The Gran Destino Tower at the Coronado Resort is the modern hotel tower addition to the previously existing Coronado Resort. The tower delivers an upscale experience and is frequently home to conference goers. The Gran Destino Tower at the Coronado Resort is a great option for an adults only trip with Deluxe Resort level amenities at Moderate Resort level prices.
While the Gran Destino Tower exists at the Coronado Resort and the tower shares amenities like the pools and dining locations with the rest of the resort, the hotel tower is distinctly different than the rooms in the low rise buildings across the rest of the the resort.
The Gran Destino tower was added after the fact as a space to service conference goers and business people. The rooms are more modern and sleek than rooms at other properties and the lobby itself feels much more like a hotel lobby in a major city rather than at Walt Disney World. With all of that said, this might be a great hotel option for your vacation.
We'll dive into a full resort tour and review of the Gran Destino tower and discuss the pros and cons of a resort stay here. These are all based on my recent multiple stays at the Gran Destino tower.
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Gran Destino Tower Review
The Gran Destino tower is designed in a style to honor Salvador Dalí, the notable Spanish artist. Artwork and colors based on his styles are carried throughout the hotel in the lobby, hallways, and rooms. The lobby of this hotel is particularly impressive with massive columns and a soaring decorated roof. The lobby bar is a great place to relax and begin the morning.
Walt Disney actually worked on a short film with Salvador Dalí starting in 1945. This film, called Destino – thus the name for the hotel tower, was not completed in their of their lifetimes but it did connect the two great artists. Disney and Dali maintained a friendship throughout their lives and leaned into each other's creative inspirations. Disney used this small connection to bring this impressive Dalí style into Walt Disney World.
Booking Disney's Gran Destino Tower
The Gran Destino Tower is considered part of the Coronado Springs resort so when you are booking you'll specifically look for one of the room types within the Coronado Springs resort booking page. We recommend booking your Walt Disney World hotel through Get Away Today. They have worked with Disney for over 30 years and now have a direct booking engine that actually makes it even easier to compare discounts and prices for hotels than the Disney site. On their site they refer to the Gran Destino as “tower rooms”. Check hotel prices for your dates here >
There are two room types within the Gran Destino Tower listed. You can either book a standard room which looks at the parking lot and out towards Hollywood Studios and Epcot or you can book a water view room that looks into the resort. I actually like the view out towards Epcot and Hollywood Studios more. That will just depend on how high up you are to look out. From my recent room we had a direct view to both of those parks. I recommend booking a standard room and requesting a room higher in the tower. The first photo below is from a standard view room and the second photo is from a water view room.
Consider that this hotel is a rated moderate Walt Disney World resort but has most of the same offerings as a deluxe Walt Disney World resort. Keep in mind that though amenities and upscale feel are similar there are certain offerings that might make it better to stay at one of the lowest priced deluxe resorts like the Animal Kingdom Lodge to get access to Extended Evening Hours.
Coronado Springs Resort Overview
The Coronado Springs Resort (see map here) is one of a number of resort hotels that does not connect to the Disney theme parks in any way besides the Walt Disney World bus system. No monorails, Skyliner, or boat access here. It's one reason that Disney has leaned into this property as a conference hotel. Those transportation amenities are not nearly as important for conference goers who are often shuttled on buses related to their event or who remain at the hotel utilizing the conference center at the resort.
The resort is home to a large cafeteria and a couple of sit down restaurants. Three Bridges, located in the middle of the lake behind the hotel, is a personal favorite and one of the few restaurants that still serves food between 10 pm and 11 pm. See our Coronado Springs restaurants discussion below.
Also on the resort grounds are four large pool areas and areas with games. Most notable featured pool at Coronado Springs is the “Dig Site” pool and recreation area which features a water slide coming out of a crumbling temple. The area also has outdoor games, a playground, and indoor arcade. As you can see on the map linked above, the grounds of the resort are sprawling. If you are staying in the Gran Destino tower you could avoid ever leaving the tower besides a walk to the closest hotel. You could also use the grounds for a morning run as I did one day before using the fitness center in the tower.
Gran Destino Tower Room Review
To get to the hotel rooms you'll take the elevator from the tower lobby. The elevators are very corporate feeling. You push the floor button on a screen outside the elevators and then the screen indicates which elevator to board. I don't love these as they just feel too much like a high rise rather than a nice hotel. After going up the funky conference elevator, you'll be up in the beautifully designed hallways that lead to the hotel rooms. The pops of color here are really super impressive!
The rooms inside the Gran Destino tower are pretty standard modern-age Disney Parks hotel rooms with far lighter Disney theming. You won't find nods to classic Disney films like the recent renovation of Disney's Grand Floridian introduced. The only real Disney touches are the Mickey Mouse heads, or “hidden Mickeys” behind the television.
The beds are elevated for additional storage space. The modern conveniences are available with plenty of USB chargers, a coffee maker, and lots of counter space.
The Dali theme is used consistently in the hotel room also. The rooms have a modern style that feels in keeping with the welcoming lobby. You can see a room tour and the view out from our hotel room in the video below.
