The Swan and Dolphin Resorts at Walt Disney World announced the largest renovation and expansion in the hotels’ history, with an investment of $275 million over the next few years that will entail modernized upgrades to guest rooms and existing meeting spaces, plus the addition of 120,000 square feet of convention space. This covers everything we know about the project, along with concept art and commentary.
The expansion will bring the triplex’s total meeting space to 469,000 square feet among the three buildings of the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve to go with its 2,619 guest rooms making it one of the largest convention properties on the East Coast. The additional space will expand the hotel’s largest contiguous event space to 175,000 square feet, making it among the largest hotel spaces in the country.
“We look forward to delivering such a major transformation for our customers. These enhancements will be a great addition to our iconic and award-winning operation,” said Area General Manager Sean Verney. “It positions our property to remain at the forefront of meeting and convention venues globally.”
Meeting Space Expansion
In the first major expansion of the Walt Disney World Dolphin’s meeting space in over two decades, a new two-story annex will be constructed. Connecting to the hotel’s existing convention space, it will offer 41,000 square feet of multi-purpose space and 24,000 square feet of additional pre-function space on the first floor.
The second floor will house an elegant ballroom offering 41,000 square feet of divisible event space, with 14,000 square feet of pre-function foyer space. Here’s a look at the two-story atrium that will highlight the convention center expansion at the Walt Disney World Dolphin:
Upon entry into the new structure, guests will be greeted by an airy, open atrium, featuring natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, complete with a winding staircase and two-story chandelier. The hotels’ original Michael Graves design-style will carry through the new space with a modern flair, featuring water themes alongside warm, wooden touches.
The additional, modern spaces allow groups to grow attendance or accommodate multiple events on each floor. An expanded foyer will enhance the flow between the new and existing areas, with sufficient space for interacting and networking opportunities along the way. State-of-the-art event technology will be installed throughout the new structure. For groups needing even more space, outdoor power and infrastructure will be added next to the annex to easily add temporary structures in an environmentally friendly manner.
The project will break ground in November 2024 with an anticipated completion in late Summer 2026.
Event Space Refresh
The hotel’s existing 333,000 square feet of meeting space at the Swan and Dolphin is also being enhanced with an all-new modern look and with new capabilities in event technology. Ballrooms, carpeting, air walls, corridors and breakout spaces at the Walt Disney World Dolphin have recently completed an upgrade.
Similar enhancements at the Walt Disney World Swan are underway and will be completed in phases, with the final work completed by Summer 2025. When finished, the existing meeting spaces at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin will offer a fresh, bright ambiance with a mixture of whites, blues, grays and natural wood that align with the hotels’ water theming.
Guest Room Renovation
To further enhance the guest experience, the hotelier is remodeling all guest rooms in the Walt Disney World Swan Resort. This follows the introduction of 349 new luxury guest rooms with the opening of the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve hotel three years ago. The new, modern designed guest rooms in the Swan and Dolphin feature luxury tile flooring as well as new appointments.
The reimagined rooms in the Walt Disney World Swan will be completed in 2024. You read that correctly–this will be done by the end of this year, or in the next couple months. We did a double-take when seeing this in the release, so we confirmed with the Swan & Dolphin. This room refresh is already underway, has been completed in phases, and will be done by the end of 2024.
The project is the latest in the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin’s commitment to investing in the property to provide the best guest and client experience while consistently exceeding industry standards and embracing growth and innovation for the iconic destination.
Turning to commentary, I find this project fascinating for a few reasons. For one thing, $275 million is a lot to spend on a convention center expansion and modernization of some, but not all or even most, of the existing meeting spaces and guest rooms at the Swan & Dolphin.
Project costs have ballooned since the Swan Reserve and the last cycle of Walt Disney World expansion, which is really a bigger-picture topic. This is nevertheless a good example of that, and I can’t help but wonder what the budget on this would’ve been if it were announced at the same time as the Swan Reserve. For that matter, it makes me wonder how much more Cars and Villains Lands (etc) will cost, and how far the $60 billion will go as compared to last decade’s spending. On the plus side, hopefully there won’t be as much waste. Disney spent hundreds of millions at EPCOT on, essentially, lateral moves or things that don’t even exist as of 2024.
As for the Dolphin convention center expansion, I can’t imagine that it’s relevant to most readers of Disney Tourist Blog. Regardless, I appreciate that the team behind this is continuing the exterior style of the late Michael Graves. Expanding or refreshing the Swan & Dolphin is an unenviable task. Graves’ design is distinct and iconic, but also looks dated to many. There’s no great way to deal with that–modernization means losing some of what makes these hotels unique, but it’s what contemporary guests desire. A tough compromise, to be sure.
