Response to Hotel Dream list podcast...

[Stitch407]

Teresa's elegant HTH idea should be art deco and not scary except on the 13th floor that would be twilight show/hitchcock creepy and feature a restaurant that would be creepy like the west wing room at the belle's castle restaurant. the bottom floor could feature a breakfast room with a villians character breakfast, that wouldn't be any scarier than MNSSHP - Not everyone can get out to the parks for halloween, and a villians breakfast would be a great way to capitalize on that. Children and adults LOVE the villians and would love a villians breakfast. So it would an art deco, HTH hotel with a creepy 13th restaurant floor and a villians breakfast. I also vote for themed rooms based upon things like Cruella's fashion sense and maybe a few specialty separated Haunted Mansion villas, like the HM family built a special vacation property by the HTH, but one day the family just never showed up (at least in human form ), so the HTH started renting it out to special guests. (Disney use this if you see it. I think it would very popular.)

Elegant and cooky.


(sorry, in rush to work, excuse grammar) (love you guys and gals <3 )

 

[Stitch407]

You could call it The Hollywood Spire

 

[JimmyV]

I was really surprised to see some of the resistance to "outsourced" hotels at WDW. They can be well themed. They can be properly and efficiently staffed by non-Disney employees. They can be integrated into the fabric of the entire "on site atmosphere". How do we know? Easy. Swan and Dolphin. 'Nuff said. Would you rather see more builds like the S&D with rooms that book for $150-$250 per night and have great restaurants, shops, views and amenities, or more builds like All-Star and Pop which are dressed up Days Inns with "theming" that is little more than a giant bowling pin or a yo-yo parked on the lawn and which charge $110-$175 offering far fewer amenities?

 

[Kristina4109]

This is just my personal taste, but I cannot stand the architecture of the Swan and Dolphin. It drives me nuts that it breaks up the Epcot "skyline". Now, I'm not saying I would never stay there, but it's just not my style.

 

[JimmyV]

This is just my personal taste, but I cannot stand the architecture of the Swan and Dolphin. It drives me nuts that it breaks up the Epcot "skyline". Now, I'm not saying I would never stay there, but it's just not my style.

The architecture is far less important than the size of the rooms, the location, the amenities, the restaurants and the professionalism of the staff. (And incidentally, the architect and architecture were selected by Disney. While now both owned and operated by Tischman/Starwood, when they were built, they were separate. Swan was Westin and Dolphin was Sheraton, before the two brands merged. Being separate companies, but having the two hotels so close together, Disney wanted a cohesive architectural plan so it did not allow Westin and Sheraton to do their own builds, as that would have resulted in two very different plans. Instead, Disney approved one single plan to be used by both hotels.) My point was, an outsourced hotel on Disney property can offer you everything that a Disney hotel can offer you, (sometimes more), and for less money. Architecture is a personal choice. But if prices were equal or close to equal, I don't know why anyone would want to stay in the hinterlands in a Days Inn quality hotel that has a bowling pin outside of it instead of a hotel that has bigger rooms, real restaurants and boat transportation to half the parks. Architecturally, do I prefer the Yacht Club to the Swan? Absolutely. But when I compare the prices, it becomes a no brainer.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

This is just my personal taste, but I cannot stand the architecture of the Swan and Dolphin. It drives me nuts that it breaks up the Epcot "skyline". Now, I'm not saying I would never stay there, but it's just not my style.

I wouldn't mind an outsourced Disney hotel as long as they have say in the architecture which is my biggest problem with the swan and dolphin is it looks ridiculous because the architect was allowed to do exactly what they wanted. They sometimes need to be rained in and told they need to simplify there design. Another example would be Roy Thompson hall the concert hall for the Toronto Symphony when it was first built it was bare concrete box inside the archets ide was the people would supply the color a good idea but not so good for acoustics a few years back they put in new wood paneling to give the hall some shape and something for sound to bounce of so the Symphony could sound as good as they did on the road as at home. The architect complained it wasn't part of there vision for it, the owners said they didn't care.

 

[JimmyV]

my biggest problem with the swan and dolphin is it looks ridiculous because the architect was allowed to do exactly what they wanted.

