Star Wars Hotel Price - Disney has officially lost their minds

[MillauFr]

I wonder if it’s as big a surprise to Disney as it seems to be for some of the Star Wars Superfans that the IP is definitely no longer what it once was.

what is IP?

 

[clutter]

Those were the prices I'd heard when it was originally announced.

 

[Chuck S]

what is IP?

Intellectual Property. In other words, the poster is saying the Star Wars "brand" isn't as popular as it used to be.

 

[kdonnel]

what is IP?

Intellectual Property

 

[kdonnel]

The hotel is rumored to be compromised of just 68 rooms. I think the rumored pricing reflects the size of the hotel and the exclusivity.

At 68 rooms they don't really need any repeat customers. This isn't Pop Century and its 2880 hotel rooms.

Disney has a history of being able to charge a premium for their product, for example the Disney Cruise Line.

I picked June 5th 2020 as an example.

RCCL Mariner of the Seas vs Disney Dream, family of 4 in one cabin, both departing from Port Canaveral on a 3 day cruise.

Balcony Cabin:
RCCL: $2598.48
Disney: $4533 - 174% more expensive

Suite:
RCCL: $5512
Disney: $20,321 - 368% more expensive

 

[RamblingMad]

Can Disney find good actors for this experience in FL?

 

[Chuck S]

Can Disney find good actors for this experience in FL?

There is always the possibility that they will recruit them from college drama departments via the College Program.

 

[dish rag]

Wife and I are huge Star War fans but I don't think we would pay this price. We would for $1000 per night. I don't think Disney will have a problems keeping the place going at those prices. There are many, many rich people out there that will pay it without a seconds thought. To them it's nothing.

 

[tinkerhon]

Pictures starting to come in of first bookings -

 

[RamblingMad]

I've not really experienced that on anything at Disney. Maybe a periodic slowing of increases, or temporary discounts, but not an actual decrease in prices.

During the last recession, Disney discounts were significant. I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for $150 a night.

 

[mnrose]

Who wants to go to Europe when you go to the Star Wars hotel

And, I suppose I could pop over to Epcot to see what Europe is like.

 

[DLgal]

I think missing the mark on the price point would be if Disney stuck to the high prices and lost profits by doing so.

This literally JUST happened this summer at the Disneyland resort hotels. They raised the summer room rates quite significantly in anticipation of SWGE opening. They instituted a block on ALL room discounts between June 1 and Aug 31. The hotels never came close to booking up. They were charging over $500/night at Paradise Pier! They held firm on the "no discounts" stance and days and days passed with who knows how many empty rooms, but if you wanted to stay, really at any point this summer, you could have had any room type on property. That is not good for Disney. Those hotels are usually booked up pretty well in summer. The other Anaheim area hotels had also raised prices, but then when bookings were soft, instituted "fire sale" level discounts and likely recovered somewhat.

Finally....FINALLY Disney relented, with a measly 15% room discount for the remainder of the summer. At this point, 15% is an insult.

I had booked a discounted room at the Grand Californian (rack rate $725 for a standard room) just before they instituted the discount block, for July 4-7. The hotel was EMPTY. It was eerie. The pool deck on all three days was sparsely populated. My kids had the large pool and slide to themselves for over an hour in the afternoon on the 4th. Compare that to our stay in August 2018 and we would have to walk around for 30 minutes before we found one empty chair.

Disney, for it's part, did not admit their pricing was off. Iger said "I don't believe we have a pricing problem at our parks and resorts." He may have been suffering from temporary amnesia...

 

[RamblingMad]

This literally JUST happened this summer at the Disneyland resort hotels. They raised the summer room rates quite significantly in anticipation of SWGE opening. They instituted a block on ALL room discounts between June 1 and Aug 31. The hotels never came close to booking up. They were charging over $500/night at Paradise Pier! They held firm on the "no discounts" stance and days and days passed with who knows how many empty rooms, but if you wanted to stay, really at any point this summer, you could have had any room type on property. That is not good for Disney. Those hotels are usually booked up pretty well in summer. The other Anaheim area hotels had also raised prices, but then when bookings were soft, instituted "fire sale" level discounts and likely recovered somewhat.

Finally....FINALLY Disney relented, with a measly 15% room discount for the remainder of the summer. At this point, 15% is an insult.

