Resort Thread Walt Disney World SWAN, DOLPHIN & SWAN RESERVE Resorts

[SteveH]

Some great news about Starwood & SPG - it's coming back!!! Well sort of, its not yet part of Swan/Dolphin but the mind behind Starwood, SPG & The Heavely Beds, Barry Sternlicht has revived the Starwood brand and SPG too!

For those that have been long time fans of Swan & Dolphin this could be interesting news.

 

[patty57]

Some great news about Starwood & SPG - it's coming back!!! Well sort of, its not yet part of Swan/Dolphin but the mind behind Starwood, SPG & The Heavely Beds, Barry Sternlicht has revived the Starwood brand and SPG too!

For those that have been long time fans of Swan & Dolphin this could be interesting news.

I would absolutely love for the Swan/Dolphin to go back to being Starwood properties!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I would absolutely love for the Swan/Dolphin to go back to being Starwood properties!

They will not. Starwood would have to buy back its old brands from Marriott and no, Marriott isn’t selling Westin or Sheraton.

One could make a case Autograph could be a different situation if Marriott got themselves into a cash crunch- but it would undoubtedly be a very expensive proposition for the new Starwood, so even that I give quite long odds on.

The excitement for Starwood should be more for old-school travel enthusiasts, not Swolphin’s future. The idea of Starwood existing again is in and of itself cause to make every ex-SPG lover’s heart flutter, even if just for a bit. It was an amazing program and it’s a nice thought that someday one could end up at a SPG property again.

 

[Dave006]

I would absolutely love for the Swan/Dolphin to go back to being Starwood properties!

They are not going to be part of the Starwood, and SPG returning. Barry Sternlicht has indeed revived the Starwood Hotels brand and is in the process of rebranding his company, SH Hotels & Resorts, under the Starwood name.

Dave

 

[mickey916]

Departing from the Swan tomorrow and still love this resort. Clean, comfy, quiet with great access to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk. Refurb is great and the new carpet in the hallways is a big improvement. Only complaint: what has happened to the Fountain??? It’s always been a favorite and I’ve often said it’s better than Beaches & Cream. Food, ice cream and service have always been excellent…not this time! We went twice, once for ice cream. Our German chocolate sundae was fine but nothing great. Tonight we went for a Caesar salad with chicken and a smash burger. They forgot the chicken and when we pointed it out they said we didn’t order that. The lettuce was brown and the “smash burger” was a basic theme park burger. Definitely not a smash burger. It was just a greasy flavorless patty. Service was also bad. No refills on drinks and our server never stopped to ask how things were. We actually had to find a manager to make sure we weren’t charged for the missing chicken. That’s when our server returned to say we didn’t order chicken. Sadly we won’t be back to the Fountain but will definitely be back to the Swan.

 

[Cfabar1]

We love it here.... Especially if you can get a suite... Resort fees and parking fees are disappointing... wish the pricing was more like disney...

but overall, we really enjoy our experience at this hotel. We feel elite recognition has been pretty good here... Wish there was a club level/club lounge though...

 

[tzolkin]

We will be arriving on Friday! We used to go yearly when the kids were little, but this will be our first trip back to Disney since 2019 so a lot has changed.

Our first full day we plan to head out early to rope drop AK. Any recommendation of what bus would be best to use? (I did see for MK it's recommended to use YC or BW busses since Dolphin/Swan goes to TTC instead of the main entrance, but not sure about AK busses. Do they start running as early as the Disney busses for early park entry?)

Is there a limited amount of coffee provided? Not sure if I should pack some to bring or if we can just request some from housekeeping.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We will be arriving on Friday! We used to go yearly when the kids were little, but this will be our first trip back to Disney since 2019 so a lot has changed.

Our first full day we plan to head out early to rope drop AK. Any recommendation of what bus would be best to use? (I did see for MK it's recommended to use YC or BW busses since Dolphin/Swan goes to TTC instead of the main entrance, but not sure about AK busses. Do they start running as early as the Disney busses for early park entry?)

Is there a limited amount of coffee provided? Not sure if I should pack some to bring or if we can just request some from housekeeping.

Enjoy your trip.

As for bus to AK, recommdation is to use the S/D bus. It actually drops you closer to the entrance than the Disney busses.

For coffee, just ask or text (on the S/D app) housekeeping, they'll get all you need, and more. If you see housekeeping in the halls, you could ask them also.

Have a great trip.

 

[tzolkin]

Enjoy your trip.

As for bus to AK, recommdation is to use the S/D bus. It actually drops you closer to the entrance than the Disney busses.

For coffee, just ask or text (on the S/D app) housekeeping, they'll get all you need, and more. If you see housekeeping in the halls, you could ask them also.

Have a great trip.

Thank you so much!

 

[SteveH]

They will not. Starwood would have to buy back its old brands from Marriott and no, Marriott isn’t selling Westin or Sheraton.

I could be wrong, but since Swan/Dolphin are owned by Tishman and not by Marriott Corp it think there is a possibility (however slim) that Tishman could opt to move to Starwood, though I think it's highly unlikely. Tishman isn't 100% loyal to Marriott as they also own some Hilton properties and at least one Wyndham property, but no doubt that S/D is their biggest property.

 

[Dave006]

I could be wrong, but since Swan/Dolphin are owned by Tishman and not by Marriott Corp it think there is a possibility (however slim) that Tishman could opt to move to Starwood, though I think it's highly unlikely.

