Disney Springs Hotel Rankings

Walt Disney World’s seven on-site hotels in the Disney Springs Resort Area offer perks and a convenient walking distance location of great restaurants, shopping & entertainment. This list ranks the Disney Springs hotels from worst to best with pros & cons to help you choose which one is right for your family. (Updated November 26, 2021.)

Booking at these Disney Springs hotels is highly recommended. Not only are they on-site hotels at Walt Disney World, but they currently enjoy most of the same advantages as official Disney-owned properties. The big advantage right now is Early Entry (see our Guide to Early Theme Park Entry at Walt Disney World), which all of these Disney Springs hotels offer.

Additionally, discounts are becoming increasingly difficult to find for Disney-owned resorts, making those even more expensive than normal. See Limited Hotel Availability at Walt Disney World for more info about that phenomenon. We expect that to continue being an issue through at least the first half of 2022…

The bigger upside in booking one of the Disney Springs hotels is pricing. Unlike the Walt Disney World resorts, discounts are currently being offered at all of these hotels–sometimes steep ones. Just going through their direct websites, we see rates for all of these hotels for under $150/night. If you use Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World Hotels, you can find even better discounts!

In terms of other updates, there is no reopening date for what used to be known as the Best Western Lake Buena Vista, which it appears will be rebranded when it does return. In addition to these rankings, here’s what you need to know if you’re booking a stay and considering the Disney Springs Resort Area…

One thing to note when pricing out any of these hotels is that most of them charge for parking and also have resort fees. Both practices (resort fees especially since everyone has to pay them–you can’t waive your rights to pool access and skip the fee) are really aggravating and exist so their base price seems lower on hotel booking engines.

Nevertheless, the final prices of all these hotels tends to be lower than other Walt Disney World hotels, making them attractive options for many guests. With that said, here’s how we rank the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, taking into account total price, room quality & size, walking distance to Disney Springs, atmosphere & style, and the overall slate of amenities…

7. Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Part of the Hilton ranking last is probably a matter of expectations. On paper, you’d expect this to be the best hotel of the bunch. In the chained-brand hotel hierarchy, Hilton bests Holiday Inn, Best Western, DoubleTree, and even some Wyndhams.

You could make the case that this is also true at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, at least in the common areas. The restaurant selection is solid, and there’s a wealth of convention space for business clientele. However, the rooms are an unequivocal disappointment. They’re dated, worn, and out-of-place in a hotel bearing the Hilton name. Read and see more in our full Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Review.

6. Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista – We’ve stayed in both the tower and the garden wings here, and it’s a night and day difference. The tower is fresh, stylish, and features modern designs in luxurious rooms. On the other hand, walking to your room in the garden wings after entering the refreshed tower lobby feels almost like a cruel joke.

Since the hotel being discussed here is the garden version, the Wyndham does not rate highly. Updated amenities, character dining, and solid children’s activities help buoy this hotel, but it’s not one you’ll likely want to revisit unless you’re upgraded to the tower. Read and see more in our full Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Review.

5. Holiday Inn Orlando – While the rooms here are nothing special, there’s nothing wrong with them, either. Their highlight is the comfort of the bedding, which is far better than it has any business being at a Holiday Inn.

This hotel also scores points for its dining areas and pool. Again, these are all fairly forgettable and generically styled, but a fairly recent multi-million dollar overhaul has improved the hotel. Even if it’s nothing memorable, you also won’t remember it for being a disappointment. So there’s that. Read and see more in our full Holiday Inn Orlando Review.

4. Best Western Lake Buena Vista (CLOSED) – There’s one thing we really love about the Best Western Lake Buena Vista: its price. At the spur of the moment, we had to book a hotel room for an extra night on our January Walt Disney World trip. One day in advance, we were able to score the Best Western for under $100/night. In the past, we’ve gotten this hotel for $65/night (those days are probably over, but ~$90/night isn’t bad, either).

Everything else about the hotel I’d describe as satisfactory. Nothing to write home about, but no disappointments, either. The rooms are bland but not tired or worn. The amenities are fine but not memorable. And so on. We appreciate that the rooms here are larger and nicer than Disney’s Value Resorts, making the Best Western a good option when we want a hotel for a long weekend in the parks, with the room basically just a place to shower and sleep. Read and see more in our full Best Western Lake Buena Vista Review.

3. B Resort & Spa – B Resort is like a mix of modern and trendy, minimalist hotels. A little too large to be called boutique, B Resort still has something of a chic vibe (or approximates one to give un-hip people like me that impression). It’s definitely the most stylish of the Disney Springs hotels, and has an upstart atmosphere that makes it feel the least like a chain you could find in Anytown, USA.

The common areas and restaurant are inviting, convivial spaces. That probably appeals more to couples like us than it does families, but it’s a unique selling point. One thing that will appeal to everyone is the modern guest rooms and comfortable bedding. A definite plus, and one thing that pushes B Resort & Spa into our top 3. Read and see more in our full B Resort & Spa Review.

2. DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando – This hotel does one thing really well, but that’s an incredibly important thing: have huge suite-style guest rooms that offer space for guests to spread out. Oh, they also have freshly-baked cookies, so two important things really well.

If you don’t want want or need this large of a room, the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando is probably not for you. There are closer hotels that will offer you more value for money and better other amenities. It may seem odd to rank a “niche” hotel at #2, but we think that families needing more space is a huge demographic. Even though it’s just the two of us, we love these rooms as they provide a place to spread out. Read and see more in our full DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orland Review.

1. Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace – Spacious and well-appointed guest rooms with pillow-top mattresses; the new beach-entry pool, float lagoon and poolside bar; a dining and entertainment area on the first-floor; nicely-landscaped, resort-style grounds; convenient walking distance to Disney Springs. These are the main selling points of Buena Vista Palace for us, and what puts it on top of this list. While other hotels on this list offer some of these things, no others offer them all.

We’ve stayed here before and after Hilton took charge. We have loved all of our stays, but it’s definitely improved since Hilton took over and injected some money into further renovations. It is worth noting that several readers (both in the comments to our review and via social media) have reported less-stellar experiences. I don’t want to attribute that to the “transition mode” during the renovation project and write that off totally, but I’m also not going to penalize what I think is far and away the best Disney Springs hotel on account of experiences had by others. Read and see more in our Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Review.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

Have you stayed at any of these hotels? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings of the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels? Any of these that you liked or did not like? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

32 Responses to “Disney Springs Hotel Rankings”
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