Marriott Bonvoy holds a significant advantage over other hotel chains regarding Walt Disney World properties. That’s because it’s the sole chain with official Disney hotels, including the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve. Although these properties are well-liked by Disney fans, Marriott Bonvoy has consistently increased the points needed to redeem a free night.
I just learned that Marriott has added another hotel to its Walt Disney World portfolio. They’ve opened the Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, in the Disney Springs Resort Area. The hotel, formerly known as the B Resort, underwent a $25 million renovation before its 394 newly appointed guest rooms were added to the Marriott Bonvoy family of hotels.
Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa
As an Official Walt Disney World® Hotel, guests have access to a theme park shuttle service and early entry into Walt Disney World® theme parks. The Disney Springs Resort area includes other chain properties including three Hilton hotels, the Holiday Inn Orlando, a Wyndham Garden hotel and a newly expanded Drury Hotels location.
I was a bit shocked to see the B Resort become a Renaissance property, as this is one of Marriott Bonvoy’s upper scale brands. However it looks like they put resources into making this a high-end hotel.
The resort tapped New York-based hospitality design firm Stonehill Taylor to complete the interior design for the renovation, with modern aesthetics exemplifying the tropical essence of Florida. Inspired by the local citrus groves of Orlando, the resort’s modern design pops with blue-greens, crisp white, and accents of terracotta.
Stonehill Taylor has been responsible for designing several signature hotels, including the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport and the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan.
Is this a value proposition?
Hotel Plaza Boulevard isn’t well known for its luxury hotels. This means that prices for hotels in the area are lower than their Walt Disney World counterparts. Therefore, rooms at the Renaissance cost fewer Marriott Bonvoy points than both the Swan Reserve and the JW Marriott, located at nearby Bonnet Creek.
You can book free nights at the Renaissance for as few as 30,000 Bonvoy points this November.
Rooms at the JW Marriott start at 41,000 points, with weekends going for over 60K points.
If you can find availability at the Swan Reserve, rooms start at 54,000 points, up to 70-80K for the more expensive dates.
Finding a Marriott hotel on Disney property for under 35,000 points is a huge deal because it means you can use a free night from one of the Marriott co-brand cards.
Resort Fee
One major downside is that Renaissance Orlando adds a $45 nightly resort fee, even when using points or free night certificates. This means your “free night” will cost $50 after taxes, plus an additional $25 self-parking fee if you have a car.
These fees are unavoidable when staying at a Marriott property around Walt Disney World, so you’ll have to budget for them when planning your stay if you want to use Marriott points or free night certificates.
Final Thought
Marriott Bonvoy has several properties around Walt Disney World. The addition of the Renaissance at Disney Springs gives guests another option if they don’t want to pay extra to stay at the Swan & Dolphin complex but still want to use their hotel points to pay for a Disney vacation.
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