I had booked a discounted room at the Grand Californian (rack rate $725 for a standard room) just before they instituted the discount block, for July 4-7. The hotel was EMPTY. It was eerie. The pool deck on all three days was sparsely populated. My kids had the large pool and slide to themselves for over an hour in the afternoon on the 4th. Compare that to our stay in August 2018 and we would have to walk around for 30 minutes before we found one empty chair.

Disney, for it's part, did not admit their pricing was off. Iger said "I don't believe we have a pricing problem at our parks and resorts." He may have been suffering from temporary amnesia...

Earnings calls are like therapy. They exist to reassure investors. And they exist for CEOs to spin whatever goes wrong. It’s why CEOs are great as politicians. They’ve spent years spinning.

 

[MillauFr]

I had booked a discounted room at the Grand Californian (rack rate $725 for a standard room) just before they instituted the discount block, for July 4-7. The hotel was EMPTY. It was eerie. The pool deck on all three days was sparsely populated. My kids had the large pool and slide to themselves for over an hour in the afternoon on the 4th. Compare that to our stay in August 2018 and we would have to walk around for 30 minutes before we found one empty chair.

Disney, for it's part, did not admit their pricing was off. Iger said "I don't believe we have a pricing problem at our parks and resorts." He may have been suffering from temporary amnesia...

I don't believe the pricing turned people away. The fear of enormous crowds turned people away.

 

[Sandeep1]

I don't believe the pricing turned people away. The fear of enormous crowds turned people away.

The enormous crowds theory was debunked very early on.

 

[MillauFr]

The enormous crowds theory was debunked very early on.

Many of the hotels on Harbor didn't jack up prices like Disney did. They were still empty all Summer. The fear of massive crowds continues to keep people away. Even when the annual passes have became unblocked you haven't seen the crowds. I didn't renew our Deluxe passes this Spring because we planned on taking a year off until the Star Wars crowds died down. We did the same when Radiator Springs opened. No way I am going to brave 3 hour long lines.

 

[kdonnel]

The enormous crowds theory was debunked very early on.

But vacations plans have already been set?

I know that I toyed with combining a day at Disneyland with an upcoming trip but I opted instead to do something else because I was afraid of what the crowds would be like.

Now that I know the crowds are not an issue, I am kicking myself and wish I had opted for the Disneyland day but I cannot change my plans at this point.

 

[NotUrsula]

Remember that there is another factor holding back visitors from SWGE at DL; the delayed opening of Rise of the Resistance. It isn't opening until mid-January, and a lot of fans have decided to wait until they can get both experiences in during one visit. (Also, these days the savvy theme park fan knows that most E-ticket rides are still being tweaked for the first 2 months or so of operations; that is the downside to cutting-edge technology). As to opening up the AP blockout, they waited until schools were going back, so that one is kind of a no-brainer. I don't think any single one of the factors we've discussed is responsible for the less-than-expected attendance, but I think that taken together they add up to a very good storm of reasons not to go this summer.

From what I've read about the architecture of the Galactic Starcruiser building, the only real windows in guest areas are in the entrance area, before guests board the elevator "shuttle" that will take them to the actual lobby. There will be plenty of alarmed fire exits for safety, I'm sure, but those are one-way doors out. Once you have passed that entry lobby, you will not be able to choose to go back outdoors during your stay, unless you have taken the blacked-out shuttle over to DHS and entered the park via the Galaxy's Edge area. (The shuttle boards inside a closed garage at the hotel, and the "windows" in the bus are screens as well; the idea being that you are being shuttled from an orbiting starship down to the planet.) I think that pretty much rules out any smokers, unless they build a specially-vented lounge for them somewhere in the "starship."

As to how they will handle families who only have one or two members that like SW that much, the answer is that they mostly won't. At this price point, very few folks are going to waste a stay on anyone who would be less than thrilled to be there (which is best, really, because guests who will not play along ruin the role play for everyone else.) I think that you will see a lot of situations where friends go together; leaving their respective spouses/children to stay home or stay elsewhere for those 2 nights.

PS: what the concept reminds me of more than anything, actually, is the fictional Westworld/Futureworld complex -- hopefully minus the homicidal robots!

 

[RamblingMad]

So Disney guest board their escape room experience, where after two days of Star Wars, they want to run for their lives?

How many hours can capitalists stand being around Rebel Scum?

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

The enormous crowds theory was debunked very early on.

Absolutely. If people fear “enormous crowds” then why does Disney World do any business at all.

People waited for hours and hours to ride the new Hagrid ride at Universal. Theme park enthusiasts are NEVER afraid of enormous crowds.