The Peabody Orlando Rating: 4.5 Pearls

International Drive, Orlando, Florida

The Peabody Orlando

The Peabody Orlando is a refreshing change in a town full of sprawling mega-resorts. With 1,641 rooms, it's not a small hotel by any measure, but the hotel has a character and an elegance that sets it apart from most of Orlando's big chain hotels and theme park resorts. It opened in 1986 as an offshoot to the more prestigious Peabody Hotel in Memphis (first opened in 1869) and, keeping up a Peabody tradition, it also hosts a cute duck march two times a day. Light, limestone, water, flowers, and contemporary artwork all work to create a more modern, yet still sophisticated air. And like the original, its luxury is in the details -- a rigorous, eight-step cleaning process, for example, gives the marble tiling around the hotel an impeccable gleam.

The hotel completed a $450 million expansion in September 2010 that doubled the number of rooms (a new 32-story tower was opened), drastically increased the amount of meeting space (to a whopping 300,000 square feet), and added a huge spa and fitness center, a new grotto pool, and a wine-themed restaurant. The existing rooms got a much-needed overhaul as well.

One of the main draws to the property is its location: directly beside the Orange County Convention Center, the second largest convention center in the U.S.

Peabody porters

The Peabody's comprehensive list of services shows that the hotel anticipates all of its guests' needs, from basic services like luggage assistance to transportation services to Orlando's biggest attractions. Each task is executed with the grace and efficiency of a top-tier hotel. To top it off, the staff remembers your name.

• 24-hour room service
• Free afternoon tea service in the lobby
• Nightly turndown service
• 24-hour concierge can book tickets to theme parks, restaurant reservations, and provide area information; dedicated "golf concierge."
• Video and express checkout available
• Business services include secretarial support, office equipment rental, poster and signage printing, copying, faxing, and shipping. Attendant available daily, 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Overnight shoeshine service
• Weekday newspaper delivery
• Two free I-Ride trolley tickets; guests can use the tickets to get to SeaWorld or restaurants along International Drive
• 24-hour shuttle to and from the Orlando International Airport; $17, one-way, $28, round-trip for adults; $13 and $21, respectively, for kids ages four to 11 (if there are more than two adults, it's cheaper to take a taxi); town car service available for airport pickup ($63) and drop-off ($48)
• Shuttle to Disney theme parks; $10 per person, round-trip
• Shuttle to Universal Studios; $14 per person, round-trip (it's cheaper to take a cab if there are two people)
• Shuttle to Kennedy Space Center; $30 per person round-trip, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Valet parking ($20 plus tax per night); self-parking as well ($12 per night)

View on a Larger Map

The Peabody is located directly beside 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 bus ride to get to the different theme parks.

• Five-minute drive to SeaWorld
• 10-minute drive to Universal theme parks
• 15-minute drive to the entrance of Walt Disney World
• 15-minute drive to the 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 popular among tourists.
• For public transportation, the LYNX bus and I-Ride trolley stop directly in front of the Peabody.

A standard, "Superior Room"

Rooms received much-needed upgrades as part of the hotel's $450 million renovation, completed in 2010, including 42-inch flat-screen TVs and mini LCD TVs in the bathroom mirrors.

• Large standard rooms (400 square feet) with, usually, two double-size beds; rooms with king-size beds available only by request
• Great beds: Simmons Beautyrest mattresses; poly-cotton sheets; six down pillows; down comforters
• 42-inch flat-screen TVs with 33 TV channels including HBO; pay-per-view movies and Internet TV available
• Alarm clock with a place to plug in your iPod
• Bathroom has a marble countertop, mini LCD TV in the bathroom mirror, stainless steel fixtures, and a shower-tub combo.
• Hotel-brand bath products include citrus-scented shampoo, conditioner, lotion and duck-shaped hand soap
• Waffle-weave cotton bathrobes
• Minibar; exorbitant 22-percent restocking fee added to your purchase
• Wired Internet included in the $15-per-day hotel service fee; Wi-Fi costs an extra $3
• Tip: Balconies are available in some of the guest rooms, but these rooms don't cost extra -- be sure to request one.

The pool

• The hotel is revamping the large lap pool in 2010
• The heated pool has a bar and cabana eqipped with towels and sunblock
• Large, mosaic-tile Jacuzzi; separate children's pool with a waterfall; and a grotto pool that was added as part of the massive 2010 expansion
• When we visitied, there were poolside cabanas ($75 full day; $50 half-day) featuring a TV, telephone, Wi-Fi, deck table and chairs, and lounge chairs; available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• 24-hour business center with two PCs, a printer, and a copier; Internet use costs 69 cents per minute; remote printing from your laptop to the business center printer available
• The 22,000-square-foot spa and fitness center -- which was renovated in 2010 -- features a hair salon, Serenity Pool and, of course, spa treatments by professional massage therapists
• On-site golf Pro Shop sells and rents golf equipment, and helps guests make arrangements to play at nearby courses.
• Four lighted, outdoor tennis courts on the 3rd floor; tennis lessons can be booked at the gym
• Shops selling resort wear and convenience items
• 300,000 square feet of meeting space
• Hertz car rental on-site
• The duck march: the hotel's VIP (Very Important Poultry, heh) perform a twice-daily waddle to rousing strains Sousa's "King Cotton March" (a tradition that harks back to the hotel's historic flagship in Memphis).

The duck march

The twice-daily duck march is a popular family attraction, even for non-hotel guests, but this fanciful five-minute parade is as family-friendly as the hotel gets. Unlike most resorts in Orlando, the main pool is a lap pool that's more suitable for exercise than family fun. The only other kid-friendly amenity is the children's pool. 2010 renovations added the Grotto -- which features a waterfall, sandbox, plunge pool and 20-foot slide -- for a bit more family friendly fun.

If being within walking distance of the Orange County Convention Center is a must, it's also worth considering the Rosen Center Hotel, an often less expensive (and less exciting) hotel across the street with slightly better family amenities, such as a large, free-form pool and a game room. But If you're willing to drive or take taxis, the Universal Loews hotels -- Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific, and Hard Rock -- all have excellent family features, and they're just five miles away from the Convention Center.

• The standard room (called a Superior) with two double beds can sleep a family of four; extra rollaways ($15 per night) and cribs (free) also available.
• Children's menu available at the 24-hour B-Line Diner
• Babysitting service can be booked through the concierge.

Even before the renovation completed in 2010, everything at the hotel was kept remarkably clean, with minimal wear and tear.

Dinner at Capriccio Grill

• The hotel's wine-themed restaurant and bar, aptly named Napa, opened in September 2010. Along with a large wine selection, the restaurant features upscale, organic American fare.
• Capriccio Grill, a steakhouse cum Italian restaurant, has an impressive wine selection and monthly wine-pairing dinners. It serves pasta, fresh seafood, succulent steaks, and heavenly desserts (average entree: $35); open for dinner only.
• B-Line Diner appropriates retro cool with American diner favorites, a soda fountain, a jukebox, and a sumptuous-looking dessert display (average entree: $12).
• Four bars: Mallards Bar, lobby bar, Capriccio bar, and the pool bar
• 24-hour room service from the B-Line Diner; $2 delivery charge, 23 percent service charge
• Tip: To save some cash on room service, there's a carry-out Express Window at the diner, also open 24 hours