This video is claiming that Universal has been surveying its guests to decide whether or not they would be interested in an immersive hotel experience along the lines of Disney's planned Star Wars hotel. Not sure if this is true–and obviously even if it is on the table, that doesn't mean it will happen–but I'm wondering how you all would feel about it. The parks are constantly in competition with each other, and it would make sense for Universal to counter the Star Wars hotel with a Hogwarts hotel. And IMO, this is something that would be a lot easier to execute than Star Wars.
Obviously I'm looking forward to the SW hotel, but the SW universe is so expansive it's hard to say what direction TDO will take in designing this experience–the same was true of SW:GE when it was first announced, since there were so many existing planets to model the area after. I'm assuming the SW hotel will be located on the same planet as SW:GE, which means that TDO will need to make this hotel recognizably Star Wars-esque while at the same time introducing an entirely new location...a hard balance to strike (although I think Disney is up to the task). Hogwarts, though, not only has a clear look and feel that Universal could directly mimic, but the hotel aspect is built right into the canon–guests could be sorted into houses and sent to sleep in "dormitories" in different parts of the castle and dine in the Great Hall just like in the books and movies. I love SW but grew up wishing I could experience what it's like to attend Hogwarts, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
But w/ Hogwarts already existing in the parks and housing Forbidden Journey, I don't see how this could happen without breaking the illusion? I sincerely doubt the existing Hogwarts would get a hotel expansion (although DisneySea lets guests stay in the parks...I guess it's not totally impossible) and building a second Hogwarts would feel like a cop-out. But if they did find a way to pull this off, I have no doubt this hotel would fill up faster than any Universal hotel on property RN.
This is still a hypothetical, but...Thoughts???
Obviously I'm looking forward to the SW hotel, but the SW universe is so expansive it's hard to say what direction TDO will take in designing this experience–the same was true of SW:GE when it was first announced, since there were so many existing planets to model the area after. I'm assuming the SW hotel will be located on the same planet as SW:GE, which means that TDO will need to make this hotel recognizably Star Wars-esque while at the same time introducing an entirely new location...a hard balance to strike (although I think Disney is up to the task). Hogwarts, though, not only has a clear look and feel that Universal could directly mimic, but the hotel aspect is built right into the canon–guests could be sorted into houses and sent to sleep in "dormitories" in different parts of the castle and dine in the Great Hall just like in the books and movies. I love SW but grew up wishing I could experience what it's like to attend Hogwarts, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
But w/ Hogwarts already existing in the parks and housing Forbidden Journey, I don't see how this could happen without breaking the illusion? I sincerely doubt the existing Hogwarts would get a hotel expansion (although DisneySea lets guests stay in the parks...I guess it's not totally impossible) and building a second Hogwarts would feel like a cop-out. But if they did find a way to pull this off, I have no doubt this hotel would fill up faster than any Universal hotel on property RN.
This is still a hypothetical, but...Thoughts???