Holiday inn Orlando springs
A hotel guide and honest review · Last updated September 2026
The Holiday inn Orlando springs – Disney Springs Area is one of seven official Walt Disney World hotels outside Disney’s own ownership, walkable to Disney Springs and with Disney theme-park perks built in — but the headline room rate isn’t the real price once parking and resort fees are added. Here’s what it actually costs, what you get, and who it genuinely suits.
What Is the Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area?
Short answer: it’s an official Walt Disney World hotel — one of seven in the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels programme, and the only one carrying the Holiday Inn brand — offering Disney theme-park perks without being Disney-owned.
The hotel sits at 1805 Hotel Plaza Boulevard in Lake Buena Vista, about an 8-minute walk (roughly 1.8 miles) from Disney Springs itself, and around 17 miles from Orlando International Airport. It’s a 14-story, 324-room property, and its Disney Springs Resort Area Hotel status means guests get several Disney perks that a typical off-property hotel wouldn’t offer, covered in the next section.
A bit of real history worth knowing: the building opened on 8 February 1973 as a Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge, was acquired by Marriott and rebranded Courtyard by Marriott in 1995, then purchased by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in 2003.
It closed later that year for conversion to the Holiday Inn brand, and was then significantly damaged by Hurricane Charley in August 2004 — leading to a six-year closure before a $35 million renovation and reopening in February 2010. It changed ownership again in 2016 (sold to GEM Realty Capital) and is currently operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts under the Holiday Inn brand, per Wikipedia’s history of the property.
Disney Perks: What You Actually Get
Short answer: the two headline perks — Early Theme Park Entry and the park shuttle — are genuinely useful, but neither is exclusive to this specific hotel, and the shuttle has one practical catch worth knowing before you book.
Early Theme Park Entry lets guests start the day 30 minutes ahead of general admission at any of the four Walt Disney World theme parks, daily, per the hotel’s own IHG page. It’s worth knowing this benefit applies to guests at any of the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels (and Disney’s own resorts) with a valid theme-park ticket and reservation — it isn’t unique to this particular hotel, even though it’s marketed as a headline feature.
Shuttle service runs hourly to all four parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom), with reservations required at the front desk. One practical detail flagged in an independent review but not mentioned on the official pages: the Magic Kingdom shuttle has reportedly dropped guests at the Transportation & Ticket Center rather than directly at the park gate, meaning an extra monorail or ferry transfer to actually reach the park entrance — worth confirming the current drop-off point when you book your shuttle slot.
Kids eat free at the on-site Palm Breezes Restaurant for children 11 and under dining with a paying adult, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner per Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels’ own listing. Neither that page nor the UK operators we checked specify a maximum number of free children per paying adult — worth confirming the exact terms at the time of booking rather than assuming an unlimited offer.
The Real Cost: Room Rate vs What You Actually Pay
Short answer: the advertised room rate is only part of the bill — parking and a resort fee are charged on top, and the once-free breakfast buffet is now a separate paid extra.
Headline room rates vary by source and date: the hotel’s own site advertises rates “from $83 per night,” Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels quotes “from $120/night with current promotions,” and an older independent review cited a more typical $110–130/night. This spread reflects genuinely dynamic, date-dependent pricing rather than any one figure being wrong — treat all of these as a starting point, not a guaranteed rate for your dates.
What’s added on top, per the hotel’s own published rates:
| Charge | Cost |
| Standard parking | $27/night |
| Preferred parking | $31/night |
| Oversized vehicle parking | $50/night |
| Resort fee | $14–39/night, per recent guest reports |
| Breakfast buffet (if not included in your package) | ~$25 per person |
A worked example: a $110/night room rate plus standard parking ($27) and a mid-range resort fee (say $25) works out closer to $162/night in practice — noticeably more than the headline rate alone suggests. The hotel was originally marketed as “The No Resort Fee Hotel,” per an older independent review, but recent guest comments confirm resort fees and parking charges now apply — a real change worth factoring into your budget rather than assuming an older review’s pricing still holds.
Rooms & Amenities
Short answer: rooms are functional rather than stylish, with Fireworks View as the standout upgrade if fireworks-watching from your balcony matters to you.
Room categories include Fireworks View, Disney Springs View, Pool View and Standard View, many with private balconies. Standard rooms include a Keurig coffee maker, microwave and mini-fridge; suites add more space and updated bathrooms.
Accessible rooms are a genuine strength worth more attention than either UK operator currently gives them: options include king or queen beds, roll-in showers or an accessible bathtub with grab rails, tall toilets with grab bars, floor-to-ceiling windows, visual alarms, closed captioning and Braille signage. Ocean Florida notes the hotel has held a “Travel for All” accessibility award for 2024–2026 — a credential worth highlighting if accessible travel is a priority for your family.
Other amenities: a heated beach-entry pool with a lap lane, an outdoor whirlpool, a 24-hour fitness centre, a game room, on-site dining at Palm Breezes Restaurant and Lounge, complimentary lobby coffee (6–11:30am) and afternoon cookies with lemonade, and free Wi-Fi throughout.
Pros and Cons: Is It Actually Worth It?
Short answer: it’s a solid, no-frills choice for families who want genuine Disney perks and shuttle access without Disney-resort pricing, provided you go in expecting a functional rather than special hotel stay.
