Does the former Embassy Suites timeshare resort in Lake Buena Vista, Orlando still exist? Under what brand, and name?

[WBP]

Thank you.

 

[JohnnyO]

My guess would be Diamond Resorts which bought the Embassy brand. Now HGV. Look under their directory.

 

[dioxide45]

Is it Grand Beach. Now a Diamond/Hilton Vacation Club property?

 

[chapjim]

Is it Grand Beach. Now a Diamond/Hilton Vacation Club property?

Don't think so. Here's an AI summary:

The Hilton Vacation Club Grand Beach in Orlando was built in 1995, last renovated in 2011, and was rebranded in 2024. The lakeside property, formerly known as Grand Beach Orlando, was owned and operated by Diamond Resorts International before the rebrand to its current Hilton Grand Vacations affiliation.

Key Details

• Original Name: Grand Beach Orlando (or Grand Beach Resort Orlando)
• Current Name: Hilton Vacation Club Grand Beach
• Owner/Operator: Initially Diamond Resorts, now Hilton Grand Vacations
• Year Built: 1995
• Last Renovation: 2011
• Rebranding: The property was rebranded and hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May 2024, officially joining the Hilton Grand Vacations family.
• Location: A lakeside resort on Lake Bryan.

 

[dioxide45]

Don't think so. Here's an AI summary:

The Hilton Vacation Club Grand Beach in Orlando was built in 1995, last renovated in 2011, and was rebranded in 2024. The lakeside property, formerly known as Grand Beach Orlando, was owned and operated by Diamond Resorts International before the rebrand to its current Hilton Grand Vacations affiliation.

Key Details

• Original Name: Grand Beach Orlando (or Grand Beach Resort Orlando)
• Current Name: Hilton Vacation Club Grand Beach
• Owner/Operator: Initially Diamond Resorts, now Hilton Grand Vacations
• Year Built: 1995
• Last Renovation: 2011
• Rebranding: The property was rebranded and hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May 2024, officially joining the Hilton Grand Vacations family.
• Location: A lakeside resort on Lake Bryan.

I tried to use an AI to determine this also, which seemed to hint to Grand Beach. Diamond Resorts didn't even exist in 1995. Sunterra was founded in 1992 and acquired Cypress Pointe in 1995. So perhaps the former Embassy property is Cypress Pointe? Grand Beach could have been built under Sunterra?

That said, Chat GPT is saying the following;

• Sunterra (operating as Signature Resorts, Inc.) acquired Embassy Vacation Resorts in 1997.
• In April 1997, Signature Resorts completed the acquisition of Embassy Vacation Resorts, Inc., which at the time owned vacation ownership properties in Hawaii, Orlando (Lake Buena Vista), and Las Vegas.
• Embassy Vacation Resorts was part of the Promus Hotel Corporation (the parent of Embassy Suites Hotels, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, etc.). Promus decided to exit the timeshare business and sold those assets.
• The deal gave Signature/Sunterra several high-profile resorts, including:
  • Embassy Vacation Resort Poipu Point (Kauai, Hawaii)
  • Embassy Vacation Resort Kaanapali Beach (Maui, Hawaii)
  • Embassy Vacation Resort Lake Tahoe (California)
  • Embassy Vacation Resort Grand Beach (Orlando, Florida)
  • Embassy Vacation Resort Las Vegas (Nevada)

So I think Cypress Pointe predates the acquisition of Embassy and was really what got Signature Resorts (which later became Sunterra) their break into the timeshare industry.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Embassy Vacation Resorts was part of the Promus Hotel Corporation (the parent of Embassy Suites Hotels, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, etc.). Promus decided to exit the timeshare business and sold those assets.

I don't believe Promus had any equity in any of the properties. They were simply licensing the Embassy name to Sunterra. Sunterra was the resort managemer, and in at least some cases, had equity interest in the properties. For example, Point at Poipu and Ka'anapali Beach Club were owned by limited partnerships that were created to develop the resorts. Sunterra had an equity stake in the partnerships (which they acquired from Marc Resorts, a Honolulu based resort operator and developer who was involved in developing the resorts), and was the managing partner in the ownership groups. I don't know what the makeup was for Ka'anapali, but the Poipu partnership partners were Holland America (they were part of the original development team) and Sunterra.

When Promus decided to shut down the Embassy Vacation Resorts name, Sunterra simply removed Embassy Resorts from the name.

Sometime along the way, Holland America wanted out of the partnership, and Sunterra bought them out. I think that may have occurred ~ 2005, after Hilton was interested in acquiring Poipu and Ka'anapali, but then decided to pass. After the collapse of that deal, Sunterra decided to bring Poipu and Ka'anapali into Club Sunterra, and created the Hawaii Collection (originally just Poipu and Ka'anapali) as a complement to the US and European operations.

IIRC - somewhere along the way, after the Embassy name disappeared, Grand Beach may have had a Sheraton name. I don't know if Grand Beach became part of the Sunterra's US collection, or if Sunterra maintained it as a standalone. Somebody who is more familiar with Sunterra US operations may know the answer to that.

 

[dioxide45]

They were simply licensing the Embassy name to Sunterra. Sunterra was the resort managemer, and in at least some cases, had equity interest in the properties.

I believe you are correct and I understand at one time Vistana (which now operates the Sheraton timeshare brand) was actually one to license the Embassy name from Promus. Perhaps it also licensed the Embassy brand to Signature Resorts. Here is an article that writes about that.

History of Vistana, Inc. – FundingUniverse

Explore the history, profile and timeline of Vistana, Inc.

www.fundinguniverse.com

 

[chapjim]

Interesting!!

Regarless of its pedigree, we've thoroughly enjoyed our stays there. Our week is in the Phase 1 building -- three bedrooms, three baths and an absolutely wonderful screened patio or balcony. I spent a lot of time during Covid teleworking from that patio (Unit 514, I think). The grounds and foliage are beautiful and it is quiet but still has a lot of amenities and activities.

 

[dioxide45]

I've always wondered what Grand Beach was like, but the resort fees when booking through II keep us away.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I believe you are correct and I understand at one time Vistana (which now operates the Sheraton timeshare brand) was actually one to license the Embassy name from Promus. Perhaps it also licensed the Embassy brand to Signature Resorts. Here is an article that writes about that.

History of Vistana, Inc. – FundingUniverse

Explore the history, profile and timeline of Vistana, Inc.

www.fundinguniverse.com

Yes, I think this is correct. We toured so long ago. Vistana was so nice back then, and now with Marriott, DVC, Hyatt, Hilton, etc., we have higher expectations for our stays.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I've always wondered what Grand Beach was like, but the resort fees when booking through II keep us away.

This too. We stayed once before the resort fees. I will not stay at any Diamond or Hilton in Orlando. There is no reason to. Grand Beach is really nice, very homey, huge units.