Technology is a part of our lives we use everyday. Smartphones are more like an appendage than a device. Yet, all too often when we travel we’re sent back in time 25 years. Not only are we unfairly deprived of our jet packs and hover boards, we’re also expected to make do without charging stations, share inadequate bandwidth, or have no bandwidth whatsoever. Travelers definitely don’t need the added stress of being forced into amateur archaeology to entertain themselves with relics from a bygone age like Skymall, or searching for local attractions in the Yellow Pages.
That’s why the new Lake Nona hotels are exciting. They’ve been designed and built with today’s traveler in mind. They feature plenty of charging stations, fast Wi-Fi, and integration with your personal devices. You can save the history lesson for your tour groups. Marriott’s new Courtyard and Residence Inn are showcases of the latest technology and an anchor in Orlando’s newest neighborhood.
A Tale of Two Hotels
Although sharing a lobby and standing on the same piece of property the Courtyard and the Residence Inn really are two different hotels. The Lake Nona neighborhood’s contemporary styling continues through both. Although the two differ in the types of rooms offered, both offer cruise vacationers an impressive list of amenities.
The hotels were designed with the technology that has become common in everyday life in mind from the start. The lobby features Marriott’s propriety GoBoard virtual concierge offers directions to local attractions whether walking or driving that can be transferred to your personal device. The lobby also features media pods that offer privacy flat panel displays that can be connected to your personal device to display media whether you’re working, or playing. Flexibility and engagement with technology was what the lobby was designed for, and it’s a theme that is carried forward throughout the hotel.
Together Yet Separate
Of the two Lake Nona Hotels, the Courtyard is more along the lines of what people think of when they think hotel room. Its double queen bed layout is an industry standard. However, what sets it apart is its modern styling in both décor, and furnishings. Large desks suitable for working and playing are standard in every room, and are provided with ergonomic desk chairs instead of the dining room chairs most hotel desks come with. The 42 inch high definition flat panels means that whatever you do on your laptop will be writ large.
These features continue in the Residence Inn with the main difference being that the Residence specializes in long-term stays. Their studio style rooms offer kitchenettes, sitting areas, and other amenities normally only found in suites. While their rooms were designed with the business traveler in mind cruisers, especially family cruisers, will love having all the comforts of home. The grocery service which keeps your fridge fully stocked is a feature that you’ll be hard pressed to find elsewhere. As is the shuttle service to anywhere in a 5 mile radius.
Lake Nona Hotels – New for Canaveral Cruisers
The integration between technology and the experience of using it is the mark of what is coming in the future. One that will appeal to cruisers who flew to Orlando on planes that offered slow and expensive Wi-Fi or none at all, and are looking forward to cruises that regardless of their many activities and excursions offer equally slow and exorbitantly expensive internet. A stay at either the Courtyard or Residence Inn offers a much needed chance to download and organize the apps, games, and media you’ll want on your cruise, as well as afterwards on the flight home.
Cruisers who reserve a package through Go Port get return use at both the Residence Inn and the Courtyard by Marriott. This means that Go Port customers get to return to the hotel after their cruise and use common areas like the lobby, pool, and laundry instead of whiling away the hours at the airport all without needing to pay to book a room for the day. It’s an incredible opportunity that other packages for cruisers just don’t offer.
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