Overview
- The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort held a ribbon-cutting Thursday to open a convention-center addition that adds more than 100,000 square feet of new meeting and event space.
- The new build includes a 38,000-square-foot Upper Peninsula Ballroom, a 40,000-square-foot Lower Peninsula multi-function room, and about 38,000 square feet of pre-function space.
- With the addition the resort says its total indoor and outdoor event capacity is roughly 600,000 square feet, a claim the property markets as making it the largest convention hotel on the U.S. East Coast and that outlets reported without independent verification.
- The Swan and Dolphin complex sits inside the Walt Disney World footprint but is operated by Marriott and includes the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve hotels, which affects how groups book rooms and event services.
- Resort leaders say the extra capacity is aimed at corporate meetings, industry conventions and large celebrations that can be paired with on-site restaurants, recreation and nearby Disney parks, a change that could shift meeting bookings and boost local event traffic.