OTR – Ep 12 – Hotels, Motels and DVCs

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On today’s episode the guys start off with talking about the new revelations about DVC that Jim Hill recently mentioned. They then go into a detailed conversation about off-property hotels, local transit options and timeshares.  Downtown growth, Jackie Siegel and (of course) Taco Bell all are mentioned.  Downtown and Winter Park area hotels are discussed before they close out of the conversation with Ken going off on adding hotels to malls….

Show Info

Hosts

Ken Storey
Bob from Pixels at the Parks
Kyle Gary
Richie (But he was busy obsessing over Feld’s new Disney on Ice: Frozen show instead…)

Show Notes

• Opening Song
• The Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish with Jim Hill Episode 63: DVC Rumors
• Show Notes Bonus Link – Derek Burgan’s Saturday Six Inspired by DDwJH Ep 63

• Ken- “Value is a difficult word when you’re talking about Disney.”
• Ken- “Leave the Grand Floridian…Stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.”
• The NY Post article that brought to light the private concierges at WDW
• Ken Recommends- Not staying in the Contemporary Garden wing (the south wing)
• Ken- “If you’re looking just budget-wise, you’re going to get something nicer off (Disney) property.”
• Kyle- “There’s a lot of hotels that you can get better service and better amenities off property.”
• Kyle Recommends- The Lynx 50 bus if visiting MK
• Ken Recommends – Checking out Uber and Lyft when visiting Orlando
• Legoland Shuttle Service | BGT Shuttle Service
• Ken- “All Stars is a cheap experience!.. You are going to get a better experience at a Days Inn on I-Drive at this point.”
• Kyle- “I would be embarrassed to stay (at All Star)…It’s the most tacky Disney experience you can get.”
• Ken- “I used to be a big fan of the monorails. They now smell like a dirty diaper. They’re hot and smell like a dirty diaper, why do I want that?”
• The current state of Monorail Red as of Sept 7

• Ken Recommends – Take a jacket with you when riding Lynx busses
• MiceChat article on WDW occupancy rates
• WDW occupancy rates as reported by MiceChat.com
  • 2007- 89%
  • 2008- 89%
  • 2009- 87%
  • 2010- 82%
  • 2011- 82%
  • 2012- 81%
  • 2013- 79%
• Orlando Hotel Occupancy Rates Summary
• Orlando Sentinel reports Orlando metro hotel occupancy highest since June 2005
• Bob Recommends – Choice Hotels but maybe not in Orlando
• Ken was wrong- Tampa hosted the Super Bowl in 2009, not in 2008 as he stated.
• SkyscraperCity’s message board covering all the Tampa area construction directly linked to the 09 Super Bowl
• Ken gets the hotel names mixed up. He mentions the Sheraton Safari but is actually talking about the Orlando Vista Hotelcady-corner to it. The Orlando Vista (the pineapple hotel) is now being remodeled and becoming a Crowne Plaza Hotel.  The new Crowne Plaza opens on Dec 4, 2014.
• Despite a mention in every single show the I-Drive/SLR Walgreens is not a sponsor of OTR.
• Global Hotel Ranking – Orlando has 359, Vegas has 310. New York has the most with 667. (But this doesn’t seem like a metro area lists and most of the tourist district is outside of the city limits)
• The Orlando metro area has 454 hotel properties in the metro with 118,100 rooms. Vegas has 150,593 rooms but fewer, much larger hotels.
• Pyramid Hotel Properties
• Sage Hotel Properties in Florida (Hilton Garden Inn Orlando and Coco Key)
• Marriott Vacation Club Orlando area hotels
• Hilton Grand Vacations – Orlando = HGVC at SWO | HGVC at Tuscany Village | Parc Soleil by HGCV
• Kyle Recommends – Researching what hotel you want to stay at online. Then call directly to the front desk of the hotel you want to book and request a rate 20% lower.
• Kyle Recommends – Researching what type of breakfast your hotel offers. And eat it before you take your morning shower.
• A quick guide to hotel breakfasts
• Ken Recommends – Eating breakfast at an area buffet or Taco Bell before going to the parks.  Eat breakfast off-site.
• Ken Recommends – Sizzler and Golden Corral for breakfast.
• Ken’s profile on CouchSurfing
• Ken Recommends – Skipping rope drop, instead have a relaxing breakfast.
• Ken Recommends – Looking beyond the hotel district, especially in the summer months.

