Universal to build a new On-Site Hotel

[Horizonsfan]

I'd guess so, although the South side is I-4 (The already own the empty lots south of the park), unless they do something next to wet and wild along International drive.

Dr Phillips High School lines up perfectly with islands of adventure on the map, though. The north side has a good chunk of wooded/wetlands area next to the lake that probably isn't buildable, so that side doesn't make much sense either. I have heard that they are running short on employee parking now, and probably need to build an employee garage, if they do that, that could open some land to the studios park. The only way to expand IOA is to the south (probably hotel or water park area though), or by taking over Dr. Phillips High School (and doing something with Turkey Lake Rd.

There's no way DPHS is getting taken over by Uni. That is probably the most problematic plot near Uni's land. That would have to be at the very bottom of their possible acquisitions.

I'd imagine they're looking at new land for a new park or new hotels, not as expansion space for the existing parks.

We already have a hint that a possibly 50s surf theme water park is planned for the plot next to RP. Assuming that is still the plan for that plot, you're left with the biggest differences between WDW and Uni being the # of parks and the # of hotels. If you've got land (the blessing of size one might say ) you could could reduce that deficit of parks and hotels.

Before all this spending that's been going on I would have never thought it possible, but now It doesn't seem as far fetched.

Ditto.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The bad press would probably be too much for such a high profile company, but it would be possible (unless Florida law says otherwise) that eminent domain could be used to acquire more land if Universal promised higher tax revenues than the land currently generates.

 

[orky8]

I would think moving the high school could be simple. Universal builds a brand new state of the art high school nearby, and can focus on that in the publicity. I don't think building a high school would really be all that expensive (relatively speaking), but I don't really know.

 

[John]

The bad press would probably be too much for such a high profile company, but it would be possible (unless Florida law says otherwise) that eminent domain could be used to acquire more land if Universal promised higher tax revenues than the land currently generates.

Doubt that would even sway the local govt. The price tag on a new HS would be prohibitive. How well do you think it would go over to the locals? We are going to build a new HS so UNI can build Potter 3.0 at the cost of several hundred million dollars. Maybe for a even swap... a new HS for the property.......maybe, but you know what if they did such a move ...it would just reinforce my theory that UNI has become extremely aggressive.

 

[menamechris]

Schools are closing down in Central Florida. In both Seminole and Orange counties. I would not be surprised if Orange County is already planning to shut it down and merge it with another high school.

 

[John]

Schools are closing down in Central Florida. In both Seminole and Orange counties. I would not be surprised if Orange County is already planning to shut it down and merge it with another high school.

\


Now that is an interesting tid bit of information. Changes things...

 

[WDW1974]

Based on the description, this is the sort of thing that Disney should have done with the Walt Disney World Value Resorts. The Value Resorts are not "themed" in the way that the term is usually applied to Disney. The decorations have a theme to them, but they do not work to create an experience of a place or even idea. It is decoration. Art of Animation pushes away from this a little, but is still more decorative than experiential. Based on the description there is not going to be any pretending that this is more like a motel or motor lodge, but it is being done in a way that romances the experience beyond what we see today. It will be a themed experience, not just themed decorations.

EXCELLENT point!

There is an awful big difference between decoration and theming.

Decoration is going to the Pop Century and seeing giant bowling pins, cell phones, Rubik's cubes and characters like Baloo and Roger Rabbit. It all sorta conveys a concept, but a broadly brushed one, certainly just an outline.
Take the WL or Port Orleans (before it and Dixie Landings were dumbed down). Those are themed resorts ... with lush evoocative theming and an incredible depth of storytelling ... literally layering in every aspect of the experience.

One of them is a premium product and the other ... the other is a dumber, simpler, LCD, Walmarted type of product.

I wish whylightbulb were here as he's excellent at explaining the design process and why some things are not as good as others, whether people like them or not. Quality is often subjective, but always, always objective.

 

[WDW1974]

That was exactly my first thought as well. And it is interesting to see that the Cars wings of the Art of Animation more or less have the same theme for their decoration.

I actually think that Disney is recently having a trend to go away from having themed resorts in the sense you mean it and go over to more "themed decorating". The Princess rooms at POR or the Pirate rooms at CBR don't fit the theme of the resorts at all, they are just decorated. I think the "themed decorating" is in a way easier to understand, stands out more, while a theme is a more intricate story that you need to let yourself to be immersed in. I am afraid that the trend is more and more towards the easy decorating in the future.

THIS ... THIS ... Disney princesses grouped together are NOT a theme.

The American Old South of the 1870s/80s IS a theme.

the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in room form is NOT a theme.

