Sheraton Universal is an on-site hotel at Universal Studios Hollywood. Sitting just a short walk away from the park’s entrance, the hotel is one of the closest to Universal. Sheraton Universal opened in 1969 but has recently renovated the rooms. In this post, we’ll review the hotel, sharing photos of the resort and room while offering our thoughts on the hotel’s value.

If you decide to spend a day and night at Universal Hollywood, picking a hotel will be one of the harder choices. There’s a wide variety of options although surprisingly few within walking distance. Like the park, all of Universal’s property is in a compressed area without much room to expand. Adding nearby resorts is difficult because of that. Thankfully, Hollywood and other massive tourist areas are near so there’s plenty of options.

That said, if you’re solely focused on the theme park then the two best options are the ones on-site – the Hilton and Sheraton. Unfortunately, if you’re a planner like me then the reviews of the Sheraton weren’t super comforting. But, with few options close to the park we decided to move past the warnings and book anyway. Thankfully, we came away pleasantly surprised!

If you’re booking this hotel, one of the main draws will be the location so let’s start there. As you can see in the map above, it’s less than a 10 minute walk to the front gate of the park. I will warn you that the walk is uphill so it’s not as easy as that 2D map might make it appear. Nonetheless, this is a very nice way to go about the morning and perfect for rope dropping and beating those late arriving LA crowds.

If you’re planning a trip to Universal mixed in with a few days at Disneyland, the biggest question might be whether it’s worth it to book this hotel as opposed to just staying somewhere in Anaheim and driving up for a day. You will certainly save yourself a headache of beating the morning traffic if you stay at Sheraton Universal, since the drive from Anaheim in the morning is no picnic and probably over an hour. You’ll also be able to get the most done at Universal Studios in those morning hours, so the convenience is key in our opinion. Whether Universal is worth spending a day of your Disneyland or Southern California trip is an entirely different question but if you’ve already decided on going to the park, then staying here the night prior will save you a headache.

As for the room, I mentioned that they were recently redone and they do look modern. The entire hotel has nods to Hollywood throughout it and the room is no exception. Otherwise, this feels like a solid, large chain hotel which is exactly what it is. There is nothing wrong with that, especially compared to some of the options around Disneyland Resort. Let’s take a look at the room!

The mattress was comfortable and the room felt fairly open in concept despite having all of the usual furnishings. We were on the 18th of 20 possible floors so the view of the park and surrounding area was certainly nice. I have no qualms with the carpet, it’s actually kind of pretty and the rest of the room is nice, if not a little boring.

There’s a desk alongside the bed with a little plant on it. I don’t love the lines on that back wall but I also debated whether I should add this sentence for a few minutes so I clearly don’t feel too strongly.

On the other side of the room is a couch, TV and dresser. The couch was just fine and would make for a decent place to sleep for a child. The TV was a decent size and was able to connect to apps like Netflix and HBO Max. For some reason, Disney+ was missing from the options 😉

The bathroom was also nice with a walk-in shower and a decent amount of space compared to other hotels. This is the area of the room where the refurbishment was most noticeable.

Overall, I thought the room was well done but not all that memorable outside of the beautiful view offered. They played it safe with the décor while still fitting in with the area and I think that was a smart choice. The entire hotel had a vintage Hollywood feel to it and that stretched to the rooms.

As far as amenities go, Sheraton Universal has an outdoor pool with plenty of lounge around space. In fact, the pool was fairly small compared to the area with all the chairs surrounding it. There’s a poolside lounge and bar in this area, as well.

The lobby is lavish with lots of golds and art celebrating old Hollywood. That’s where you’ll find the bar, which we ended up having dinner at and it was quite good. There’s also a small exercise room and large event spaces throughout the hotel. The social areas are well done and pretty making them enjoyable to walk around in.

As far as value goes, it seems like you can find Sheraton Universal anywhere from $150 to over $200 a night. If you find the former then this hotel is a good place to stay and has our full recommendation. The rooms are nice and the location is tough to pass up when going to the park. You will have to pay for parking here at around $30 for a car so factor that into in the price. If the hotel is over $200 per night then I’d advise skipping staying here and find somewhere else close by or make the drive in the morning. While I like the hotel and have found the upgrades to be quite nice, it’s just not worth that high of a price tag.

Overall, I think Sheraton Universal is a solid on-site option if you’re going to the theme park. It’s generally slightly cheaper than the Hilton next door, the rooms and amenities are pretty nice and the location is excellent.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Have you stayed at Sheraton Universal? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a Disney trip ? Check out our guides to get you started! Thank you for reading Wandering in Disney. If you enjoy our content please subscribe to the blog (via WordPress or email) and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Have a great day!