Hotels change brands all of the time. More often than we ever realize. Some hotels go from being part of a chain to becoming independent. Others go from being independent to becoming part of a chain. Lastly, hotels will often transition from one chain to another. This means the hotel must undergo some sort of transformation to meet the brand standards of the chain they’re joining. During this transition period, a hotel can go through sort of hotel limbo where they aren’t a member of any hotel chain.
This is what happened when the Trump Hotel in Toronto went bankrupt. While it was scheduled to reopen as part of the St. Regis hotel chain, the hotel operated as the independent Adelaide Hotel until the transition was complete.
While hotels try to complete these renovations as quickly as possible, sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Back in March 2018, we reported that the Radisson Hotel near Celebration, FL had left the chain and rebranded itself as the Grand Orlando Resort at Celebration. Not a very inspiring name but why put much effort into an interim name. The hotel was advertising that it would soon be joining the Delta Hotel brand, which is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.
That was eighteen months ago.
According to the hotel’s website, the location is still supposed to become a Delta property.
I drove past the hotel recently and it looks like work is progressing, albeit slowly.
The sign from the road looks a little more permanent. Pulling onto the property, I drove past the lobby to check things out. Turns out, the lobby area is closed.
They’ve taken the opportunity of directing you to the check-in area located in the meeting room foyer to let you know they’re (eventually) going to be a Delta by Marriott hotel.
The hotel is currently ranked #97 out of 161 hotels in Kissimmee. While the hotel can often be found on OTA websites for less than $60 a night during the off-season, they still have the nerve to add this to the room rate.
$25 resort fee.
Parking fee $13 per day.
Right now, the hotel is planned to become a Delta Hotel in January of 2021!!!!!!!
That’s almost three years since the hotel left Radisson and will have been lingering in hotel limbo.
Does anyone else know of a hotel that had been “planning” to become a different hotel for such a long time? I’m guessing that having the hotel try to become part of the Delta Hotels brand isn’t costing them any money but having a mediocre property in the midst of a multi-year renovation using their future affiliation as an advertising ploy isn’t helping Marriott any. I’d even say that in the end that Marriott has been Bonvoyed by the hotel’s slow walk towards meeting the Delta brand standards.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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