Ummmm. No. Go back and re-read the parenthetical in my post above. The architect and architecture were selected and approved by Michael Eisner himself. How could the "architect have been allowed to do whatever he wanted"? Who would have been his client? Remember that Westin and Sheraton were separate (competing) companies back then. Do you think that Westin hired an architect to build the Swan and Sheraton hired an architect to build the Dolphin and miraculously both buildings reflected the same style? These hotels operate on a long-term lease with reversion rights flowing back to Disney. They were built under the watchful and approving eye of Disney. Hate the (award winning) architecture if you must. That's your right. But cast no blame on the outsourced companies, (now, company--singular) that have the operating rights to run the hotels. The blame or praise for the architecture rests with Disney in general and Eisner in particular. Michael Graves was not allowed to do whatever he wanted. His plans were Disney-approved all the way. Knowing what a tightly controlled company Disney is, do you honestly think it could have been any other way?

 

[BillyBoy1304]

Teresa's elegant HTH idea should be art deco and not scary except on the 13th floor that would be twilight show/hitchcock creepy and feature a restaurant that would be creepy like the west wing room at the belle's castle restaurant.

This is a brilliant idea! I loved the art deco idea and having the 13th floor be scary is exactly the right move!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Ummmm. No. Go back and re-read the parenthetical in my post above. The architect and architecture were selected and approved by Michael Eisner himself. How could the "architect have been allowed to do whatever he wanted"? Who would have been his client? Remember that Westin and Sheraton were separate (competing) companies back then. Do you think that Westin hired an architect to build the Swan and Sheraton hired an architect to build the Dolphin and miraculously both buildings reflected the same style? These hotels operate on a long-term lease with reversion rights flowing back to Disney. They were built under the watchful and approving eye of Disney. Hate the (award winning) architecture if you must. That's your right. But cast no blame on the outsourced companies, (now, company--singular) that have the operating rights to run the hotels. The blame or praise for the architecture rests with Disney in general and Eisner in particular. Michael Graves was not allowed to do whatever he wanted. His plans were Disney-approved all the way. Knowing what a tightly controlled company Disney is, do you honestly think it could have been any other way?

Michael graves has said in interviews he was given free rain to do what he wanted to do with it. I think it was on a episode of the wdw radio show.I think he also said he was hired by the two hotel companies and not specifically Disney.

 

[JimmyV]

Michael graves has said in interviews he was given free rain to do what he wanted to do with it. I think it was on a episode of the wdw radio show.I think he also said he was hired by the two hotel companies and not specifically Disney.

Disney maintains control over the design of both the interior and exterior and always has. Graves can say that he drew with a free hand. But in the end, Eisner approved the design. Think about it. Do you really think that Disney would allow buildings of that magnitude to be built adjacent to two of its parks without any control of what the buildings would look like? Never happen.

This article sketches it out a bit: http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/walt_disney_world/swan_dolphin_resort/

 

[Uncle Donald Wess]

When can I book for the Star Wars themed hotel because that would be AWESOME!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Disney maintains control over the design of both the interior and exterior and always has. Graves can say that he drew with a free hand. But in the end, Eisner approved the design. Think about it. Do you really think that Disney would allow buildings of that magnitude to be built adjacent to two of its parks without any control of what the buildings would look like? Never happen.

This article sketches it out a bit: http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/walt_disney_world/swan_dolphin_resort/

In the end everyone is entitled to there opin for some they are beautiful buildings for others they are ugly and should not exist either way we a are stuck with them because of a business deal that got made to build EPCOT. If those were the ones Micheal Eisner chose i'm not sure i want to see the ones rejected.

 

[wdwscout]

No one mentioned a Jetsons hotel!
I am surprised it wasn't one of Teresa's options. A round high rise, beautiful big windows with views of the park and grounds. Tech-ed out with automated features. No flying cars though :-(

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I'm still waiting for the Haunted Mansion rooms that were proposed back when they started the Royal Guest room refurbs.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I'm still waiting for the Haunted Mansion rooms that were proposed back when they started the Royal Guest room refurbs.

I wonder if they ditched them because they got feed back about them being too scary for kids. lus the art work made the rooms look very dark and having the bathroom hidden behind a book case sounds neat it may have been really inconvenient to do in real life