Finally and at the risk of pointing out the obvious, the Swan & Dolphin spending $275 million on (mostly) meeting spaces strongly suggests that its convention business has bounced back. We’ve never heard confirmation of this for Walt Disney World as a whole–it hasn’t come up on earnings calls recently, and there was a point at which it was accepted as conventional wisdom that businesses may never resume in-person events to the same degree as their peak in 2019.
Earlier this year, we observed major events at Coronado Springs and Yacht Club, but it was difficult to ascertain the size or frequency as compared with comparable 2019 events. Group events remain somewhat of a blind spot for fans and sites like this–we often know when large ones are happening, such as the recent Gartner IT Symposium, and have a rough idea of their scale and scope. But there are still unknowns, including their impact on occupancy, crowds, dining reservations–or even restaurant viability.
All of that is beyond the scope of this post, but it’s largely beyond the scope of all posts here. It’s nevertheless important and relevant for vacation planners, given that conventions and group events do have indirect impacts and second order effects for everyone else.
Turning to the room refresh at the Swan, it’s interesting that this is already underway and will be done by the end of this year. It’s also surprising and, honestly, disappointing that this looks very similar to the current rooms at the resort that were refreshed a few years ago (pictured above). My best guess is that project got interrupted in ~2020 and wasn’t resumed until recently.
To be sure, there are clear differences between the previous room refresh and the 2024 one. The wood or laminate as opposed to carpet, elevated bedframe with storage underneath, and headboard all immediately jump out. Nevertheless, I wish they would’ve been a bit more ambitious with this, taking inspiration from the newer and fresher Swan Reserve.
From my perspective, there’s a world of difference between the regular Swan & Dolphin rooms and the Swan Reserve rooms (pictured above). See our Swan Reserve Resort Review for why we’re such fans of the new hotel–and willing to walk a bit farther for it.
We’ll cover the pros & cons of the Swan Reserve vs. Swan & Dolphin soon, but all else being equal, I’d rather stay at the Swan Reserve right now. (Although I do love the rooms with balconies at the Swan & Dolphin–that might be enough to tip the scales.)
For those who are unfamiliar with their affiliations and labels, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels are considered Deluxe Resorts but are managed by Marriott. Due to an agreement way back in the Eisner days, these are the only third party hotels that are treated like actual Deluxe Resorts and bookable by the public. (Shades of Green is similar, minus the last part.)
From a practical perspective, this includes the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass pre-arrival booking windows. Ahead of their visit, guests will also be able to purchase and plan Lightning Lane passes, which allows guests to skip the standby line and join a shorter line for select attractions and experiences.
Guests of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin will be able to purchase these passes up to 7 days in advance of their stay, just like other on-site Deluxe Resort guests. This will be a huge advantage and, unlike Early Entry, only a handful of third party hotels at Walt Disney World will offer the 7+ day booking window. Dolphin/Swan/Reserve are among the rare few that do.
Read our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass at Walt Disney World for everything you need to know about these new line-skipping systems.
Although the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort hotels are not owned by Disney, they are very much on-site hotels. Located on Crescent Lake alongside BoardWalk Inn and Yacht & Beach Club, the Swan & Dolphin actually have a better location (in my estimation) than most Disney-owned hotels. To each their own, but I’d put Crescent Lake right up there with the Magic Kingdom monorail loop.
The Swan & Dolphin also have better on-site perks than most Disney-owned hotels now that Disney’s Magical Express has been retired. In addition to Early Entry, Swan & Dolphin guests are eligible for Extended Evening Hours, whereas Value and Moderate Resort guests are not.
Basically, the Swan & Dolphin are treated as Deluxe Resorts in every regard except transportation. Even then, they’re still within walking or boat distance of EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so it’s really only an issue for Magic Kingdom. And there’s an easy-enough workaround for that.
Unlike other third party hotels that are technically on-site, the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin truly offer the best of both worlds. All of the benefits (for now, at least) of staying in a Disney-owned hotel, plus a rewards program, better management, and more competitive prices. About the only thing you’re compromising is Disney IP infused into the hotel.
It’ll be interesting to see what else this $275 million transformation and expansion brings to the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin from a guest-facing perspective. Even if this is mostly for meeting space, it’s nevertheless reassuring to see the property continue to receive investment and upgrades. Despite the bland and boring exterior, the Swan Reserve turned out to be a very pleasant surprise–here’s hoping for more like that (minus the Scranton Office exterior) in the future!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the expansion plans for the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel? Surprised that this project is projected to cost $275 million? Any other thoughts about the room refresh, added meeting space, or anything else discussed here? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
