The Walt Disney World Swan is a resort hotel located between

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unre ...

and

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

in the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

Bay Lake, Florida Bay Lake is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29 at the 2020 census. It is named after a lake that lies east of the Magic Kingdom. All four of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, and one of Walt Disney ...

, and across from its sister resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin. Both hotels were designed by

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, as well as principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Gr ...

, and are connected by a palm-tree lined covered walkway crossing a lagoon. The ''Swan'' opened on January 13, 1990, as part of a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company,

Tishman Hotel Corporation Tishman Realty & Construction Co., Inc. is an American corporation founded in 1898 that owns and develops real estate. The company is known for being the contractor that built the original World Trade Center in New York City. Tishman Constructio ...

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

and

Starwood Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. ...

Hotels and Resorts, which was merged into

Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company was founded by ...

in 2019. The land the resort occupies is owned by the Walt Disney Company and leased on a 99-year term to the

and

who own the buildings and contract the operation to

under the

Westin Hotels & Resorts Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

brand. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are a part of the Walt Disney Collection of resorts; because of this they are Disney branded and guests of the resort have access to special Disney benefits available to Disney Resort Hotel guests only. The Dolphin and Swan share similar elements, but each has a distinctive appearance. The Swan's main structure is a 12-story rectangular main structure with a gently arching top and two 7-story wings, on the Swan side the main structure is crowned with two, tall Swan statues. The colored facade is adorned with

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of year ...

waves similar to the Dolphin's banana-leaf motif. In 2008, The Walt Disney Swan Resort was awarded a One Palm Designation through the Florida Green Lodging Program established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary state initiative that provides the lodging industry with free technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving “green” practices that reduce waste, conserve natural resources and improve the bottom line.

History

In the late 1980s, Disney saw that they were losing business to area hotels that catered to conventions and large meetings, so

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film s ...

decided to build a convention-oriented hotel near Epcot. The Tishman Group, the contractor who was hired to build Epcot and who also had hotels in the nearby Disney hotel zone, claimed that the Epcot deal gave them exclusive rights to operate convention hotels on the Disney property, so Disney partnered with Tishman to develop the Swan and Dolphin complex. The Swan was managed by Westin Hotels & Resorts, and the Dolphin by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. Eisner had used Graves for other company projects and wanted to continue to build striking, unique buildings. Tishman and MetLife own the buildings, but have a 99-year lease on the land from Disney. Disney also receives a share of the hotel's revenues, and has a say in any design or architecture changes to the interior or exterior of the buildings. In November 2021 a new extension to the hotel was opened, called Walt Disney World Swan Reserve. The new property is located across the street from the main hotel and contains 349 rooms including 151 suites.

Location

The Walt Disney Swan Resort is located near many Disney hotspots and hotels. Walking paths or Disney boats are available from the resort to both Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Buses contracted by the hotel bring guests to all other Walt Disney World attractions.

Amenities

The resort, along with the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, has two lap pools and one grotto pool with a waterslide and waterfall. Drinks can be ordered by guests near the pools through a nearby cabana bar. Resort guests have access to a spa, arcade, day care program, along with multiple Disney gift shops.

Dining

Fine dining

* Il Mulino New York Trattoria - Italian * Kimonos - Sushi

Casual dining

* Garden Grove - American * Splash Pool Bar and Grill - Poolside

Quick service

* Java - Coffee and Food * Chill - Frozen drinks

Lounges

* Il Mulino Lounge * Kimonos Lounge

Former Dining

*Palio - Italian

Walt Disney World privileges

Walt Disney World Swan guests are provided complimentary transportation to all Walt Disney World theme parks and attractions on the Disney Transportation System, via boat (to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios). Length-of-stay park passes are available, as is package delivery from Disney theme park shops to the resort. There is a Walt Disney World guest services desk located in the lobby of each resort. Walt Disney World Swan guests can also use Early Theme Park Access, and begin booking Genie+ selections at 7:00am by linking their reservation to the My Disney Experience mobile app. However, room charging (using hotel key as a credit card at Walt Disney World) is not available and hotel restaurants do not participate in the

Disney Dining Plan The Disney Dining Plan is a prepaid meal package that guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels can purchase to receive discounts of up to 30% on food in the complex. It was first introduced in 2005 and has developed in complexity over time, so ...

. For an additional fee, the hotel features onsite Disney Character Dining nightly and on weekend mornings, and reservations for all restaurants can be made through Disney.

References

External links

Photo Gallery of Swan & Dolphin Hotel by Michael GravesWalt Disney World Swan & Dolphin
official website
Walt Disney World Swan Resort page
at Westin Hotels website
Walt Disney World Swan Resort page
at Walt Disney World website {{Walt Disney World Hotels in Walt Disney World Resort Hotel buildings completed in 1990 Hotels established in 1990 Michael Graves buildings Convention centers in Florida 1990 establishments in Florida