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WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN AND DOLPHIN RESORT UTILIZES IPAD TO ENHANCE MEETING PLANNER SITE VISIT EXPERIENCE

Hotel rolls out customized meeting app along with free iPad promotion for meeting planners

Jun 15, 2010
www.swandolphinmedia.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - June 9, 2010 - The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has introduced Apple's iPad into its sales function. This innovative new technology will now accompany sales professionals during meeting planner site visits, serving as a useful tool to help planners more thoroughly evaluate the property's 329,000 square feet of meeting space. As an added bonus, planners can also take home a free iPad after their site visit.

Meeting planners can tour the property with a sales team member equipped with an iPad. While on the tour, planners will be able to view diagrams and dimensions of meeting space, photos and menus of the restaurants, a map of the property, lists of amenities and much more from any location on property.

Planners on site visits presenting an RFP for 500 room nights or more can receive complimentary use of the iPad for the duration of their stay. Those who contract the meeting will get to keep their iPad and can receive another for every additional 500 room nights booked.

"Apple's iPad provides us with the perfect means to access information remotely during a site visit," said Eric Opron, director of sales and marketing for the 2,265-room resort. "Resort images, information and diagrams can now be carried and displayed during the actual site visit. This is a major benefit to a planner viewing a property of our size and scope." Opron notes the technology is also useful for occasions where a planner is viewing a space being utilized in a different configuration by another group.

To further power the new technology, the resort's technology team has developed a customized iPad application which offers simple-touch screen navigation for several categories of information including: arrival details, guest room configurations, meeting space layouts, restaurant overviews, hotel amenities, Disney services and information on partner companies available for sub-contracting needs.

As a leader in individual hotel technology, the resort has continually taken aggressive steps to lead the way in developing systems typically offered by larger entities, such as hotel chains and destinations. The resort launched two iPhone and iTouch applications in 2009, becoming one of the first hotels to launch its own hotel application. The hotel was among the first individual properties to unveil a hotel-specific website when hotel websites were still an industry novelty. They went on to expand their internet technology usage by leading the way in introducing an on-line group reservation system, 360-degree photo tours and other innovative features for leisure and convention guests.

The iPad will help enhance the efficiency of the site visit for large meeting spaces like the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. Planners can immediately compare and contrast spaces, with a quick visual reference as they are moving along the property. Additionally, the application will be available for download so that planners with their own iPads, can access the information at their convenience. Opron cites it as another innovative way to better serve the customers and another testament to the resort's commitment to being a leader in incorporating technology into their daily operations.