SpaceMountain77
Well-Known Member
As an IHG rewards member, I find this offensive to the Holiday Inn Express brand.
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News New Polynesian Resort DVC villas building to open 2024
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
As an IHG rewards member, I find this offensive to the Holiday Inn Express brand.
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
It really is out of place, having seen it in person tonight. While I don't love it, I almost wish they would have used the original Poly tower as a concept. At least it would have had some history. As always, we'll have to see the final product. But, if Riviera and other hotels designed by this company are an indicator, I'm not optimistic this will fit in well at all. Other than with the underside of the new port cochere, maybe.
solidyne
Well-Known Member
Well, maybe we can use our points.
SpaceMountain77
Well-Known Member
As long as I get the option of 500 welcome amenity points or a breakfast voucher.
solidyne
Well-Known Member
We probably won't even get the bottle of water.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
You can always get a bottle of water by taking the bus to Saratoga springs and lying to the DVC people for a few minutes.
MagicRat
Well-Known Member
If you want to be negative and outspoken at least have a witty comment. How about this one, the only thing lazier than the design for the Polynesian DVC Tower was the comment above.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
It looks absolutely nothing like a Holiday Inn Express.
It looks like they took a south Pacific / Polynesian luxury hotel, and stretched it to seven or eight stories. Those are typically two stories, three at most.
Whereas in Hawaii, the hotels are tall, but exceedingly boring. This is tall but tries to capture more Polynesian spirit than like the Andaz Maui or St Regis Kauai (or basically any other modern Hawaiian hotel save for Aulani)
At worst It’s gonna look fine. It will probably look better than fine. But that’s the floor.
It looks like they took a south Pacific / Polynesian luxury hotel, and stretched it to seven or eight stories. Those are typically two stories, three at most.
Whereas in Hawaii, the hotels are tall, but exceedingly boring. This is tall but tries to capture more Polynesian spirit than like the Andaz Maui or St Regis Kauai (or basically any other modern Hawaiian hotel save for Aulani)
At worst It’s gonna look fine. It will probably look better than fine. But that’s the floor.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
It looks like a modern "luxury" apartment building, at least in the concept art. I could take pictures of very similar structures here.
It also doesn't fit with the existing resort aesthetic whatsoever. It might look fine as a building in a vacuum, but unless they're making significant changes from the concept art, it's going to be a visual downgrade for the whole area.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
I can’t think of any luxury apartment buildings that have teak wood trim and facades but the general layout or “structure” of this building of several rooms in a line with windows stacked on top of one another does resemble the layout of most other buildings where there are several rooms in a line with windows stacked on one another, I agree.
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
There is no doubt this has some Hawaiian decoration. But, it is very contemporary in design. You are right that they haven't "finished" each tower vertically with it's rooms. And, it sits at an angle. Most apartments would be done on the square with full stories to save money. But, the general design style lines up exactly with current apartment and mid-level hotel design. This will not be real teak wood. It will be artificial - just like the flooring.
The problem is Disney used to be able to charge extremely high prices for the luxury hotels because of location AND unique/transportive theme. There weren't any other hotels like these resorts and the environments they created (or at least very few). These new hotels are hotels. But, they are nothing more. Some basic nods to a themed exterior covering isn't theme.
Take a look at the Park Lane Ala Moana, Mahana Ward Village, Alia, etc. These are all much larger projects and towers. But, they are all modern/contemporary towers that give a nod to their surroundings. The best might be the Montage Kapalua Bay - and that is a very updated, modern Hawaiian resort that features authentic cuisine and offerings (again, in updated, contemporary surroundings). None of them are Hawaiian themed in the sense of Disney themed hotels. None of them are attempting to transport you to a unique/fantasy location that is timeless. At BEST, this will transporting you to 2023 Honolulu. That is not the theme of the Polynesian Village Resort.
For being "more timeless, more family, more Disney", they seem to be forgetting the timeless with a lot of these new projects. They will look fare more like Hotel Plaza Blvd in a few years than will AKL, Wilderness Lodge or the Epcot Resorts Hotels - and, most directly, Aulani.