Tropical Caribbean islands like Trinadad or Aruba are.

 

[Californian Elitist]

THIS ... THIS ... Disney princesses grouped together are NOT a theme.

The American Old South of the 1870s/80s IS a theme.

the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in room form is NOT a theme.

Tropical Caribbean islands like Trinadad or Aruba are.

This is exactly what I was trying to ask in a thread I created. The Disneyland hotel has like 5 or 6 suites with specific themes, for example an adventure and a western room. I wanted to know if WDW had hotels with rooms like these and I kept getting Art of Animation and another answer. That wasn't really what I was talking about so I just gave up:/

 

[chocotaco]

Perhaps they're looking to buy some of the land back they had sold off in 2003 that had been previously owned by lockheed. I've been lurking for awhile and I know martin hinted at uni buying the land back, unless I misinterpreted his post. In the NYT thread right here, he says "what's to stop Uni buying more land / taking back into ownership? Aside from the spare land they already have?" Now we have spirit also saying they're looking to acquire more land, so I figured I'd put the two together.

Maybe it was just an innocent question, though I interpreted it as a hint that Universal is heading in that direction or at least thinking about it. Hopefully Martin or Spirit can elaborate and tell us if that is indeed the land they're talking about, though I have the feeling they would rather keep us guessing . Either way, I'm excited to see what UNI has planned for the future. It's good to see Comcast is willing to inject so much money into the parks.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Who owns the land Wet and Wild is on? If it Universal? I know they run Wet and Wild, but I didn't know if they only rented the land or actually own it... Once the new water park is built, Went n Wild is expendable...

 

[HenryMystic]

Who owns the land Wet and Wild is on? If it Universal? I know they run Wet and Wild, but I didn't know if they only rented the land or actually own it... Once the new water park is built, Went n Wild is expendable...

I believe they rent the land.

My friends speculate the land they are trying to buy is to the east around Major Blvd

 

[chocotaco]

I believe they rent the land.

My friends speculate the land they are trying to buy is to the east around Major Blvd

Off to Google Maps I go! lol.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I believe they rent the land.

My friends speculate the land they are trying to buy is to the east around Major Blvd

Thanks HM!!!!! I would wonder, if they did shut Wet and Wild, if they would continue to rent the land and build something else, or just get out of the lease/rental agreement....

 

[flynnibus]

FWIW... our county budgets approx 90 million dollars to build a new high school.

Not pocket change

 

[Captain Chaos]

If they are looking for land around Major Blvd, then they have several businesses to buy out... First, their parking lots and Portofino Bay are on either side of Major Blvd... Then Double Tree, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, TGI Fridays, Westgate Resort are just a few of the resorts along Major Blvd. That's a lot of businesses to buy out... But, if they did, that is a huge chunk of land...

 

[The Empress Lilly]

a name can be too clever for its own good. In regard to Orlando-area resorts, the general public is likely to associate a resort's name with a literal reference to its theme, simply based on precedent.


I would bet that the overwhelming majority of visitors who first hear of the "Cabana Bay Beach Resort" are going to associate the hotel with some sort of tropical beach theme.

I too think the name is weird. I am also guilty of having as first associations 'cheap colourful tropical Cuban'.

Like 'Coco Key Water Resort' just down the road. Yellow, for families with kids, budget conscious:

 

[Kuhio]

Like 'Coco Key Water Resort' just down the road. Yellow, for families with kids, budget conscious:

Apropos of this, I remember when the word "resort" connoted a high level of service and an extensive array of amenities -- but maybe that dates me.

Not that I'm bashing the Coco Key in particular -- I've never stayed there and don't know anything about it beyond a peek at its website (it does have a waterpark, so it certainly seems to offer more than just a standard hotel). But, in general, "resort" is used these days with such frequency to characterize lodgings that it's mostly lost all of its meaning -- kind of how "gourmet" or "premium" is applied mostly to any foodstuff whatsoever.

(I also wonder whether, for me personally at least, the large number of resorts that have appeared at WDW over the years has helped contribute to a devaluation of the term...)

 

[The Empress Lilly]

To me, a hotel is a place you stay at to visit another place, and a resort is a destination in itself.

Resort to me is something that a classy hotel would not call itself. Unless at a beach, or for wintersports.

 

[maxairmike]

The far back corner of the Major Blvd. loop is completely abandoned/empty, and the hotels there in the back corner are rather run down (at least on the outside). I can't imagine buying out the businesses back there would be too expensive for Universal, especially if they are franchised locations like a lot of chain hotels are.