Best Western

[alkc71]

has anyone stayed at the Best Western in Disney Springs in the past year. I would love to hear reviews.

 

[HopperFan]

Am sure some will chime that have ....

Just an FYI ...
Drury Inns has bought Best Western
and permits have been filed to begin
ground work for the construction of
a new tower next to the existing and
then a renovation of the existing hotel.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...4-story-tower-at-disney-springs-best-western/

 

[alkc71]

Am sure some will chime that have ....

Just an FYI ...
Drury Inns has bought Best Western
and permits have been filed to begin
ground work for the construction of
a new tower next to the existing and
then a renovation of the existing hotel.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...4-story-tower-at-disney-springs-best-western/

Interesting! Thank you for the info! I wonder when that will start.

 

[writerguyfl]

Interesting! Thank you for the info! I wonder when that will start.

As far as permits go, I think the South Florida Water Management District one is the biggest hurdle to construction. Local permits like Reedy Creek should be pro forma in this case. I say that because I doubt Drury Hotels would have purchased this property with the intention to expand without first discussing the possibility of approval with Reedy Creek.

Also, the sale of the hotel to Drury happened all the way back in August 2017. I'm sure they are eager to move the rebranding along as quickly as possible. Currently, they are paying licensing and reservations fees to a competitor (Best Western).

Based on all of that, I'd guess that construction should begin relatively soon. Although a complete guess, I'm going with January 2019.

 

[pooh2001]

Never heard of Drury Hotels ?
Any good?
Better than a Best Western ?
What is the rating of a Drury Hotel ?
I found:
Drury Inn & Suites Orlando
7301 West Sand Lake Road
Orlando, FL, 32819
407-354-1101
But that is not in DS !

 

[writerguyfl]

Drury Hotels is a relative small chain that is family-owned. They operate about 150 hotels across 25 states. This the coverage map from their website. (Red = State with Drury Hotels)

Compared to other hotel chains, it's small. (Best Western has 2,000 hotels in North America.) If you aren't actively looking for hotel in one of the major cities in one of the above states, you probably won't have heard of Drury.

The operate three different brands:

• Drury Inns and Suites: Mid-market, limited service hotels (meaning no restaurant or meeting facilities) that include free breakfast and an evening snack. Some competitors would include Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Fairfield Inn.
• Drury Plaza Hotel: Upscale, full-service hotels with restaurants and meeting facilities. Some competitors include Hilton, DoubleTree, Sheraton, and Marriott.
• Pear Tree Inn: Budget hotels featuring free breakfast and evening snacks. Some competitors include Days Inn, Econo Lodge, and Super 8.

I can't speak to the experience of staying at any of their hotels. For what it's worth, their website says "Drury Hotels is the only hotel to receive 13 consecutive J.D. Power Awards. Study is based on responses from 55,000 guests who stayed in a hotel May 2017-May 2018." So, they must be doing something right.

It's hard to compare anything to Best Western. Best Western's biggest strength is also it's biggest weakness. Namely, all of their properties are independently owned and operated. Since Best Western isn't in the business of hotel management, their franchise agreements tend to be less structured than other hotels. (That opinion is based on my previous work in hospitality, including for Disney.) Less structure means you'll see more variation between good and bad hotels. There are some incredible Best Western hotels out there...but there are also a ton of mediocre or worse hotels in the brand.

The fact that Drury Hotels is privately owned means they have complete control over their hotels. That's a positive, in my book.

 

[CarolynFH]

A number of years ago I traveled frequently for work to Austin, TX, and loved the Drury Inn there. My family stayed at one elsewhere too. I'd stay at another Drury without a second thought, so I'm happy to hear that they've taken over this BW.

 

[pooh2001]

Maybe a great hotel by 2020