Universal’s starry Stella Nova hotel set for Epic debut
Universal Orlando has a project that’s literally shiny, new and interstellar to show off. It’s Stella Nova, a resort within sight of its upcoming Epic Universe theme park. The 750-room hotel opens to the public on Tuesday.
It will be Universal Orlando’s ninth hotel and the first part of the Epic Universe area to debut. It will be joined by the neighboring Terra Luna on March 25 and the Helios Grand, which opens alongside the theme park May 22.
Stella Nova carries a starry theme and curvy architecture. Its exterior is a splashy, colorful collection of tiles that change hues as perspective varies and as the sun shifts. Passers-by have seen the sheen for months along Universal Boulevard.
The eye-catching design is made of 140,000 stainless steel tiles and inspired by imagery captured by the James Webb telescope, said Russ Dagon, senior vice president of resort development for Universal Creative.
“This has to be the largest stainless steel building in the world,” Dagon joked before members of the media took a resort tour Thursday.
White is the dominant hue inside, flanked by space photography from NASA in the lobby and guest rooms. But the hotel’s theme isn’t space travel or rocket launches, Dagon said.
“It was more about the beauty of space, and we really thought there was a story that hadn’t been told,” he said.
Multiple architectural elements are sloped or curved, including the hallways between guest rooms.
“We thought the curves were real important, and we didn’t think space would have a lot of straight lines, and that’s the inspiration for the windows as well,” Dagon said.
The building’s floor plan and rooms are also on a curve, with rooms arching to face either the swimming pool or Epic Universe.
“You’ve got spaceship-style windows so our guests can really sit and rest among the stars in the cosmos,” said David Bartek, senior vice president of operations for Loews Hotels, which co-owns Stella Nova and other resorts at Universal Orlando.
“In addition to being kind of porthole-esque, it continued that sort of curved-line theme in space,” Dagon said.
The theming continues throughout the operation, from cosmic cocktails to the “black hole vortex entrance,” more commonly known as a giant revolving door.
Although not immediately adjacent to the new theme park, there is a clear look from select rooms at the coming attractions, particularly Mine-Cart Madness, the Donkey Kong-themed ride, and the domed Grand Helios hotel.
“Some of the things that we know our guests will love about Universal Stella Nova resort is, one, the proximity, of course, to Epic Universe and the free transportation to our other theme parks and CityWalk,” said Dennis Quinn, Universal’s senior vice president of hotel communication strategy.
“They’ll probably be drawn by the value price point that we offer here,” he said.
Universal placed Stella Nova and Terra Luna in the same pricing category as its Aventura, Cabana Bay and Endless Summer resorts. All Stella Nova rooms are 315 square feet with two queen-size beds. The Epic hotels and theme park are a few miles away from Universal’s existing parks, near Orange County Convention Center. Once they open, Universal will have 11 on-property hotels with 11,000 guest rooms.
“Prime value category is kind of that sweet spot, and it’s a mix of amenities and service that are really programmed for comfort and affordability,” Bartek said.
“This hotel is geared towards families,” Dagon said. “Everything’s been designed with that in mind.”