Orlando Hotel Update

PHOTO: The 1,000-room Loews Sapphire Falls Resort will open in 2016.

Just as there’s always something to do in the theme park capital of Orlando, it seems there are always new places to stay. On the heels of some significant hotel openings in 2014, more are slated to debut this year and next. To keep up with the increased competition, several major properties are undergoing large-scale renovations. Following is an update on what’s new and what’s coming to the Orlando hotel scene.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando

Following the successful opening of the 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Resort in 2014, Universal Orlando is getting ready to debut a fifth onsite hotel. Opening in summer 2016, the 1,000-room Loews Sapphire Falls Resort will be across Adventure Way from the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

The Caribbean-themed, full-service property will feature a design inspired by the rivers and waterfalls of the Caribbean, and will be built around a lagoon and towering waterfall. A resort-style pool with a waterslide, a sand beach, a fire pit and a children’s play area will be in a central courtyard, surrounded by the hotel’s guestrooms. Other amenities will include a full-service restaurant with outdoor dining, a themed lobby bar, quick-service marketplace, poolside bar and grill, and fitness center. There will be water taxi and shuttle access to all of the dining and entertainment options throughout Universal Orlando Resort, and guests will receive the benefit of Early Park Admission. Reservations will be accepted in spring 2015.

Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort

PHOTO: The Four Seasons Orlando is in the gated Golden Oak community, developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.

This new Four Seasons Resort opened in August and recently received the Five Diamond Award by AAA — the only resort in the Orlando area to achieve the designation. The 443-room property, including 68 suites, is in the gated Golden Oak community, which was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.

The property features five on-property restaurants, including the rooftop Capa, recently named a AAA Four Diamond restaurant, with cuisine inspired by the Basque culture of northwest Spain and southwest France; the 18-hole Tranquilo Golf Club; an expansive spa, with 18 treatment rooms and two private bungalows; an adults-only pool; and the five-acre Explorer Island waterpark, which includes a family pool with a lazy river winding around a “ruined” mansion, a climbing wall, waterslides, and the complimentary supervised Kids for All Seasons program. There’s also a Teen Center for older children, with video games and activities such as beach volleyball and outdoor movie nights. In addition, the resort offers the “Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & His Pals” character breakfast, complimentary transportation to the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, and a lobby-level Disney Planning Center.

LEGOLAND® Florida Hotel

PHOTO: The LEGOLAND Florida Hotel is scheduled to open this summer and will have pirate-themed rooms.

The LEGOLAND Florida Hotel is scheduled to open this summer. Located to the left of the main entrance of the LEGOLAND Florida theme park in Winter Haven, each of the hotel’s 152 rooms will feature a LEGO theme—Pirates, Kingdom or Adventure—and include two separate sleeping areas—one with a king-size bed, and one with a bunk bed, pull-out trundle bed and second TV. Guests staying at the LEGOLAND Hotel will receive early admission to LEGOLAND. Amenities include interactive play areas, pool and restaurant, and the resort fee includes nightly entertainment and a full breakfast.

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is getting the largest makeover in its history. The $125 million renovation will transform every guestroom in the 758-room Swan Hotel and the 1,509-room Dolphin Hotel. The Swan renovation will be completed in 2015, while the Dolphin will be completed in 2017.

Since the majority of the guestrooms will be available throughout the renovation process, and no public spaces or recreational areas are impacted and will remain fully operational, the renovation will not affect the guest experience. The hotels’ new serene and sophisticated room design is inspired by the resort’s water-themed architecture, with a color palette of whites, blues and greys. The new guestrooms will feature upgraded furniture; the latest technology, including large HD TVs and additional power outlets; new bathrooms; and the Westin Heavenly Bed.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

This month, the Walt Disney World Resort plans to announce more details about the renovation currently taking place at the Polynesian, now known as Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (reverting to the name the hotel had at its opening in 1971). The improvements include new amenities for guests throughout the resort, including a newly expanded pool and aquatic playground; spa; renovated lobby; child activity center, Lilo’s Playhouse, which is now open; and the addition of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, based on the Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland. The renovations are expected to be complete by the end of 2015. Already open is the Pineapple Lanai, which serves a Disney favorite—Dole Whip, a soft-serve pineapple sorbet. The new year also marks the opening of Disney Vacation Club’s new overwater bungalows at the Polynesian, which are built over the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Element Orlando and Element Orlando North

Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to open two outposts of its eco-friendly Element Hotels brand in Orlando next year. The 151-room Element Orlando, slated to open in July 2016, will be less than a mile from the Universal Orlando Resort. The 160-room Element Orlando North, scheduled for an August 2016 opening, will be at the Orlando Fashion Square shopping mall on East Colonial Drive, across from the Orlando Executive Airport. Element properties, which can accommodate extended-stay guests, feature guestrooms with fully equipped kitchens, Heavenly beds and spa-inspired bathrooms; complimentary RISE breakfasts and RELAX evening receptions; saline swimming pools; spacious fitness centers; bikes to borrow; and electric vehicle charging stations.

SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites @ Flamingo Crossings

Two hotels are under construction at Flamingo Crossings, a 450-acre value-oriented tourist district being developed by Disney to the west of the Walt Disney World Resort. A 250-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott, an extended-stay hotel, and a 248-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott are being built by JL Properties and are expected to open by January 2016. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Flamingo Crossings district will be aimed at budget tourists and teams participating in events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Sonesta ES Suites Orlando

The Sonesta ES Suites Orlando emerged from a multimillion-dollar renovation in May, and now features 146 residence-style suites with fully equipped kitchens. The one- and two-bedroom suites accommodate between four and eight guests, with multiple televisions and free wireless high-speed Internet access. Amenities include complimentary breakfast, heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi, fitness center and conference room. Located in Orlando’s International Drive Resort Area, the hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld.

Aloft Orlando Downtown

The Aloft Orlando Downtown opened in November 2013. Adjacent to City Hall and across from the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the 118-room, boutique-style Starwood property includes guestrooms with 10-foot ceilings, plush platform beds, walk-in showers, connectivity devices, 42-inch LCD TVs, and free Wi-Fi access; atmospheric public spaces, including the re:mix lounge, w xyz bar, re:fuel by Aloft grab-and-go market, and the re:charge fitness center and splash pool; flexible meeting space with state-of-the-art A/V equipment; and the arf (Animals Are Fun) program, which allows guests to travel with their pets.

B Resort & Spa

Opened in 2014, the 394-room B Resort & Spa is one of the first properties in a new hotel brand that combines style with approachability. In Lake Buena Vista, within walking distance of Downtown Disney, the property features stylish décor and spacious accommodations, with the brand’s signature Blissful Bed; free Wi-Fi access; creative culinary options; a resort-style pool with water elements; and select child-friendly guestrooms with bunk beds and gaming consoles.

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

All of the Renaissance’s guestrooms were redesigned at the end of 2013. The rooms now feature calming earth tones; updated lighting and fixtures; new, comfortable furniture; and modern touches. An Official Hotel of SeaWorld, the property offers such benefits as limited front-of-the-line access at SeaWorld; complimentary transportation to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Universal Orlando; complimentary access to the SeaWorld Rescue Tour; and 10 percent off dining and merchandise purchases of $50 or more at SeaWorld and Aquatica.