what has happened to the " star wars " hotel?

[bjlc57]

well since its 'supposed to be attached" to MGM ..why not bulldoze it and make it a ride.. another star wars ride? the land is there.. its snot being used. don't turn it over to the local wildlife , like they did with Art for all those years.. plus its "out of the boundary's of the park.. you don't have to shut any park ride down to make this happen.. some where , some place DISNEY must have an idea for another star wars ride.. have they used up all the ideas in three rides total?

 

[Fox&Hound]

well since its 'supposed to be attached" to MGM ..why not bulldoze it and make it a ride.. another star wars ride? the land is there.. its snot being used. don't turn it over to the local wildlife , like they did with Art for all those years.. plus its "out of the boundary's of the park.. you don't have to shut any park ride down to make this happen.. some where , some place DISNEY must have an idea for another star wars ride.. have they used up all the ideas in three rides total?

Have you seen a map of DHS? It is not remotely close to the park. Getting there would involve shuttles of some kind. It is just not worth it. Yes, they could use another ride in SWL and a larger restaurant with characters, but this is not the location for it to happen.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

That's my point. It's the people who seem to ridicule WDW for taking a shot and spending money, when you try something new and it doesn't work out. Personally I want that to happen from time to time, as it means WDW is taking shots at new and different things, not every idea is going to pan out.

From the failure perspective and reasons for it not commercially succeeding I agree there are going to be a variety of them. Subjective opinion alone, with no real access to data, I don't know if the experience as envisioned and offered would ever have a chance at long term commercial success, understanding the fan base or not. Even without any insider data, anyone who experienced a "cruise" could see that running this hotel was a lot more labor intensive on a per person basis than an standard hotel. You also didn't have nearly as many revenue generating centers in this hotel as you would in a standard resort, and it really wasn't a big number of rooms place where you got alot of economies of scale savings or massive numbers of guests to spread overhead/operations costs. I just don't know if no matter what the offering was, you were going to have enough people who would be willing to pay the price point to keep up. OR you would have to water it down to such a degree that it was a completely different concept, not an immersive experience but just a themed hotel. That would be doable, and maybe more preferable to the general fanbase, but a completely different concept.

Bingo.

I said at the time, I want to see Disney do things like this, provide an experience you can't get anywhere else. Push the limits of themed entertainment. Be groundbreaking, instead of doing what's predictably popular.

The big issue I have with it is that it was expensive and only available to a select few. The Adventurer's Club was something that gave me an "only at Disney" vibe that made me want to come back to WDW, but wasn't behind a paywall.

A lot of the story elements they used here were planned for Galaxy's Edge to begin with. They should find a way to make this type of storytelling available to a wider audience. It can still be an upcharge experience, as you can't realistically have everyone in the park do it, but do it in a way that's accessible.

It might also be possible to run it like a regular hotel and just have the dinner show for example.

 

[Disstevefan1]

That's my point. It's the people who seem to ridicule WDW for taking a shot and spending money, when you try something new and it doesn't work out. Personally I want that to happen from time to time, as it means WDW is taking shots at new and different things, not every idea is going to pan out.

From the failure perspective and reasons for it not commercially succeeding I agree there are going to be a variety of them. Subjective opinion alone, with no real access to data, I don't know if the experience as envisioned and offered would ever have a chance at long term commercial success, understanding the fan base or not. Even without any insider data, anyone who experienced a "cruise" could see that running this hotel was a lot more labor intensive on a per person basis than a standard hotel. You also didn't have nearly as many revenue generating centers in this hotel as you would in a standard resort, and it really wasn't a big number of rooms place where you got alot of economies of scale savings or massive numbers of guests to spread overhead/operations costs. I just don't know if no matter what the offering was, you were going to have enough people who would be willing to pay the price point to keep up. OR you would have to water it down to such a degree that it was a completely different concept, not an immersive experience but just a themed hotel. That would be doable, and maybe more preferable to the general fanbase, but a completely different concept.

They had their reasons but I wish they didn’t pull the plug so quick on this one.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

Bingo.

I said at the time, I want to see Disney do things like this, provide an experience you can't get anywhere else. Push the limits of themed entertainment. Be groundbreaking, instead of doing what's predictably popular.

The big issue I have with it is that it was expensive and only available to a select few. The Adventurer's Club was something that gave me an "only at Disney" vibe that made me want to come back to WDW, but wasn't behind a paywall.

A lot of the story elements they used here were planned for Galaxy's Edge to begin with. They should find a way to make this type of storytelling available to a wider audience. It can still be an upcharge experience, as you can't realistically have everyone in the park do it, but do it in a way that's accessible.

It might also be possible to run it like a regular hotel and just have the dinner show for example.

I think the closest they had to it, although I will be honest i forget if it came at an additional cost, was the Jedi Academy.

Maybe you could utilize the building as some kind of guided escape room type adventure? Have it last an hour or 2 so you can push people through, it doesn't take up everyone's full day so they are still in park spending, but you don't have the overhead/infrastructure costs of running a boutique hotel? You still get the immersive effect, but at not such a premium cost. Basically a cast of around the size of say the lion king show, maybe a few more?

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

They had their reasons but I wish they didn’t pull the plug so quick on this one.

