Walt Disney World will open a nature-inspired, mixed-use Disney resort in 2022 between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
The resort project will join three others currently underway at Walt Disney World Resort. Over the next four years, the company will add more than 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas.
The new deluxe resort will be themed to complement its natural surroundings. It will include over 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas.
George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said: “Walt Disney World is in the midst of our most significant expansion in the last two decades and the combined 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas we are building at four different resorts will create thousands of new construction and permanent jobs and will drive economic opportunity and incremental revenue for Central Florida. We continue to add new attractions, new lands — and these beautiful accommodations will be right in the heart of all that magic.”
Terri Schultz, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club, said: “This resort experience will be a celebration of Walt Disney’s lifelong love and respect for nature, with some fun and even surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible. It will give our members and guests yet another opportunity to stay in close proximity to all the newest attractions and experiences in our theme parks, and with the flexibility, value and world-class service families expect from Disney.”
Walt Disney World has announced new experiences across all of its parks, as well as improvements to long standing events.
Themed resorts
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is set to reopen in 2019 with expansive changes. A new 15-story tower will overlook Lago Dorado, the resort’s centerpiece lake. Also opening in 2019 is Disney’s Riviera Resort, which will be the first all-Disney Vacation Club property at Walt Disney World since Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa opened in 2004.
Disney are known for their highly themed hotels. The much anticipated Star Wars hotel will include not only a highly themed environment but also other elements like uniforms and secret missions for guests to immerse them in an experiential star ship voyage. The cost of a stay will be a hefty $2500 for a family of four, but Disney’s VIP luxury offerings can be much more expensive.
Disney also recently held a competition for guests to win a night of “glamping” in the Pandora section of the Animal Kingdom park.
And it seems themed accommodation offerings are here to stay – after Merlin reported successful results in part fuelled by investment into themed rooms. Accommodation revenue at the company grew by 27.7%. This reflects the continued success of the resortpositioning strategy towards themed accommodation. The company opened a record 644 rooms in the period.
