Different Price points for UO hotels

Just a quick question but is there any particular reason that the 3 Universal Orlando hotels have such varied price points? I mean, they are all 4diamon AA rated and I stayed in the *budget* Royal Pacific and absolutely loved it. The staff was great, the food was good and the entertainment brilliant. We took the water taxi over to the "upscale" Portofino and while nice, it seemed too 'stuffy'.

I've heard that the Hard rock has the real party scene when it comes to the pools, so maybe that's worth a slight premium. But I'm just wondering. Also, does anyone know what hotel tends to be the most populated? I would guess the Royal Pacific, but it didnt seem overly crowded Labor Day Weekend.

BTW: If you ever have the chance to stay at the Royal Pacific, do it. Even a hotel snob like Gonch would feel comfortable there ;). Thanks for the recomendation Jeff et al.

The other hotels are a little nicer I suppose, but they're also a lot further away. RPR you can at least walk to. Cath went to the salon in Portofino and said she could see why the rates were higher there.

Have you noticed also that generally the longer you stay, the lower the rate?

Royal Pacific is roughly twice as big as both Hard Rock and Portofino so it is the most populated. They do have twice as many launches going back and forth, though.

The hotels are priced the way they are (Hard Rock is $30 more a night than Royal Pacific, Portofino is $30 more a night than Hard Rock) for a reason.

Hard Rock has the most convenient location. Yes, Royal Pacific appears to be next to IOA, but walk out through the Hard Rock pool and you are at USF in 2-3 minutes. And, yes, the pool is nice but it is NOT the same party atmosphere you find at the Hard Rock in Vegas. Still, it's a snazzy hotel and has a neat perk (you get a free compilation CD at check-in).

Portofino has some nice restaurants (Mama Della if you're into family-style Italian) and it's allure is that it is tucked out of the way as it is the furthest from the parks and keeps that pier-side feel.

Another reason Royal Pacific is cheaper is because it has the conference center so the hotel is often over-run with conventionneers (if that's even a word).

Still, they are all great places though I have a soft spot for the Hard Rock.

We stayed at Hard Rock last spring break and were a little disappointed considering what we paid. Reportedly, they have upgraded all of the rooms - new carpeting, linens, etc, including putting in flat screen TVs in all of the rooms. It looks like they corrected the problems they had. With that in mind, I would now recommend Hard Rock. The obvious advantage to all three resorts is the fast passes for IOA and USF. Since we were there over spring break, we wanted that advantage.

RPR might be almost due for some upgrades, at least in the common areas. They're starting to show a little wear and tear.