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Ah, Orlando – the “City Beautiful”. There’s so much to do in Orlando, even outside of the typical tourist spots found around the city’s huge theme parks. If you’re ever in Orlando, you should be sure to visit the REAL downtown to get a dose of local Orlando life. Recent years have shown significant growth of the downtown area including many high-rise condo buildings and office space. Of course, with those condos and offices come other amenities like restaurants and hotels. I had the pleasure of staying at one of downtown Orlando’s boutique hotels – The Grand Bohemian.
Hotel Location
The Grand Bohemian Hotel in downtown Orlando is located near the very popular intersection of Orange Avenue and Church Street. Church Street is the center of downtown night life but is also the hub of daytime commerce as well. The Grand Bohemian is perfectly located for both – whether you have business downtown during the day or you’re looking to unwind at one of the many downtown restaurants, clubs or bars, you can’t go wrong with this hotel’s prime location.
Hotel Features
Downtown hotels are a bit different than the sprawling resorts you find near the theme parks. You won’t find water slides or enormous buffet lines at this hotel. What you will find is an up-scale atmosphere, perfect meeting and conference rooms and a refined, “old money” feel that is hard to find in a city as new as Orlando.
The hotel features a spa (Poseidon), a heated pool and whirlpool with great views and a 24-hour fitness center on-property. If the on-site fitness center isn’t to your liking, you can also gain access to the acclaimed Citrus Athletic Club for a nominal fee.
Hotel Service
I must admit, I was a bit disappointed in the level of service received at the Grand Bohemian. Orlando is a hospitality town, but the level of service can vary greatly from one hotel to the next. I’m convinced it depends on the people working there and (to an extent) the service culture passed down from hotel management. I’m not sure which is the case with this hotel but I was less than impressed with the commitment of the staff to servicing their guests. From lack of attention to detail (our room wasn’t ready for 3 hours) to borderline rudeness, service definitely left something to be desired.
