The Paradise Pier Hotel is not part of the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan but is part of the Anaheim Resort Specific Plan. The reason is pretty simple. The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan was adopted in 1993 before Disney bought the hotel in 1995.
I’ve heard a similar thing from a Disneyland fanatic who I’m reasonably certain did not get his information from you. The Tokyu Group insisted on some specific term of sale that has made it difficult not just because Disney has to pay a royalty, but because they actually cannot make certain wholesale modifications to the property. My understanding of its end date seems to be on a shorter time horizon than yours though, I thought it was sometime in the 2030sYeah, there's a long convoluted story behind the Paradise Pier Hotel and why it sits there on an island of untouchable land that is exempt from the rest of the planning documents and processes. It's been that way since Disney bought it in the 1990's.
Notice the square white island on Disneyland Drive? That's the Paradise Pier Hotel, and it's exempt from stuff like this.
I've heard this story a few times over the decades from people who would know, and my mind is trying to remember the right version that sifts out some of the urban legend, but it involves the Japanese hotel company that originally bought that land and built that hotel. Their legal agreement on that hotel stretches well into the 21st century, and it's obviously still untouchable per this latest planning proposal.
I wish I could explain it better. But it's also the reason why Yamabuki, the fabulous Japanese restaurant that Disney upgraded in 2009 had to close. The agreement with the Japanese firm dictates they still get a cut of the profits from that hotel and its business, so TDA tried one last time to make Yamabuki profitable by sending it further upscale but it still didn't pencil out and was closed a decade ago. It's also why the lone restaurant in that hotel is a buffet that has a high profit margin, and why the lobby bar that has a low profit margin really stinks.
There's a legal property rights story there, and it's getting lost to the mists of time. But this latest planning document proves the longstanding Paradise Pier Hotel Problem still exists, and the legal agreement with the Japanese is still in effect. There's no good reason to keep that turkey of a hotel otherwise, especially if Disney invests this big in all the property around it.
If true, it seems a little bizarre that the Disney that literally purchased the Wrather Corporation to buy the Disneyland Hotel back in the day and has only gotten bigger and more powerful since then can't find a way to weasel out of a property that seemingly no one is entirely happy with.Yeah, there's a long convoluted story behind the Paradise Pier Hotel and why it sits there on an island of untouchable land that is exempt from the rest of the planning documents and processes. It's been that way since Disney bought it in the 1990's.
Notice the square white island on Disneyland Drive? That's the Paradise Pier Hotel, and it's exempt from stuff like this.
I've heard this story a few times over the decades from people who would know, and my mind is trying to remember the right version that sifts out some of the urban legend, but it involves the Japanese hotel company that originally bought that land and built that hotel. Their legal agreement on that hotel stretches well into the 21st century, and it's obviously still untouchable per this latest planning proposal.
I wish I could explain it better. But it's also the reason why Yamabuki, the fabulous Japanese restaurant that Disney upgraded in 2009 had to close. The agreement with the Japanese firm dictates they still get a cut of the profits from that hotel and its business, so TDA tried one last time to make Yamabuki profitable by sending it further upscale but it still didn't pencil out and was closed a decade ago. It's also why the lone restaurant in that hotel is a buffet that has a high profit margin, and why the lobby bar that has a low profit margin really stinks.
There's a legal property rights story there, and it's getting lost to the mists of time. But this latest planning document proves the longstanding Paradise Pier Hotel Problem still exists, and the legal agreement with the Japanese is still in effect. There's no good reason to keep that turkey of a hotel otherwise, especially if Disney invests this big in all the property around it.
There is a cap on the number of hotel rooms in the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan. By keeping the Paradise Pier Hotel outside of the Plan its 400+ rooms don’t count towards the 5,600 maximum.
Any sort of deed restriction would apply to Disney, not the City. If they had a means to exempt themselves from one zoning district then why not the other? What is gained by this mysterious, powerful legal mechanism?
They should have. They had the opportunity.
They didn't.
Huh? What point did you think I was trying to make?
Well, they're famously terrible at (many things, but especially) long term planning for their parks.
You weren’t agreeing that the Paradise Pier Hotel is exempt from the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan because of some sort of deed restriction?
Perfect! Maybe with Flexland around, we could move some extant stuff to it (museums, flat rides, etc), and undo other changes. Some things might remain changed for political correctness, but not in a virtue-signaling way or something that would ruin a ride. Like Splash Mountain, if the Br’ers are truly too offensive to handle, could be retheme to The Muppet Movie with just swapping eyes on everyone to look Muppetish and adding new main characters. (In fact, since the Frog Prince is a European creation, and the Br’ers were made by Africans from older African tales, it counts as voices being silenced, too), and from there use Flexland as a beta testing ground, where something that has become good in its own merits has the potency to stick around.
I figured it out.
The outside is okay, but the inside is — just make it stop!Great point! This is going to shake up the neighboring properties and their logistic selling points a bit.
The Stovall's, of Stovall Best Western fame, live not far from me. It's actually the son and his wife of the original Stovall Sr. who started the motel and property empire over 60 years ago.
Mr. Stovall (the junior) is elderly now, but Mrs. Stovall is a bit younger and is still active in the local community and plays a mean piano at parties and sociables.
They still own all that property along Katella across from Simba, including the locations of the original Stovall's Inns from the 1960's. I've never had the nerve to ask either of them why they can't return at least one of their motel properties to it's fabulous Space Age format, as I know they have invested regularly in their properties and are proud of how they look now (boring, but nice) and proud of their longstanding place and name in the Anaheim Resort District's business community. But I've always wanted to get up the nerve to pitch that idea to Mrs. Stovall after she finishes one of her show stopping piano numbers and is working the room on a euphoric high!
Wouldn't it be fabulous to get one of these back on Katella?
I mean honestly, just look at that Stovall's Inn of Tomorrow lobby! I would pay top dollar to stay there for a night, wouldn't you?!?
Great point! This is going to shake up the neighboring properties and their logistic selling points a bit.
The Stovall's, of Stovall Best Western fame, live not far from me. It's actually the son and his wife of the original Stovall Sr. who started the motel and property empire over 60 years ago.
Mr. Stovall (the junior) is elderly now, but Mrs. Stovall is a bit younger and is still active in the local community and plays a mean piano at parties and sociables.
They still own all that property along Katella across from Simba, including the locations of the original Stovall's Inns from the 1960's. I've never had the nerve to ask either of them why they can't return at least one of their motel properties to it's fabulous Space Age format, as I know they have invested regularly in their properties and are proud of how they look now (boring, but nice) and proud of their longstanding place and name in the Anaheim Resort District's business community. But I've always wanted to get up the nerve to pitch that idea to Mrs. Stovall after she finishes one of her show stopping piano numbers and is working the room on a euphoric high!
Wouldn't it be fabulous to get one of these back on Katella?
I mean honestly, just look at that Stovall's Inn of Tomorrow lobby! I would pay top dollar to stay there for a night, wouldn't you?!?
Holy $$$$....
Book me a room NOW.
Alpine Inn just got 'old'.....
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