I am torn on that one. It was honestly a really amazing experience, however as great as we thought it was....we had really no intention anytime in the near future to do it again. I would have loved to see them give it more time, or see if it could have been saved, but I assume their projections showed it being no where near cost positive long term, and so they didn't want to throw good money after bad?

 

[Ice Gator]

Imagine if they had actually designed a resort that was around the same price as the other hotels and looked like a structure out of Star Wars instead of a windowless gray concrete box. It’s really not that hard, but they insisted that the cosplaying Disney adults must be catered to I guess.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I think the closest they had to it, although I will be honest i forget if it came at an additional cost, was the Jedi Academy.

Maybe you could utilize the building as some kind of guided escape room type adventure? Have it last an hour or 2 so you can push people through, it doesn't take up everyone's full day so they are still in park spending, but you don't have the overhead/infrastructure costs of running a boutique hotel? You still get the immersive effect, but at not such a premium cost. Basically a cast of around the size of say the lion king show, maybe a few more?

The Star Wars Void experience at Disney Springs was great, so I do think a shorter experience could definitely hold some appeal.

Ultimately, Disney is in the business of catering to massive crowds. Small experiences, even if profitable, might just not be seen as worth their while.

 

[CAV]

Bingo.

I said at the time, I want to see Disney do things like this, provide an experience you can't get anywhere else. Push the limits of themed entertainment. Be groundbreaking, instead of doing what's predictably popular.

The big issue I have with it is that it was expensive and only available to a select few. The Adventurer's Club was something that gave me an "only at Disney" vibe that made me want to come back to WDW, but wasn't behind a paywall.

A lot of the story elements they used here were planned for Galaxy's Edge to begin with. They should find a way to make this type of storytelling available to a wider audience. It can still be an upcharge experience, as you can't realistically have everyone in the park do it, but do it in a way that's accessible.

It might also be possible to run it like a regular hotel and just have the dinner show for example.

This is funny. You want it both ways.

I am far from an imagineer, but dang, what an idiotic...oh sorry..."limit pushing" and "groundbreaking" idea.

There are only so many Star Wars Fans. There are only so many Disney fans. There are fewer of both. And the number of both who like Disney's version of Star Wars is even less. And that miniscule number include few who are willing to pay $5K for a weekend. And I was saying this before it opened.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

This is funny. You want it both ways.

I am far from an imagineer, but dang, what an idiotic...oh sorry..."limit pushing" and "groundbreaking" idea.

There are only so many Star Wars Fans. There are only so many Disney fans. There are fewer of both. And the number of both who like Disney's version of Star Wars is even less. And that miniscule number include few who are willing to pay $5K for a weekend. And I was saying this before it opened.

The meaning of this post is confusing.

Most people said it was too expensive.

Star Wars is super popular.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Star Wars is super popular.

…not all Star Wars is super popular

Some of it was an embarrassing dumpster fire on digital

 

[Master Yoda]

I am torn on that one. It was honestly a really amazing experience, however as great as we thought it was....we had really no intention anytime in the near future to do it again. I would have loved to see them give it more time, or see if it could have been saved, but I assume their projections showed it being no where near cost positive long term, and so they didn't want to throw good money after bad?

I would have loved to do it and had plans on a stay right up to the point when they announced the price. Had it been on par or even a little more than the price per day of a Disney cruise we would have pulled the trigger in a second. But a 2 day trip on the Halcyon was about dead even with a 7 day trip on the Wonder.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I would have loved to do it and had plans on a stay right up to the point when they announced the price. Had it been on par or even a little more than the price per day of a Disney cruise we would have pulled the trigger in a second. But a 2 day trip on the Halcyon was about dead even with a 7 day trip on the Wonder.

Ironic comparison considering how overpriced DCL is…

 

[GimpYancIent]

i know that Disney has closed this venue but are they going to let it go to the racoons, like they did with Art of Animation? how can they have a new hotel and not use it? what is the long term progress for this building?

Good question. Ahhhhh but on the lighter side, what's wrong with the raccoons having a home?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Good question. Ahhhhh but on the lighter side, what's wrong with the raccoons having a home?

No problem with trash pandas…too many slithering things in that swamp

 

[John park hopper]

Star Wars hotel has gone the way of Discovery Island, and River Country ---abandoned and forgotten

 

[Disstevefan1]

I do wonder if they are maintaining the climate control inside the building or just shut every thing off?

If they simply shut everything off, that could be very bad.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Rumor has it that the location is now used to interrogate current and former Uni employees. There's also a small room for the Fun Spot people.

 

[Master Yoda]

Ironic comparison considering how overpriced DCL is…

That it is.

I have always felt that we got value from the DCL compared to the other two cruise lines the wife and I have sailed on so I don't really mind the inflated price tag.

 

[mysto]

It would have cost next to nothing to simply put some meet and greets in it.

I guess I see the entire experience as being a sort of meet and greet. You must want more famous characters from the movies? Darth Vader as bellhop, Lea at the front desk, Rea bussing tables. hmmm...

Have you seen a map of DHS? It is not remotely close to the park. Getting there would involve shuttles of some kind. It is just not worth it.

Pneumatic tubes with themed capsules, they could bring this back.