Generally this style fits well with the modern look and feel of the hotel. Again, you wouldn't be surprised to see these hotel rooms in a standard hotel Marriott – guests staying here might also consider the JW Marriott or Swan Reserve hotels. That's kind of the point because these rooms are built for a clientele that expects this style of offering.
The bathrooms are very nice but note that the space is not really setup for families getting ready in the morning. The sink and shower are within one sliding door and then the toilet is within another room set off within that. There is no tub here and only the shower. Again, great for couples.
Not really any privacy for multiple people to get ready in the restroom. There is a mirror in the outer room against the wall so theoretically someone could sit between the bet and wall doing makeup while another person is getting ready in the bathroom.
Dining at the Coronado Resort
There are a various dining offerings at the Coronado Resort. We'll run through the most notable for your stay.
We enjoyed the Three Bridges restaurant where they serve a great burger and shrimp salad. I like this lively outdoor restaurant and bar that is situated in the middle of the lake in front of the hotel. The restaurant gets crowded between 10 pm and 11 pm as the restaurant is the only one still open at the hotel.
The Mercado De Coronado is home to standard breakfast fare and lunch fare. The main cafeteria offers suitable meal options. During my stay I had the breakfast sandwich and lunch. The lunch burrito bowl, a la Chipotle, was particularly good and quite filling. If you can, skip the breakfast sandwich which came on a boring hamburger bun.
Just outside of the cafeteria is a coffee shop which has self-pour coffee but also a great breakfast empanada which were surprisingly good. The pastry was flaky, very filling, and warm. Highly recommend! This was the biggest food surprise of my most recent Walt Disney World trip. I am still thinking about how good that pastry is.
The main lobby bar, the Barcelona Lounge, inside the Gran Destino tower also serves breakfast and coffee. This is another one where I would skip the food favor of the empanada if you are looking for a hearty breakfast. If you are just looking for coffee, this is an easy option that had minimal waits to order.
The main notable restaurants at the Gran Destino tower are on the 16th and top floor of the hotel. The Dahlia Lounge offers drinks, foods, and sweeping views across property. This is a nice place to recover at the end of a long parks day.
The Toledo Restaurant is the notable sit down restaurant here. This restaurant is known as one of the hidden gem sit down restaurants on property because it is secluded and not accessible from other parts of the resort.
Fitness Center at Gran Destino Tower
The Fitness Center at the Gran Destino tower is located just off of the lobby and features a variety of equipment and aerobic machines. It was busy in the mornings during my trip but empty when I used it one afternoon around 2 pm to stretch during a hotel break.
Transportation From Gran Destino Tower to Theme Parks
One of the biggest downsides of the hotel for those focused on visiting the theme parks it the need to drive to all theme park destinations. Though Hollywood Studios and Epcot are both in clear view as you can see in our Gran Destino hotel room photos above, the hotel is not connected into Disney’s Skyliner system. The parks are also not accessible by path or boat. The Swan Reserve hotel which is just across the road wins big in this category as you can easily walk to Epcot or walk into the Boardwalk hotel area.
The Gran Destino tower shares the bus pickup and drop-off with the rest of the Coronado Resort. The bus stop at the Gran Destino tower is the final or four stops within the Coronado Resort so when headed to the theme parks it is a direct drive from that stop to the park. However, on the way back in it means that guests staying in the tower are on the bus longer than those going to any other stop. I ended up getting off at the first hotel stop most times when the shuttle was returning and then walking the 5 or so minutes from that stop back to the tower.
You may want to consider using Uber/Lyft or the Disney Minnie Vans to get to the theme parks rather than waiting for transportation.
Gran Destino Review Conclusion
Generally the Gran Destino tower is a great option for adults only trips to Walt Disney World who are budget conscious but are still looking for hotel tower-style resort amenities. This is one of the nicest hotels of the moderate resort offerings at Walt Disney World.
Beyond the transportation issues which I do think are worthy of high consideration because this is a theme park vacation, this is a great hotel to consider for a trip to Walt Disney World. Even those with families can find a great vacation here. The Coronado Springs amenities like the Dig Site recreation area are just a short walk away.
I've stayed at the Gran Destino tower multiple times. The most recent trip was part of a hosted stay to attend a Disney event.
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Frequently Asked Gran Destino Tower Questions
No, the Gran Destino Tower rooms at Disney World do not have balconies. They do have other unique amenities to consider that many of the Moderate hotels do not have though.
Yes, you can see Disney World fireworks from rooms at the Gran Destino Tower. Depending on where you are in the tower – in your room or in the upper lounge – you can see fireworks from Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.
Gran Destino Tower is a Moderate resort at Walt Disney World but has many Deluxe-type offerings as we detail in our article above.
The Gran Destino Tower is 16 floors and features a restaurant and lounge on the top floor that we detail above.
Yes, the Gran Destino tower has a self-service laundry room on the fourth floor of the hotel.
The Gran Destino tower opened in July 2019.
Rooms are 375 square feet. This is larger than any other Moderate room type. The tower has 545 guest rooms.
Self parking is complimentary and valet parking is $33 per night.
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