Crews have begun to refurbish guest rooms in the main builidng at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, impacting some indoor and outdoor public spaces including the main lobby.
Approximately 1/3 of the Grand Floridian's lobby is currently walled-off as crews refurbish guest rooms located on the upper floors. The section currently closed-off is located at the front of the building, nearest the main entrance and monorail platform. Guests entering the building at ground level will be greeted with a construction wall.
While the barriers offer a visual disruption, the lobby is fully functional and there is room for guests to move about freely.
Rooms on the upper floors are covered by scrims which help block much of the activity from the view of guests.
According to workers, refurbishment of all guest rooms is expected to extend into August 2023. It is not clear if the lobby itself will be immediately updated during the current calendar year. Disney intends to have the lobby fully open during the 2023 holiday season. As such, refurbishment of the lobby itself may be delayed until the start of 2024. Workers claim there are no plans to alter or remove the lobby's elaborate marble floor.
Outside, renovations have been completed on all 5 of the resort's free standing buildings, along with the dedicated Disney Vacation Club facility. Construction walls and planters surround portions of the main building, though all services remain accessible at this time.
Updates are also being performed on the Summerhouse located between the main building and Big Pine Key.
Refurbishment at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort began back in late 2021 with a soft goods update to all Disney Vacation Club villas. Work continued in March 2022 with conversion of the 202 hotel rooms in Big Pine Key to DVC Resort Studios, and later updates to all hotel rooms in the other four buildings. The project should be complete in late 2023 or early 2024.
Thanks to Wil for the photos!