Actually the Swan, Swan Reserve, and the Dolphin are owned by Tishman Hotel & Realty and MetLife Investment Management, and they pay Marriott to manage all 3 properties.

As I posted last night Barry Sternlicht has indeed revived the Starwood Hotels brand and is in the process of rebranding his company, SH Hotels & Resorts, under the Starwood name. There is no need for a connection to the Westin or Sheration brands.

Dave

 

[Cfabar1]

Actually the Swan, Swan Reserve, and the Dolphin are owned by Tishman Hotel & Realty and MetLife Investment Management, and they pay Marriott to manage all 3 properties.

As I posted last night Barry Sternlicht has indeed revived the Starwood Hotels brand and is in the process of rebranding his company, SH Hotels & Resorts, under the Starwood name. There is no need for a connection to the Westin or Sheration brands.

Dave

I wonder if Disney has a say as to the Hotel operator... For example, could they decide to turn the Dolphin into a Days Inn and the Swan a Super 8?

Probably not, because there is likely language in the agreement that requires them to maintain a certain level/standard of brand.

But, could Tishman decide to turn the Dolphin into a Hyatt Regency and the Swan into a "new Starwood" hotel? My suspicion is they probably could...

Would they want to? probably not... SPG had challenges related to being not very hotel owner friendly, because of their strong pro-consumer stance. Hyatt suffers the same fate currently right now...

But, perhaps if the new SPG were to make the Swan & Dolphin their flagships... It might be worth it...

 

[Dave006]

But, could Tishman decide to turn the Dolphin into a Hyatt Regency and the Swan into a "new Starwood" hotel? My suspicion is they probably could...

Yes but then they could not benefit from all 3 properties being managed by the same Hotel Operator. The biggest question is what is the term of their Marriott contract for managing all 3 properties?

If they chose to go with the new Starwood (restarted) Brand it would likely be an all or nothing but only after their Marriott agreement expires or they exercise some exit clause which likely for a large charge that they would owe Marriott.

ETA: still leaning to spell.

Dave

 

[Tiggr88]

@leeroy1798 adding to what @gottalovepluto said here is the login/signup page for Bonvoy. I will share that there was a time, pre-Marriott ownership, that the Starwood SPG rewards were amazing - one of the best in the industry. The rewards took a hit when Marriott bought out Starwood, then again in 2022 they devalued points again, which generated the term "Bonvoyed". Today, those that visit S/D with high loyalty points often find they don't get the same benefits they might see at other Marriott hotels.

I share this so you can enjoy the benefits if you are a casul traveler, but if you do a lot of travel you'll want to do some research.

Speaking of which, is it true that I still have to pay the $50 resort fee plus tax when I stay on points? That seems like a punitive way to use points, lol.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yes but then they could not benefit from all 3 properties being managed by the same Hotel Operator. The biggest question is what is the term of there Marriott contract for managing all 3 properties?

It’s terrible annoying not having access to the contract details. Like what happened to the Disney buses? And why??

 

[gottalovepluto]

Speaking of which, is it true that I still have to pay the $50 resort fee plus tax when I stay on points? That seems like a punitive way to use points, lol.

You’re not very deep into the Bonvoy world are you? #Bonvoyed became a saying for a reason. Absolutely you pay resort fees on points stays.

Hilton and Hyatt waive resort fees on point stays- although with the rate of Hilton inflation you better earn like 100k points more than you think you’ll need because the price will get jacked up before you’re able to book…

 

[Dave006]

It’s terrible annoying not having access to the contract details. Like what happened to the Disney buses? And why??

Yes it would be nice to know the definitive answer on the buses but I am on the side of it was Disney that cut the Disney bus service due to a shortage of bus drivers during the height of COVID-19. Disney still has a challenge hiring bus drivers even today. However it could be Marriott wanting to save money by contracting Mears buses. Maybe it was a business decision based on their guest preference profile primarily using visiting Epcot, and HS for example. All we guests know is that someone made a business decision for someone to benefit, and it is not the paying Guests.

I am sure they would have dropped the Friendship boat service if the Swan & Dolphin had dedicated resort boats vs just a stop on the Crescent lake loop to HS, and Epcot. There is no way someone else could provide boat service.

Dave

 

[SteveH]

@Tiggr88 yep you'll pay it, no way around it or the parking fee. When you price any stay at S/D you need to all that together. I love the location of S/D but not the resort fee or parking fee for that matter.

We really are not going to Disney anymore as we've really fallen in love with our trips to Maui, the resort we stay at has neither a resort or parking fee.

 

[SteveH]

@Dave006 I agree with your assessment of the bus/boat situation with Disney & S/D. I think Disney had to make a change as things reopened, now it doesn't make much sense except for them still having issues with staffing levels. Fact that S/D gets deluxe Extended Evening Hours privileges, but not bus services still makes me go, huh?

 

[gottalovepluto]

@Dave006 I agree with your assessment of the bus/boat situation with Disney & S/D. I think Disney had to make a change as things reopened, now it doesn't make much sense except for them still having issues with staffing levels. Fact that S/D gets deluxe Extended Evening Hours privileges, but not bus services still makes me go, huh?

I suspect the boat access and Deluxe standing are written into the 99 year lease the owner has with Disney. Otherwise there is no reason Swolphin would get new Deluxe benefits that didn’t even exist when it was created (like EEH), the Deluxe/best treatment offered to Disney hotel guests privileges stem from something.

As far as the buses go, yeah business agreement is my best guess. Just because it’s in a lease doesn’t make it permanent- anything can be changed for a price.