Melanie
03-06-2010, 02:13 PM
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the preview of the newly rebuilt Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Downtown Disney area. This is certainly not your parents Holiday Inn, as it's built to the new "Holiday Inn standard", which over 1800 nationwide Holiday Inn's have already switched to or will in the near future. From the up-to-date lobby decor, the guest rooms with deluxe amenities, an Asian-themed restaurant and innovative pool, I was very impressed. :thumbsup:
We were given a brief history of the property, which is now owned by a Cuban immigrant from south Florida. This is his first venture in the hotel business, after much success with Burger King franchises. I believe they said this particular property used to be a Courtyard, but after hurricane damage in the mid '00s, basically all that was left was walls and cement flooring. After 1.5 years of construction, the hotel opened February 12. That weekend, there were 60 advance reservations, and by the time the weekend was over, a total of 170 rooms were occupied. It was pointed out repeatedly that this wasn't a refurbishment, but a rebuild, as the majority of the property is new construction.
The lobby area is bright and airy, with floor to ceiling windows (looking out to the pool area) providing lots of natural light. Another feature of the new standard is the sensory arrival package - relaxing music and lemon scent greets you as you walk in the lobby door. Also on the ground floor in the Atrium is Palm Breezes, the hotel's Asian-inspired but only restaurant. But really, with Downtown Disney so nearby, do you really need that many choices? We got to sample many appetizers, Pacific inspired entrees and desserts, which were all delicious. :tasty: For convenience, there is also a grab-n-go area with drinks and many pre-packaged deli items. A Disney Store, with Disney employees selling theme park tickets and Disney merchandise will be open very soon. :mickey:
Next door to the restaurant, and also attached to the lobby, is the hotel lounge, which included a surprise hit with all the women - purse hooks at the bar! Who knew a $10 hook could cause such a stir. The dark wood bar with modern fixtures and tables, along with a couple of TVs, makes the lounge a very comfortable setting. :marg: Right outside is Aqua Luna, a south Florida inspired seating area, which overlooks the awesome heated pool area. The pool is unique in that it has a beach entry (similar to what we all know as zero entry at Disney resorts) and there is even a 2 lap lane area. Very cool, and our tour guide (Doug, head of Sales) was telling us that Holiday Inn is looking to incorporate this design into more of their hotels. :swim:
Glass elevators overlooking the atrium and restaurant take you up to the guest floors. All 323 rooms at the resort have interior entrances. The room amenities are great! We toured a king room and a double queen room. All have a refrigerator, electronic safe (big enough for laptop), 32" LG LCD flat screen HD TVs with DirectTV, coffee makers with Rainforest Alliance coffee, free internet, free local and 800s calls, wireless telephone along with modern, bright Florida decor. King rooms have king bed and a sleeper, and some have walk-in glass showers without tubs. All double queen rooms have the shower/tub configuration. All rooms are soundproof (we tested it), which is definitely needed in the balcony rooms facing I-4. There are three 'views' - resort, pool ($20 added to regular room rate) and Downtown Disney ($30 added). 75% of the rooms have balconies, and we all decided that with an upper Downtown Disney view, you'd have the opportunity to view some awesome firework shows from the parks every night. :fworks:
A few other hotel amenities include wireless internet in the lobby and business center, kids eat free, busses every 30 minutes to the theme parks, package delivery from the parks to the hotel, and guaranteed access when parks close for capacity. They DO NOT participate in the Extra Magic Hours. There is no resort fee, but there is a $10 nightly parking fee. Room rates will average around $110/night, with various discounts available to Florida residents, military members, Holiday Inn Priority Club members, etc.
I think that about covers it. This is a great new hotel providing a different choice in the desirable Downtown Disney area. Check it out!
Pics below
We were given a brief history of the property, which is now owned by a Cuban immigrant from south Florida. This is his first venture in the hotel business, after much success with Burger King franchises. I believe they said this particular property used to be a Courtyard, but after hurricane damage in the mid '00s, basically all that was left was walls and cement flooring. After 1.5 years of construction, the hotel opened February 12. That weekend, there were 60 advance reservations, and by the time the weekend was over, a total of 170 rooms were occupied. It was pointed out repeatedly that this wasn't a refurbishment, but a rebuild, as the majority of the property is new construction.
The lobby area is bright and airy, with floor to ceiling windows (looking out to the pool area) providing lots of natural light. Another feature of the new standard is the sensory arrival package - relaxing music and lemon scent greets you as you walk in the lobby door. Also on the ground floor in the Atrium is Palm Breezes, the hotel's Asian-inspired but only restaurant. But really, with Downtown Disney so nearby, do you really need that many choices? We got to sample many appetizers, Pacific inspired entrees and desserts, which were all delicious. :tasty: For convenience, there is also a grab-n-go area with drinks and many pre-packaged deli items. A Disney Store, with Disney employees selling theme park tickets and Disney merchandise will be open very soon. :mickey:
Next door to the restaurant, and also attached to the lobby, is the hotel lounge, which included a surprise hit with all the women - purse hooks at the bar! Who knew a $10 hook could cause such a stir. The dark wood bar with modern fixtures and tables, along with a couple of TVs, makes the lounge a very comfortable setting. :marg: Right outside is Aqua Luna, a south Florida inspired seating area, which overlooks the awesome heated pool area. The pool is unique in that it has a beach entry (similar to what we all know as zero entry at Disney resorts) and there is even a 2 lap lane area. Very cool, and our tour guide (Doug, head of Sales) was telling us that Holiday Inn is looking to incorporate this design into more of their hotels. :swim:
Glass elevators overlooking the atrium and restaurant take you up to the guest floors. All 323 rooms at the resort have interior entrances. The room amenities are great! We toured a king room and a double queen room. All have a refrigerator, electronic safe (big enough for laptop), 32" LG LCD flat screen HD TVs with DirectTV, coffee makers with Rainforest Alliance coffee, free internet, free local and 800s calls, wireless telephone along with modern, bright Florida decor. King rooms have king bed and a sleeper, and some have walk-in glass showers without tubs. All double queen rooms have the shower/tub configuration. All rooms are soundproof (we tested it), which is definitely needed in the balcony rooms facing I-4. There are three 'views' - resort, pool ($20 added to regular room rate) and Downtown Disney ($30 added). 75% of the rooms have balconies, and we all decided that with an upper Downtown Disney view, you'd have the opportunity to view some awesome firework shows from the parks every night. :fworks:
A few other hotel amenities include wireless internet in the lobby and business center, kids eat free, busses every 30 minutes to the theme parks, package delivery from the parks to the hotel, and guaranteed access when parks close for capacity. They DO NOT participate in the Extra Magic Hours. There is no resort fee, but there is a $10 nightly parking fee. Room rates will average around $110/night, with various discounts available to Florida residents, military members, Holiday Inn Priority Club members, etc.
I think that about covers it. This is a great new hotel providing a different choice in the desirable Downtown Disney area. Check it out!
Pics below