S
Having been a guest/member of OKW since the beginning, I have some nostalgia for the look and feel of the old lobby... "Welcome Home" and all that. It's great to come back, whether after a year's absence or even a few years and see everything looking the same as when I left. That said, I do like parts of the new design... it looks lighter and airier. The dark wood floors reminded me of the Yacht Club and that aesthetic than the breezier look the new lobby has. I suppose we call it New Key West now? ;) I'll wait to see it in person first and see how it feels to be inside.
C
↩ replying to SteveAZeeThey definitely shared similar vibes before. I do feel the new look is definitely more fitting of the Keys, it’s just some of the furniture and accessories that miss the mark I feel. It’s like they need to send an imagineer down to an estate sale to pick up some finishing touches to switch out with the pieces they got at Marshall’s.
R
What's the theme of this hotel? You can't tell from the decor. It's all very generic (except the silly cartoon horses). Some people may like it, but to me it has a grandma's house circa 1985 vibe.
J
↩ replying to rkleinleinHaving stayed at Saratoga I thought the theme was grandma who likes horse sculptures.
E
The quality (or lack there of) in many of the items is of growing concern for me. Having been in both recently, the physical quality of some of these new rooms are on par with Universal's Endless Summer (just stayed at Dockside this week). While some have a bit of weight, these are not high quality pieces. They look pretty and photograph well, but construction is a growing concern. It's very much the "Homegoods" factor. The quality of finishes is on par with the average Marriott or Holiday Inn.
And I certainly appreciate people aren't experts, but I would assume a number of us travel a fair bit. So, there is a fair comparison point - especially for the price point. These lobbies feel like they could be done by literally any hotel chain anywhere save for some Disney characters sprinkled in. That was never what Disney did. I'm not saying the 90s Disney needs to come back at all. But, place setting and creating atmosphere is Disney's brand (or at least legacy). There was an energy and a story to it. These new lobbies are both cheaper materials and given a general concept - with the higher price point. I think that's a valid observation any consumer can make.
T
For me, OKW is now reminiscent of Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. I guess that makes sense.
Not a huge fan of the Hilton Garden Inn with horses but I’ve never cared for SSR. Horse isn’t a theme I appreciate.
Can there be a dog resort filled with paintings of Best Boys?
Disney’s Nantucket Beach Resort?
U
I never thought Saratoga Springs had much of a theme to begin with, but the cartoon IP horses are really unseemly. Were they there before or is that part of this refurb?
Either way they are a terrible idea; makes it look like a value.
C
While I believe the Disney of old would have done a far better job, I instantly got SSR just from the first picture. However, I did not get OKW from the first picture.
Also, I have never been in either lobby. Been by each of the buildings thousands of times, in them, no.
C
↩ replying to cranbizSaratoga gives me a bit of hope. I also wonder that now with the buildings getting older more of the budget is being spent on the bones of the structure leaving less money for finishes? I am crafting an email right now to voice my concern over the lack of feeling these renovations have, maybe if more people wrote in the message will get through.
H
I’ll see the OKW lobby in person next month, or I’ll at least make it a point to go in sometime, we’re only there for one night.
C
↩ replying to UNCgolfThese are new. I like the idea they were going for. If all the furniture wasn’t from wayfair I don’t think they’d stick out as much, but together makes it feel cheap.
R
↩ replying to wedenterprisesYou don't have to be a professional interior designer to see that these new lobbies have very little theming and look like generic lobbies of generic hotel chains. And these aren't one (or two) offs. The Riviera is just as bad. Marshalls and Home Goods is the new aesthetic for Disney hotels.
Theming aside, they don't even look like lobbies for particularly nice hotels even though these are part of Disney's most expensive, deluxe tier accommodations. They look not just generic, but cheap. We've all seen Marriott Coutryards and Hilton Garden Inns that look nicer than these.
In case you haven't, here's a pic of the lobby of first Marriott Courtyard that came up in a search (Nashville). To my untrained eye, this is so much nicer than what Disney is doing and it's just a Coutryard, not even a true Marriott. If Courtyard can do it why doesn't Disney? (Of course we know the answer to that question.)
C
WHY? All of this is just unnecessary junk that has nothing to do with the resort. We couldn’t find a horse statue? A nice potted plant? A table/hutch/buffet whatever this is That actually fits the time period? If I was the resort GM Id tell them to take all this stuff back and just leave an empty wall. I’d prefer that over this junk.
S
↩ replying to rkleinleinYes, I have the same feeling. Generally I understand how some of the 1990s-era theming might need to be streamlined for 2020s tastes. The problem is that Disney's hotels are increasingly not even furnished like particularly nice hotels. They certainly don't seem special in the sense that the furnishings look like things we could all find in retail stores and, if we can afford to stay at the hotels, could probably easily afford to buy.
Something strange is going on with the hotels. Whether you liked the old theming or not, they always seemed quite unique and somewhat lavish in their furnishing. Now they just seem cheap and generic. The worst offender is the porte cochere of the Polynesian, which is and looks like it's made out of painted metal in place of wood with some cheap light fixtures meant to vaguely resemble glass floats. That they are happy with that standard for what is one of their most expensive deluxe resorts suggests quality is not a priority for the resorts.
Completely agree. Virtually everything in this picture looks bad. Even the table/sideboard thing looks pretty ugly and synthetic sitting on its clear plastic legs.