Officials and team members gather with Mickey Mouse for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Peninsula Ballroom at Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., has opened more than 100,000 square feet of new meeting space, bringing the resort's indoor and outdoor event footprint to 600,000 square feet across the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve hotels. The addition makes the property the largest convention hotel on the East Coast, with 99 meeting rooms and more than 110,000 square feet of contiguous convention and exhibit space.
“This expansion represents far more than additional meeting space; it reflects our ongoing commitment to listening to our customers and investing in the future of the meetings and events industry,” said area general manager Sean Verney.
The new two-story venue, called the Peninsula, is connected to the Dolphin and represents the first major expansion of the hotel's meeting space since 2003. Together, the three hotels offer 2,619 guest rooms in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort.
The Peninsula is part of a $300 million, multiphase expansion and renovation that also includes upgrades to existing meeting space, completed guest-room renovations at the Swan and an ongoing redesign of the Dolphin's guest rooms.
Inside the Peninsula
The new venue adds more than 100,000 square feet of event space, and can be configured into 16 layouts and accommodates up to 7,200 attendees. The first floor features 38,000 square feet of multipurpose meeting space and 24,000 square feet of prefunction space. A grand staircase leads to the second level, which includes a 40,000-square-foot ballroom and 14,000 square feet of prefunction space.
The venue also offers abundant natural light, a dedicated planner office, an outdoor patio for receptions and networking, and large-format digital displays for event branding and content.