I’m surprised that nobody (not even the blogs from what i’ve seen) have been covering the recently opened JW Marriott Bonnett Creek. I think they welcomed their first official guests yesterday.
I had a family member swing by to check it out (he sent me a video too), and my impression of the place doesn’t seem to be great. To the point where I am feeling bad for people transferred there from Swolphin.
The resort itself is very far away from the already far away Bonnett Creek properties. You have to drive through a bunch of secluded nature just to end up at a hotel that’s pressed up against I-4. Once inside, it’s the standard modern hotel decor. Nothing all that special (it makes the Swolphin renovations look whimsical). Unfortunately, this resort was built as a convention hotel, so the lobby, lower lobby, and pool are all cluttered with mostly shuttered bars and restaurants. Their rooftop bar/restaurant hasn’t even opened, which is a shame. Similarly, the pool is modern and bland (aka it’s not really made for families). The hotel also doesn’t really have any “grounds” (the hotel is mostly a tower, convention center, and pool) which is really a shame.
Two final notes are that the tower is oriented to where the two “views” are both just okay, instead of going the way that the Hilton and Waldorf are with one great side and one bad side. Effectively, both views are I-4 & ________. Also, there is a giant pad next to it that is clearly meant to be another tower hotel. While COVID may have delayed its construction, once it is under construction I expect it to be not the best circumstances for the JW hotel.
Overall, this seems like a nice, modern convention hotel, but I really struggle to see it as an adequate Swolphin substitute, and have an even harder time finding a way to count it as a “Disney” hotel.
www.wdwmagic.com
