The Walt Disney World Dolphin is a resort hotel designed by the 2012 Driehaus Prize winner Michael Graves located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, next to Disney's BoardWalk Resort area. It opened on June 1, 1990 and is joined to its sister hotel, the Walt Disney World Swan by a palm-tree lined covered walkway crossing a lagoon. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company, Tishman Hotel Corporation, MetLife and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. The land the resort occupies is owned by the Walt Disney Company, while the buildings themselves are leased by Disney to the Tishman Hotel Corporation and MetLife but operated byStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide under the Sheraton Hotels brand. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are a part of the Walt Disney Collection of resorts; because of this they are Disney branded and guests of the resort have access to special Disney benefits available to Disney Resort Hotel guests only. The Dolphin and Swan share similar elements, but each has a distinctive appearance. The Dolphin is composed of a tall triangular tower bisecting a 12-story rectangular mass with four 9-story wings on the Swan-side of the structure. The roof of each half of the main mass is adorned with a tall Dolphin statue. On the main colored facade there is a turquoise banana-leaf pattern echoed by a similar wave pattern on the Swan. The statues on top of the Dolphin hotel are not mammalian dolphins, but a stylized version of a nautical dolphin, a common symbol used on old world nautical maps. The design of the creatures is based on Triton Fountain in Rome. In 2008, The Walt Disney Dolphin Resort was awarded a One Palm Designation through the Florida Green Lodging Program established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary state initiative that provides the lodging industry with free technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving “green” practices that reduce waste, conserve natural resources and improve the bottom line.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin guests are provided complimentary transportation to all Walt Disney World theme parks and attractions on the Disney Transportation System, via boat, and bus. Length-of-stay park passes are available, as is package delivery from Disney theme park shops to the resort. There is a Walt Disney World guest services desk located in the lobby of each resort. Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin guests can also use Extra Magic Hours, and Disney's Fastpass+ service, guests can select time slots for attractions 60 days prior to their arrival at the resort. However, room charging is not available and hotel restaurants only participate in the Tables in Wonderland Dining Plan, not the Disney Dining Plan. There is onsite Disney Character Dining nightly and on weekend mornings, and reservations for all restaurants can by made through Disney. Room charging within the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Complex is available. Also, guests staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin have free theme park parking and priority access to the Disney theme parks during sell out situations.