Disney used to make iconic hotels. For all his faults, Eisner wanted things created that were based on real things, but better. Iger and team seem much more content to create things that imitate luxury - but with cheaper finishes.
The problem is Disney used to be able to charge extremely high prices for the luxury hotels because of location AND unique/transportive theme. There weren't any other hotels like these resorts and the environments they created (or at least very few). These new hotels are hotels. But, they are nothing more. Some basic nods to a themed exterior covering isn't theme.
Take a look at the Park Lane Ala Moana, Mahana Ward Village, Alia, etc. These are all much larger projects and towers. But, they are all modern/contemporary towers that give a nod to their surroundings. The best might be the Montage Kapalua Bay - and that is a very updated, modern Hawaiian resort that features authentic cuisine and offerings (again, in updated, contemporary surroundings). None of them are Hawaiian themed in the sense of Disney themed hotels. None of them are attempting to transport you to a unique/fantasy location that is timeless. At BEST, this will transporting you to 2023 Honolulu. That is not the theme of the Polynesian Village Resort.
For being "more timeless, more family, more Disney", they seem to be forgetting the timeless with a lot of these new projects. They will look fare more like Hotel Plaza Blvd in a few years than will AKL, Wilderness Lodge or the Epcot Resorts Hotels - and, most directly, Aulani.
Disney used to make iconic hotels. For all his faults, Eisner wanted things created that were based on real things, but better. Iger and team seem much more content to create things that imitate luxury - but with cheaper finishes.
Ricky Spanish
Well-Known Member
Nah, I think the design is lazier.
I‘ll have to work on my witty comments so I can post just like you
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
This is just an off white building. It looks like every other hotel in Hawaii. I think I’m missing your point.
And yes, Disney will likely not use real wood in weather, like just about everything they’ve done since 1955.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
And I would agree that early Eisner would have demanded better but that world ended almost 30 years ago.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Teak? Nah brown to look like teak. The maintenance is prohibitive
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
This (at least the concept art) could be built essentially down the street from me and it would not look out of place. A few minor decorative features aren't nearly enough -- saying it's only 95% similar to a modern apartment building instead of identical isn't a good argument in favor of the design. It's the same problem as the Riviera.
Again, that doesn't mean it's a bad building in a vacuum -- but it's a bad one for Disney compared to nearly everything else that exists on property. It's also in a terrible location (not for people staying there, but for basically anyone else).
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Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
I think we may be talking past each other. My point is that the DVC tower will likely look very much like that picture - just with some basic wood-like panels. I take it you are seeing something far more themed than what many of us are. The fact is this DVC tower will look like most every other hotel in Hawaii. I (and others) would argue it won't even be that nice. It actually looks a lot like the renderings for the new Disneyland Hotel tower, which is meant to blend into the blue glass 60's (ish) towers. There are some interesting angles and the roof. But, that's about it. Based on what we have seen from the recent projects, I'm not understanding why you disagree this looks like a generic modern faux "luxury" hotel/apartment/condo tower (assuming I didn't misunderstand your point, of course.)
In short, if this was on I-Drive, Hotel Plaza Blvd., downtown Orlando, etc., it would be pretty nice for a Marriott, Hyatt, etc. It does not meet the theme standards of the deluxe resorts of Walt Disney World, especially those along the Monorail.
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
Arguably, if you put some linear planters and a different roofline on J5 on Juniper, you'd have a decent version of just that. haha
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
I think it’s impossible to judge that from the concept art.
To me, it appears to be a hybrid look of the Hawaii hotels of today (by necessity, because of the plot and the desire for a tower) and the ultra luxury South Pacific hotels of today (the actual theming elements). And that will look more obvious with the bungalows in perspective with it, as is typically the case with those South Pacific resorts it’s trying to model its visual design after.
So yes, I think it looks nicer than apparently everyone else here does. Give it the standard WDWMagic 50% expectations discount and it will probably be pretty solid.
But maybe it won’t be! Hard to say from a drawing at a distance.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
Just a reminder that I posted a high res image of the resort about 75 pages ago that you can zoom in to the details on
