Wyndham opens its Bonnet Creek hotel - Orlando Sentinel

The hotel joins Wyndham Worldwide Corp.'s time-share resort on the Bonnet Creek property, which is surrounded on three sides by the Walt Disney World resort. Bonnet Creek is also home to the 498-room Waldorf Astoria Orlando and a 1,001-room Hilton.

The Wyndham Grand has 400 rooms and suites, including family units with bunk beds. It also boasts a spa, lagoon-style pool, and 25,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Wyndham first announced the hotel project in May 2006, at the height of the building boom in Central Florida. But it was thrown into low gear as Orlando's hotel industry and the rest of the economy struggled through the 2007-09 recession.

U.S. travel-and-tourism input into the economy rose at an annual rate of 2.6 percent during the second quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, down slightly from a revised first-quarter rate of 2.8 percent.

The agency said real spending on passenger air transportation rose 5.4 percent, following a 7.8 percent decrease in the previous quarter. But real spending on traveler accommodations slipped 0.4 percent in the second quarter, after rising 15 percent in the first.

Prices increased, rising 7.3 percent in the quarter, following an 8.5 percent revised first-quarter increase. Prices for traveler accommodations jumped 16.7 percent, after declining 3.3 percent in the first quarter. Prices for passenger air transportation grew in both quarters (7.9 percent in the second vs. 18.7 percent in the first) as travelers were forced to pay more to offset rising fuel prices.

Meanwhile, direct tourism-related employment increased 2.6 percent during the second quarter, a slight improvement from a 2 percent increase in the first quarter.

Early access to Legoland

Legoland Florida was scheduled to welcome contractors' and employees' families this past weekend, but they aren't the only ones scheduled to get into the theme park before the public opening on Oct. 15.

The Merlin Entertainments Group park in Polk County will welcome local members of AAA Auto Club South this coming weekend as part of a partnership with the travel club. The tickets were offered to AAA members at a special rate of $34.99, or $30 less than the preopening price on Legoland's website.

Oct. 7 and 8 are the official AAA days, though Legoland says it's already sold out of tickets for Saturday.

Those who didn't snag a discounted AAA ticket for the sneak peek have another chance at getting in early: In the week leading up to opening day, Legoland is offering free previews to anyone who has purchased an annual pass.

skclarke@tribune.com or 407-420-5664

jrgarcia@tribune.com or 407-420-5414

02 Oct, 2011

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