is a 500 room hotel that includes 35 suites and three different levels of rooms. Guests can choose from standard rooms, club-level rooms, or suites, with a variety of options included at each tier. Guests looking to book a room can visit Universal’s official site [here], or the Loews booking site [here].
Standard Rooms
“Tastefully highlighted in hues of blue and purple, the guest rooms of Universal Helios Grand Hotel evoke the tranquillity of a blissful garden, with impressionistic depictions of flowers adorning the headboard.”
Guests can choose from either a King Bed room, a Standard 2 Queen, or a Deluxe 2 Queen room; options include Standard, Pool View, Skyline View, Theme Park View, and Deluxe.
The King Bedroom features one king-sized bed and a two-compartment, three-fixture bathroom situated in a 340-square foot room that accommodates up to four guests (with the addition of a rollaway bed, if available).
The Standard 2 Queen room features 2 Queen beds in a 325-square-foot room for up to five guests, and includes a two-compartment, three-fixture bathroom.
The Deluxe 2 Queen room offers a slightly larger room at 415-square feet, accommodating up to five guests. This room features two queen-sized beds, a common area, and a couch sleeper, and a two-compartment, three-fixture bathroom.
Club-Level Rooms
“Guests staying on the Club Level will enjoy exclusive extras during their stay, including access to a private lounge, continental breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres and personal concierge service.”
Guests staying in a club-level room can choose from the Standard 2 Queen room with or without the Theme Park View. Guests booking Club-level rooms also get access to exclusive benefits, like access to the private, 1345-square-foot lounge on the 9th floor, evening turn-down service, complimentary coffee, teas, and soft drinks, continental breakfast and snacks served daily, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, personal concierge service, a nightly sweet treat, and a TV viewing area and board game lending library .
Suites
“Perfect for a family that wants a little privacy, wants to stretch out or is ready to entertain, these suites will accommodate up to four guests (with a rollaway bed*).”
The How to Train Your Dragon Kids’ Suite is a 545-square foot room that features a separate kids’ room themed to How to Train Your Dragon. After a full day at the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk land at Epic Universe, your kids can come home to more of that cozy viking hospitality with this expertly themed room featuring Toothless and the colorful architecture of Berk.
Also available is the King Suite, a 495-square-foot room that features a King Size Bed for the adults in a private room. This room also features a common area with a sleeper sofa, a 55″ flat-panel TV, and a microwave. Adjoining this room is a two-compartment, four-fixture bathroom that offers plenty of space for everyone.
Stepping it up is the Celestial Suite, a luxurious 740-square-foot suite with a king bed situated in a private bedroom, separated from the common area that comes equipped with a sectional sleeper sofa. Adjoining this suite is a two-compartment, four-fixture powder bath, a microwave, a small fridge, and a dining table to really vacation in the lap of luxury.
If that’s not enough, the Helios Grand Suite offers even more room, with 945-square-feet per suite, offering stunning theme park views. This suite features one king bed, as well as separate bath and vanity areas to keep everyone moving as you get ready for your big adventure. The living space, separated from the bedroom, offers a sofa bed, a dining table, a half-bath (for the bathroom hogs) and a kitchenette with a microwave, a small fridge, and a sink.
For larger gatherings, the Hospitality Suite is available, with a staggering 1200-square foot room that features a king-sized bed sequestered away from the common living area, which is perfectly equipped to host small gatherings. Also featured in this room is the standard two-compartment, four-fixture bathroom. This room sleeps up to four guests (with a rollaway bed, subject to availability).
For a truly unmatched and unrivaled experience at the Helios Grand Hotel, the Presidential Suite is the epitome of luxury and comfort. A 1500-square-foot room, guests staying at the Presidential Suite will have views of Epic Universe right outside their bedroom window, more breathtaking than any hotel view at Universal Orlando Resort. A private bedroom features a king sized bed adjoined to a large common area with plenty of additional seating, as well as a two fixture powder bath with toilet and single-sink vanity, a kitchen with a sink, a kitchen island and bar seating, a refrigerator with a freezer, a microwave, and a private fitness area with a 55″ flat panel TV and exercise bike.
Though this Presidential suite offers ample room, it only allows a maximum occupancy of two guests – so maybe not the best option to book for the family vacation, but luxurious all the same!
Things to do at the Helios Grand Hotel
Like many of Universal Orlando Resort’s premier hotels, there’s more to do than just restaurants and rooms. The Helios Grand, in true resort fashion, comes equipped with more amenities and offerings than most off-site hotels, including a Universal Orlando Resort gift shop right in the lobby, ensuring that the perfect souvenir is never far away.
Also included with your stay is access to the Lagoon Pool, In addition to the Lotus Lagoon poolside bar, guests get to enjoy a zero-entry pool with a hot tub when staying at the Helios Grand Hotel, ensuring that no matter how hard you play at the theme parks during your vacation, you will always have some relaxation to come home to at the end of the day.
Or, if you still have tons of energy after playing all day at the park, the on-side game room is yours to conquer. Featuring some of the latest videogames and arcade games (as well as some beloved classics), guests only need to purchase a game card at the service desk and let the fun begin!
And if you haven’t gotten your steps in during your time down at Universal’s four astounding theme parks, the Helios Grand Hotel also offers a state-of-the-art fitness center for all of your fitness needs. Featuring a variety of strength and cardio equipment, Universal Orlando Resort want to make sure you stay in top physical condition so you can enjoy the theme parks to their fullest.
Check Back for More from Inside Epic Universe
Check back soon, as Theme Park Shark will continue to bring you exclusive views from inside Epic Universe, as well as food reviews, ride reviews, and everything you need to know about the new theme park at Universal Orlando Resort. As Universal’s Media Preview gets under way, expect to see plenty of exclusive footage from Theme Park Shark as we tackle everything Epic, as well as theme park news from Disney, Universal, and theme parks from all across the world!
