Rosen Centre Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

International Drive, Orlando, Florida

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Wildlife-themed Everglades Restaurant

The Rosen Centre is part hotel, part convention center -- an entirely common combination in Orlando, particulary around International Drive and the Orange County Convention Center (the second-largest convention center in the country). The hotel is a giant tower filled with 1,334 older guest rooms. At its base: 100,000 square feet of meeting space, four unremarkable restaurants, a large free-form outdoor pool, a small gym and spa, and an expansive lobby that's built not to dazzle, but rather accommodate the high volume of business travelers.

Many other Orlando business hotels are very similar to the run-of-the-mill Rosen Centre. Most of the big chains, however, like the Westin or the Marriott, best it in terms of overall room quality. Also, the Peabody Hotel across the street looks and feels much classier. For a family vacation, take a look at the Universal properties, such as the Royal Pacific, the Hard Rock, or Caribe Royale. Likewise, any of the Disney Resort properties, like the Wilderness Lodge or the Animal Kingdom Lodge, offer more much more exciting pools, play areas, and on-site attractions for kids.

• Room service from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Free shuttles to Universal Studios (10 minutes away) and SeaWorld (five minutes)
• No shuttle service to the Disney theme parks

View on a Larger Map

The Rosen Centre is located directly across the street from the Orange County Convention Center on International Drive, a 14.5-mile road parallel to Interstate 4 that's chock-full of hotels, strip malls, outlet shops, and restaurants. There are no notable tourist attractions within walking distance of the hotel, though it only takes a short drive or a free shuttle bus ride to get to the theme parks.

• Free shuttle service to Universal Studios (10 minutes away) and SeaWorld (five minutes away)
• 15-minute drive to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom parking lot, followed by a 15-minute ride on a tram and monorail to the park itself; similar commute to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios
• 15-minute drive to Orlando International Airport
• 15-minute drive to downtown Orlando. There's not much to see downtown, though Orange Avenue has a notable dining and nightlife scene, and non-theme-park attractions like the Orlando Science Center and Harry P. Leu Gardens are also popular with tourists.

The Standard Room

• Standard rooms, called Deluxe Rooms, are about average in size (325 square feet) and have either one king-size or two double-size beds
• Clean, but lower-quality bedding than at most big-chain hotels, like the Westin, Hilton, or Marriott
• Cheap-looking bathroom fixtures
• Old, tube TVs (not flat-screens)
• No iPod hookups on the alarm clocks
• Coffeemaker
• Club Level VIP rooms (on the 23rd and 24th floors) include free continental breakfasts (daily), access to an honor bar, and fax and computer access in the VIP lounge
• One- and two-bedroom suites also available, as well as a Two Bay Hospitality Suite, which is basically just a 520-square-foot meeting space with a Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall.

Large free-form pool

Like many Orlando business hotels, the Rosen Centre also offers a host of leisure amenities, but the quality of these features is only average, or slightly below average.

• Large, free-form pool and hot tub
• Kids' pool
• Poolside bar
• Small fitness center and an older-looking spa
• Tennis courts
• Video game arcade
• Airline check-in desk
• Car-rental desk
• Business center with shipping services and computer terminals

Kids will enjoy the video game room

The Rosen Centre adequately caters to families with small children -- it has a large pool area with a separate kiddie pool, plus a video arcade and plenty of kid-friendly dining options.

• Standard rooms sleep up to four guests on two double-size beds; extra rollaway beds ($15 per night) and cribs (free) also available.
• Large free-form pool; separate kiddie pool
• Video game room
• Kids' menus are available for room service and at Cafe Gauguin; kid-friendly snacks also available at Red's Deli.