Sitting on the southeastern shores of Lago Dorado (“Golden Lake”), the 16-story Gran Destino Tower is Disney World’s newest hotel and offers 545 modern guest rooms, 50 suites and club-level services according to Disney, a grand two-story lobby, meeting venues, lounges and a rooftop restaurant with spectacular views.
It’s also where the Denver Nuggets will be housed at Disney World when the NBA season resumes on July 30.
The Nuggets along with other top-8 teams in the league record-wise, the Bucks, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Jazz, and Heat, will all stay at the Gran Destino, per Shams Charania. Those teams are also the Nuggets’ potential opponents for three exhibition games beginning July 22. The Grand Floridian resort will house the middle tier of teams heading to Disney World which includes the Thunder, 76ers, Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, Nets, Grizzlies, and Magic. The Trail Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, and Wizards, the six teams vying for the eighth seed and a play-in tournament in both conferences will stay at Disney’s Yacht Club.
After three exhibition games, each team plays eight “seeding games” before a potential play-in tournament for the eight seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conferences (the Nuggets have already clinched a playoff berth and can only drop as low as the seven seed) and a traditional 16-team playoff to determine a champion
The Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
The Gran Destino opened in July, 2019 as a part of Disney’s sprawling Coronado Springs Resort. Disney calls Coronado Springs one of its “moderate” resorts while it considers the Grand Floridian and Yacht Club “deluxe” resorts although it doesn’t have the Gran Destino where teams will be staying listed as its own hotel since its part of a larger complex.
Standard rooms at the Gran Destino are each 375 square feet, which makes them around 60 square feet larger than most Disney “moderate” resorts but smaller than Grand Floridian whose standard room measures 440 square feet. The Yacht Club’s standard rooms measure 381 square feet. The Gran Destino suites are quite a bit larger.
A source familiar with Disney World’s layout estimated that the distance between the Gran Destino and ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex where games will be played is 10 minutes. The Grand Floridian is closer to 20 minutes away while the Yacht Club is around 15 minutes from the sports complex.
Deluxe Suite at Grand Destino Tower
Upon arriving at Disney World, players and team staff must reportedly stay isolated in their rooms until they return two negative coronavirus tests at least 24 hours apart and through July 21 are encouraged not to interact with players staying at other hotels.
Hotel amenities players will reportedly have access to include a players-only lounge with video games, barbers, manicurists, pedicurists, a 24 hour VIP concierge and daily entertainment like movie screenings, DJ sets, ping pong, pool, and lawn games. Players can also attend other team’s games at the Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports campus.
The Coronado Springs Resort, which the Gran Destino sits within, is home to a spa, fitness center, and walking and jogging trails surround the resort as well. It’s also Disney’s main convention hotel and to meet the needs of the business travelers that it usually attracts comes equipped with 220,000 square feet of meeting space, two ballrooms, an exhibit hall and 45 breakout rooms which could theoretically be used for team meetings, film rooms, auxiliary weight rooms, dining areas and more.
Players will have access to the resort’s pools and Coronado Springs has four of them including The Lost City of Cibola Pool, a massive pool complex with a Mayan ruins theme which includes a 123-foot water slide and the the largest hot tub on Walt Disney World Resort property. The resort also has three leisure pools.
Lost City of Cibola Pool
Carcitas Pool
Cabanas Pool
Ranchos Pool
For food, Disney chefs will prepare daily meals for players (players will get four meals per day on game days and three meals per day on off days) and there will also be room service options. Food deliveries from outside of Disney World won’t be permitted but players are reportedly allowed to hire a personal chef located outside of the NBA campus to prepare and send food into the Disney bubble on a daily basis.
If players do have access to the restaurants at the resorts they’re staying at, Gran Destino’s main dinner option is Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood, located on the hotel’s top floor. The Dahlia Lounge, Three Bridges Bar & Grill, and Barcelona Lounge are also located throughout the hotel. Coronado Springs has countless other dining options too.
A report from Yahoo said that teams will have access to a Disney culinary team who will help create individualized team menus to support team dietary needs and ensure health and safety guidelines are followed.
