BackLuxury lodging finally comes to Walt Disney World
The final stages of the new Four Seasons Resort, Orlando, at Disney World Resort opened in October
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Sprawling across 43 square miles (111 sq. km), Florida’s Walt Disney World is an enormous complex, truly a world unto itself, bigger than many major cities. It is best known for four separate and very elaborate theme parks, the original Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot Center, but it also features two huge waterparks, a vast sports and stadium complex, hundreds of stores, more than 100 very varied restaurants, a nightlife and entertainment district, five golf courses, a wilderness preserve, a full-sized motorsports racetrack and dozens of hotels. Yet one thing was always lacking, a rather glaring omission for an otherwise perfectly designed world-class tourist attraction that draws more than 18 million annual visitors from every corner of the globe—true luxury accommodations.
That changed in October, when the final stages of the new Four Seasons Resort, Orlando, at Disney World Resort opened.
For the first time, well-heeled visitors used to enjoying five-star accommodations when they travel can enjoy this kind of service and creature comforts at the world’s most famous amusement park. Disney is well known for being a very hands-on company that doesn’t do a lot of outsourcing, but, in this case, they wanted expertise and a successful track record, and partnered with what is arguably the best-known luxury hospitality brand on earth. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts operates about a hundred top-tier properties around the world, with more five-star rated hotels in the US than any other company.
The brand’s newest resort is also one of its biggest, with 443 rooms, including the largest accommodation in the entire Four Seasons family, the nine-bedroom Royal Suite atop the hotel, which can be further expanded to include the entire top floor. Because Disney famously puts on an elaborate fireworks display over the Magic Kingdom every single night, the premium rooms at the new resort are “fireworks view" accommodations, as is the Royal Suite.
The newest Four Seasons is an oasis for adults and families alike in the middle of one of the world’s most popular and frenetic tourist destinations. To make things as seamless as possible for visitors, there is a dedicated “Disney Planning Center" in the lobby, a sort of second concierge just for theme park activities. The hotel is one of just a handful of permanent locations for the park’s famous “character breakfasts", so parents can entertain their children without even leaving the lobby. Families who sign up for these enjoy breakfast and photo opportunities with the park’s most famous costumed characters, including Minnie, Goofy and the main attraction, Mickey Mouse himself. There are host of other fringe benefits of staying here, such as free delivery back to the hotel of any souvenirs bought in the theme parks, but at the end of the day, the main advantages are the exceptional facilities, white-glove service, and elevated room and food quality that comes with a true luxury hotel.
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Larry Olmsted is a golf and travel writer, and a columnist for Forbes and USA Today.
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