In favour:
- Consistently praised bed comfort — one independent review compared the mattresses favourably to considerably more expensive hotels
- Genuine Disney perks (Early Theme Park Entry, park shuttle) without Disney-resort pricing
- Walking distance to Disney Springs’ dining, shopping and entertainment
- Strong accessibility credentials and accessible room options
- A high overall guest rating — 4.5 out of 5 across more than 5,000 reviews on Tripadvisor at the time of writing
Worth weighing up:
- Recent guest reviews describe rooms as having “a cool retro vibe” that can also read as simply dated
- No Disney character dining or Disney-exclusive extras — this is a Disney Springs Resort Area Hotel, not a Disney-owned resort
- Housekeeping inconsistency reported in multiple recent reviews (missed service, towels not replaced)
- Parking and resort fees now apply, plus a separately charged breakfast buffet — a real change from the hotel’s earlier “no resort fee” positioning
- Some balcony designs limit fireworks visibility for shorter guests, per recent reviews
How It Compares to the Other Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels
Short answer: it’s the only IHG-branded hotel in the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels programme, generally positioned at the value end of that group.
The Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels programme covers seven properties in total, all offering the same core perks — Early Theme Park Entry and the park shuttle among them — since these are programme-wide benefits rather than something unique to any one hotel.
The Holiday Inn’s specific position within that group is as the value-oriented, family-focused option with a straightforward Holiday Inn brand experience, rather than a boutique or luxury-tier property. If comfortable, familiar branding and value pricing matter more to you than a distinctive design or upscale finish, it’s a reasonable pick within the programme; if you’re specifically after a more design-led or higher-end stay, it’s worth comparing room rates and amenities against the group’s other properties before booking.
And if you’d rather base yourself closer to Universal instead of Disney Springs, our Universal Resort Package Holidays guide covers that alternative in detail.
Booking It From the UK: Package vs Hotel-Only
Short answer: UK operators price this hotel competitively as part of a flight-inclusive package, but the on-the-ground parking and resort fees are still charged locally in US dollars on top of what you pay in the UK.
Ocean Florida has quoted this hotel from £795pp for 7 nights, £855pp for 10 nights, and £935pp for 14 nights, with return UK flights and mandatory charges included. Their package has bundled in the shuttle, Early Theme Park Entry, on-site dining access, the kids-eat-free offer, free premium Wi-Fi and fitness centre access, plus — as a promotional extra at the time we checked — around $435-worth of complimentary Orlando attractions per family (things like the Orlando Eye and an I-Ride Trolley pass). Broadway Travel also sells the hotel as part of ATOL-protected packages, though without published headline pricing on their overview page.
The important caveat: neither UK package price includes the on-site parking or resort fee — these are charged locally, in US dollars, at check-in or check-out, so budget for them separately even after booking a fully inclusive-sounding UK package. Both operators emphasise ATOL and ABTA protection, which covers the flight-inclusive package itself, not these on-site local charges.
Getting Around: Shuttle Reality Check
The hourly shuttle to all four parks needs a reservation booked at the front desk, not just a walk-up boarding — build this into your morning routine rather than assuming a shuttle will be waiting. As noted above, the Magic Kingdom route has reportedly used the Transportation & Ticket Center as its drop-off rather than the park entrance directly, adding a short additional transfer — confirm the current routing when you reserve your shuttle slot, since this kind of operational detail can change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area owned by Disney?
No. It’s an officially recognised Walt Disney World hotel through the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels programme, but it’s independently owned and operated (currently by Interstate Hotels & Resorts), not a Disney-owned resort.
Does Early Theme Park Entry apply at this hotel?
Yes — 30 minutes’ early admission to any of the four Walt Disney World theme parks, daily, with a valid ticket and reservation. This benefit also applies at the programme’s other Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, not just this one.
Are resort fees and parking mandatory?
Yes, per current guest reports and the hotel’s own published parking rates — standard parking runs $27/night and a resort fee of $14–39/night has been reported by recent guests, on top of the room rate.
Is breakfast included?
Not automatically — recent reviews report the breakfast buffet is now a separate charge (around $25 per person) unless your specific package or promotion includes it.
How far is it from Disney Springs?
About an 8-minute walk, roughly 1.8 miles.
Is this hotel a good option for accessible travel?
It’s a genuine strength of the property — accessible rooms include roll-in showers or accessible bathtubs, grab rails, visual alarms and Braille signage, and the hotel has held a “Travel for All” accessibility award for 2024–2026, per Ocean Florida’s listing.
Is a UK package cheaper than booking flights and the hotel separately?
Not necessarily cheaper, but a UK package (from around £795pp for 7 nights with a provider like Ocean Florida) bundles ATOL protection and several Disney perks into one price — just remember parking and resort fees are still paid locally in USD on top.
Verdict: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Book This Hotel
This suits families who want genuine Disney perks — Early Theme Park Entry, a park shuttle, walking access to Disney Springs — without paying Disney-resort prices, and who don’t mind a straightforward, comfortable-but-unremarkable Holiday Inn experience rather than themed Disney surroundings.
It’s also a genuinely strong option for anyone prioritising accessible rooms. It’s less suited to families who specifically want Disney character dining, distinctive theming, or who’d be frustrated by a shuttle system that needs advance reservation and, on at least the Magic Kingdom route, an extra transfer. Whichever way you book it, budget for parking and a resort fee on top of the headline room rate — and if booking from the UK, treat those as a local, USD, on-arrival cost separate from your package price.
Room rates, fees and package prices are correct as of September 2026 and may change — always check current terms directly with the hotel or operator before booking. Written by the candistar.com Travel Desk · Reviewed September 2026.