Hilton Bonnet Creek vs. Swan/Dolphin

[crazy4claspooh]

We are actually at HBC right now. I am a bit sour about this stay. Yes the pool is amazing so for that part I love it. This one is a bit expensive they tend to get you for every penny. The rooms are nice. I am a Diamond member and for some reason they could not upgrade us this time. We are staying on points. We had asked for a roll away bed but I was told only at check in that we could not get one as it is against their fire code. I completely understand but they should have told me ahead of time. Now I am paying for an extra room at 79 per night which was not in the plan. The last time we were here we had an incredible time and thought the world of the hotel. Every night was a buffet dinner and kids ate free. This time it is not a buffet however kids still eat free. If you have other questions on the hotel we are here till the 15th. I never stayed at the swan or dolphin but I can tell you if you have stayed on property with the resort perks you will miss them staying at a non-perk hotel. I was of the same opinion you mentioned we never use them so they are not worth it. I will be the first to admit it I was wrong.

 

[MamaToDavis]

We are actually at HBC right now. I am a bit sour about this stay. Yes the pool is amazing so for that part I love it. This one is a bit expensive they tend to get you for every penny. The rooms are nice. I am a Diamond member and for some reason they could not upgrade us this time. We are staying on points. We had asked for a roll away bed but I was told only at check in that we could not get one as it is against their fire code. I completely understand but they should have told me ahead of time. Now I am paying for an extra room at 79 per night which was not in the plan. The last time we were here we had an incredible time and thought the world of the hotel. Every night was a buffet dinner and kids ate free. This time it is not a buffet however kids still eat free. If you have other questions on the hotel we are here till the 15th. I never stayed at the swan or dolphin but I can tell you if you have stayed on property with the resort perks you will miss them staying at a non-perk hotel. I was of the same opinion you mentioned we never use them so they are not worth it. I will be the first to admit it I was wrong.

Thanks for the post. So sorry that you're stay isn't all that you hoped it would be. I keep going round and round but think we're going to go w/ the Dolphin this time around. At least that's how I feel today! I would love to try the Boardwalk this time around, but unless there is a HUGE discount offered it won't be happening. I am not holding my breath for that!

Enjoy the rest of your trip!!!

 

[ccgirl]

Thanks for the post. So sorry that you're stay isn't all that you hoped it would be. I keep going round and round but think we're going to go w/ the Dolphin this time around. At least that's how I feel today! I would love to try the Boardwalk this time around, but unless there is a HUGE discount offered it won't be happening. I am not holding my breath for that!

Enjoy the rest of your trip!!!

With the Swan and Dolphin, it's a hop/skip/jump to the Boardwalk though. You can enjoy everything the Boardwalk itself offers. My DD loved the free nightly entertainment there. Plus, being able to walk to 2 different parks is just great!

 

[cuddlykp]

I had the same problem, trying to decide between those two hotels. I finally decided on the Dolphin because it's close to HS and that's our fave park PLUS we have never stayed on site as Disney and felt it's time and also you get the extra magic hours with Dolphin.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I have stayed at both. Hilton is nicer and newer. Swan/Dolphin have the location. I like the Starwood (Swan Dolphin) bed better then the Hilton bed I would probably go with location, but it's a toss up.

I realize that the poster above is unhappy but it's hard to say where the blame lies. Did he just assume he could get a roll away or upgrade and then discover the issue?. And $79 a night for that hotel is GREAT!!!! Looking on their website I see nothing that ever indicates a roll away is available and actually if you try to book more then 4 people in the room it won't let you book a standard room.

(One of rules of reading reviews is if the first part is "I didn't get an upgrade" proceed with caution)

 

[robinb]

(One of rules of reading reviews is if the first part is "I didn't get an upgrade" proceed with caution)

FWIW, we didn't receive an upgrade when we stayed at the Hilton BC either and my DH is also HHonors Diamond (highest loyalty level). IIRC my DD stayed on a roll-away because we asked for a King room but there were only 3 of us. I believe that crazy4claspooh has 4 kids but I don't know how many s/he brought with her on the trip but I can understand why they would not bring in a roll-away if that meant there were more than 4 people in the room.

 

[pamelasu1]

FWIW, I was able to get a great rate for the Swan on Expedia a couple of days ago. I got a package that included round trip airfare from Chicago. Once I took the price of the airfare out and hotel taxes out, the rate was about $129 per night. This beat the teacher's rate for the same time period. I booked for Sept. 19-27, 2011. If you need airfare anyway, this seemed like a great deal!
HTH!
Pam

 

[snappy]

I have stayed at both. Hilton is nicer and newer. Swan/Dolphin have the location. I like the Starwood (Swan Dolphin) bed better then the Hilton bed I would probably go with location, but it's a toss up.

I realize that the poster above is unhappy but it's hard to say where the blame lies. Did he just assume he could get a roll away or upgrade and then discover the issue?. And $79 a night for that hotel is GREAT!!!! Looking on their website I see nothing that ever indicates a roll away is available and actually if you try to book more then 4 people in the room it won't let you book a standard room.

(One of rules of reading reviews is if the first part is "I didn't get an upgrade" proceed with caution)

Maybe the $79 a night was a break on the second room. I did book HBC in March for $80 through lastminutetravel.com (and did an e upgrade to a luxury suite at the Waldorf) but the prices now have gone up even on that site.