Exterior refurbishment of Disney's BoardWalk Inn continues at Walt Disney World

May 08, 2023 in "Disney's BoardWalk Inn"

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Disney's BoardWalk Inn exterior refurbishment - May 8 2023

Posted: Monday May 8, 2023 9:15am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The refurbishment of Disney's BoardWalk Inn continues inside and out, with work now taking place on the exterior of the guest room buildings.

Disney's BoardWalk Inn exterior refurbishment - May 8 2023

Over the past week, crews have used high-reach lifts to paint and work on guest room balconies.

Disney's BoardWalk Inn exterior refurbishment - May 8 2023

Disney's BoardWalk Resort is in the middle of a significant refurbishment that has seen updates to guest rooms, a new lobby coffee shop, a new quick-service deli, and a new table service restaurant under construction.

Disney's BoardWalk Inn lobby refurbishment - March 1 2023

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Bocabear1 day ago

This is a case study for "declining by degrees"...each little thing doesn't seem like much...until one day you walk in, and you are in the lobby of a Courtyard By Marriott instead of the classic Boardwalk Inn.... I think this is happening... and the shocking thing is, the theme is the charm....Disney Difference..... That is really why most people stay at a Disney resort... yeah yeah, I know someone is going to say they would rather stay at a hotel that has no theme at all.... but I think the reason Disney resorts are so popular is because of the theme.

UNCgolf1 day ago

That's fair.

James Alucobond1 day ago

Didn’t say it did, but the post framed replacement as a waste of money.

mastromjm1 day ago

Exactly. In theory that totally makes sense, but the cabinet looked like it was in pretty darn good shape as it was. Saw it about two weeks ago

UNCgolf1 day ago

Needing to replace furnishings doesn't necessitate a downgrade, though.

James Alucobond1 day ago

Because furnishings in hotels take a lot of abuse and need to be refreshed semi-regularly?

mastromjm1 day ago

I am also genuinely curious WHY these changes keep happening? I know obviously the resort is being refurbished but this definitely does not strike me as an improvement in any way, more just a waste of money. Relatively small waste of money yeah, but with how WDI spends…

UNCgolf1 day ago

This is the whole problem, though. It's no longer a stylistic fit, especially with what was inside the hutch. It now looks like something you'd wander by at any random hotel. The original piece wasn't something incredibly special, but it certainly fit better. Regardless, I agree that this change is relatively minor (and why I said it's not the reason I think the Belle Vue Lounge has declined so precipitously), but it's still a downgrade for the theme.

Bocabear1 day ago

I did not say that what was there was the best possible choice in the known world, but it felt more like the character of the space.... What is there now feels like a cheap Model home with HomeGoods lamps and accessories... Too modern, pointless change except to be brighter and modern....which again moves us away from what makes this resort special and closer to "Any Marriott USA" theme.

James Alucobond1 day ago

I’m pretty sure I could buy what was there previously at Havertys too. Whether or not it fits stylistically is a different story entirely, but it wasn’t a monumentally special piece or anything. I’m not sure the commercial availability of something is a metric that should be used for the most part.

Bocabear1 day ago

Not only does it not have any charm, it is something you can buy in any furniture store USA and adds nothing to the thematic storyline of the hotel...actually detracts from it... I give this a big solid "Boo!" The Belle Vue Lounge has always been a lovely spot and they keep trying to ruin it and make it look generic...

Nunu2 days ago

It's not horrible, but the new furniture, lamps, mirror and decorations look very generic, like something you see in most hotel lobbys these days. Imo, the case with antiques that was there before, had charm, this new thing, does not.

James Alucobond2 days ago

I mean, furnishings will change over time. I agree that some of the changes in the area aren't for the better, but this one just seems like swapping a hutch for a sideboard, both of which have a pretty similar level of character, the ability of the hutch to hold more stuff notwithstanding (though nothing in it was particularly special either). I wouldn't exactly call it pointless to keep the furnishings fresh; they just need to make sure they're keeping to the theming of the resort.

UNCgolf2 days ago

They just keep making the Belle Vue area worse. I have no idea why they seem determined to ruin what was once maybe the best little resort spot at WDW. We always went up there while at the Boardwalk but it doesn't seem like it's worth the time now. Admittedly that's because of the other larger changes, but this is just another small (and seemingly pointless) hit to the area.