Comcast Q4/Year End 2018 Earnings Report

[BubbaQuest]

https://blooloop.com/link/comcast-theme-park-growth/

Some highlights:
- Universal’s theme park revenue increased 3.5% on last year to $1.5 billion. For the full year, revenue was up 4.4% to $5.7 billion

- In 2018, NBCUniversal increased its capital spending more than 15% year-over-year to $1.7 billion. According to a statement, this primarily reflects an investment in theme parks.

- Hotel occupancy has topped 90% – as room more than doubled over the past five years.

 

[networkpro]

I hope they can sustain their current boost in investment for the parks. In the same time period, they reduced their network infrastructure spending by 3%.

 

[OG Runner]

I am taking responsibility for the increase. I stayed on property, ate on property, frequented the parks and bought souvenirs!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The increase coincided with the reactivated Botanicus robot.

 

[JoeCamel]

The increase coincided with the reactivated Botanicus robot.

Steve knew what he was doing there

 

[seascape]

https://blooloop.com/link/comcast-theme-park-growth/

Some highlights:
- Universal’s theme park revenue increased 3.5% on last year to $1.5 billion. For the full year, revenue was up 4.4% to $5.7 billion

- In 2018, NBCUniversal increased its capital spending more than 15% year-over-year to $1.7 billion. According to a statement, this primarily reflects an investment in theme parks.

- Hotel occupancy has topped 90% – as room more than doubled over the past five years.

Not to put a downer on their results but a 3.5% increase in revenues is smaller than their increase in prices. The great news is they said HHNs attemdance increased significantly which helped offset Japan's recovery. It will be interesting to see how Disney's parks did. Too bad Comcasts conference call didn't have questions about the parks.

 

[BubbaQuest]

Not to put a downer on their results but a 3.5% increase in revenues is smaller than their increase in prices. The great news is they said HHNs attemdance increased significantly which helped offset Japan's recovery. It will be interesting to see how Disney's parks did. Too bad Comcasts conference call didn't have questions about the parks.

Agreed. 3.5% is not great compared to the 15% increase with Diagon Alley. However, I think 2018 was a slow year compared to previous years with only FotF Orlando opening. Rumors are USF FotF did not bring in the numbers like USH FotF. However, with 90% occupancy rates, not sure it really matters

 

[seascape]

There is an issue building in Orlando though. As Universal continue on their way to 15,000 hotel rooms and Disney on their way to 50,000, both with 90% occupancy, where does that leave the rest of the hotels? Marriott and Hilton high end should be fine but the low end has to be hurt. Who wants to save $50.00 a night on a room when you pay $25.00 for parking at a park and $5.00 in gas. Staying onsite at either Disney or Universal is easily worth much more than $20.00 a night.

 

[Jon81uk]

There is an issue building in Orlando though. As Universal continue on their way to 15,000 hotel rooms and Disney on their way to 50,000, both with 90% occupancy, where does that leave the rest of the hotels? Marriott and Hilton high end should be fine but the low end has to be hurt. Who wants to save $50.00 a night on a room when you pay $25.00 for parking at a park and $5.00 in gas. Staying onsite at either Disney or Universal is easily worth much more than $20.00 a night.

Its a good general point that the increase in hotel rooms at the parks will cause some other hotels to close down. But both Disney and Universal are now charging to park at the hotel anyway. So if you get an off-site hotel with free parking when at the hotel that will help to off-set the parking fee at the theme parks.

 

[OG Runner]

It sounds like, overall, Universal is doing the best that they can with what they have. Congratulations!

 

[BubbaQuest]

With Universal aggressively going after the $100/night market with the Surfside and Dockside Inns, I'd definitely be worried if I were a 3 star hotel right now.

 

[seascape]

Its a good general point that the increase in hotel rooms at the parks will cause some other hotels to close down. But both Disney and Universal are now charging to park at the hotel anyway. So if you get an off-site hotel with free parking when at the hotel that will help to off-set the parking fee at the theme parks.

I expect someone smart enough to buy up one of the old hotels just off WDW property, tear it down and put up a parking lot and charge $5.00 a day to park with one free roundtrip ride to the Disney transportation system. That way a smart guest who is driving can drop off the luggage and family at the resort and them park the car and get back to the resort and not pay the outrageous parking fee.

 

[JoeCamel]

I expect someone smart enough to buy up one of the old hotels just off WDW property, tear it down and put up a parking lot and charge $5.00 a day to park with one free roundtrip ride to the Disney transportation system. That way a smart guest who is driving can drop off the luggage and family at the resort and them park the car and get back to the resort and not pay the outrageous parking fee.

Good luck getting zoning approval for that.