–Winter Park Hotels–

• The Alfond Inn | Top 5
• Central Florida Top 5’s review of Hamilton’s Kitchen
• Park Plaza Hotel

–Downtown Hotels Under Construction or Recently Opened–

• Residence Inn at Orange & Colonial | Construction Pics (Opening early 2015)
• Hyatt Place at Church Street Station (Currently Proposed)
• Aloft Downtown Orlando  (Opened in Oct, 2013)
• Orlando Magic Entertainment Complex

–Current Downtown Sights–

• Grand Bohemian (Check out the art on the 6^th floor!)
• Kyle- “If you’re interested in the bar scene you’re doing a disservice by not going (to downtown Orlando.)”
• See Art Orlando – “Thought to be the largest permanent sculpture collection of different pieces by different artists under construction at one time.”
• Ken Recommends – Doing a walking tour of Downtown Orlando around the SAO sculptures.
• Lake Eola Park
• Ken Recommends- Not staying on Lee Road. Do your research, check the Google Street View, check the reviews and research your transit options.
• Lymmo (free buses throughout downtown Orlando) – The first BRT in the nation.
• Ken Recommends- If you’re not visiting Orlando with kids, stay in downtown.
• Florida Southern’s Frank Lloyd Wright Child of the Sun in Lakeland
• Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green, Florida
• Omni ChampionsGate
• Around Osceola Reports Omni ChampionsGate to add 23 four-bedroom villas, $6 million water park, 20,000 sq of retail. Area will be referred to as “Orlando-Kissimmee” in all branding.
• Ken- Cabana Bay is the new standard in Orlando. People expect themed pools, multiple restaurants.
• Kyle’s tweet asking what do you look for in a hotel?
• Marriott’s Grande Vista
• WestGate Resorts
• Westgate River Ranch (it used to claim to be the World’s Largest Dude Ranch but the website now claims it’s the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi)
• Ken Recommends – Watching The Queen of Versailles documentary
• Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa
• Gaylord Palms
• Gaylord Opryland 2010 flood
• Ken Recommends – Make a weekend with a stay at Gaylord Palms, do ICE! and Celebration Snow
• Ken Recommends- Gaylord Palm’s sports bar Wreckers.
• A Land Remembered at Rosen Shingle Creek – According to Ken it’s giving WDW a run for their money.
• Harry’s Poolside Bar & Grill at Rosen Centre
• Ken Recommends- Sam & Bubbe’s but not Everglades at Rosen Centre
• Hyatt Regency Orlando
• Ken- “For a family of four coming to Orlando on a vacation you’re going to spend $10,000 if you want to do it correct.”
• Parking requirements paper Ken references
• Westin Imagine hasn’t expanded its pool recently
• Attractions Magazine Reviews Hilton Orlando’s The Promenade
• Ken Recommends- Palm Parkway hotels as an alternative
• Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
• Ron Jon Resort is now Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Beach Resort
• B Resort Orlando
• Kyle wishes Avanti Resort would’ve updated the out buildings when it updated the lobby
• Kyle Recommends- Break up your Orlando stay with a few different hotels.
• Nigel Worrall’s Vacation Home Blog
• Ken realizes he referenced the wrong hotel at the beginning of the show…
• Ken- “I’m seeing this across the city. These hotels are dropping the cheesy themes and instead are going for luxury. Luxury is the new theme.”
• CityCenter Las Vegas
• Kyle- “International Drive will be the next Vegas strip.” Ken- “It already is. Everything Vegas has we have and we have it better.”
• Ken rattles off a bunch of pre-recession hotel proposals – Citymark | Blue Rose
• Kyle- “In the next 10-15 years up and down I-Drive you’re going to see Vegas style resorts. Then Disney is going to have a huge wake up call.”
• Brazilians are buying condos in Florida (how long until they start buying in Orlando?)
• Castle Hotel
• Café Tu Tu Tango
• Then Ken goes off about adding a hotel to the outlet malls and everyone leaves before he goes off again on how malls need hotels and roller coasters and live zoos and who knows what else…

End