Is this true?

[Dakota731]

Someone told me that starting in 2027 the three Loewe’s parks will no longer have free express passes for the parks. They said their contract expires then??

 

[reddog21]

I never rule out anything but there has been no official statement made by Universal or Lowes. I honestly doubt they would get rid of it.

 

[Lewisc]

I doubt Universal will renew the hotel express passes when (or if) they expire.

The hotels opened in 1999. It's plausible a 30 year contract was signed in 1997.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Lol. A quick search shows Royal Pacific booking all of 2027 right now and literally advertising express pass on their booking page. And the prices? They don't remotely reflect no EP. Sounds like your source got April fooled...

 

[reddog21]

I doubt Universal will renew the hotel express passes when (or if) they expire.

That would crush the value of those signature hotels unless they add some other perks.

 

[Lewisc]

That would crush the value of those signature hotels unless they add some other perks.

The hotel express passes have been frozen. They only apply to the 1st 2 parks, EPIC and Volcano Bay are excluded. It only applies to the first 3 hotels.

I have no idea if express passes are part of a very long term lease. I agree with PP. Loews wouldn't be marketing 2027 express passes if the contract for EP expires next year

 

[DisneyMom93]

We stay at Portofino Bay because of the EPs. We love the resort but there isn’t much reason for us to book there because we aren’t at the hotel all that much. (We usually stay nine nights. We go to the 2 main parks for 5 days and relax and do CityWalk on the weekends.)

I think the more expensive hotels will lose a lot of guests if they don’t offer free EPs.

 

[reddog21]

The hotel express passes have been frozen. They only apply to the 1st 2 parks, EPIC and Volcano Bay are excluded. It only applies to the first 3 hotels.

You would never what to include something like that for free on a brand new park especially one that was as hyped as that one.
I still surprised there offering express at all at Epic even a one time use option.

Think about how Universal treats Express pass for new rides:
Velocicostar - 1.7 years after open
Gringots - 3 years
Forbidden Journey - 7 years
Hadgrids 6 years

It's clear they wait for the hype to level off and then add it.


The express pass is nothing more than a marketing tool, and I highly doubt there's any contractual basis for it.

 

[Dakota731]

I doubt Universal will renew the hotel express passes when (or if) they expire.

The hotels opened in 1999. It's plausible a 30 year contract was signed in 1997.

That’s what my friend said, so hopefully they will renew the contract if that is correct. He said Universal wants out of the contract because they can make more money charging for express passes per person instead of offering them free if you stay at a Loew’s hotel.

 

[Lewisc]

That’s what my friend said, so hopefully they will renew the contract if that is correct. He said Universal wants out of the contract because they can make more money charging for express passes per person instead of offering them free if you stay at a Loew’s hotel.

Loews wouldn't be promising hotel express passes for 2027 booking if the contract was up.

A 30 year contract might be up in.2029
Or the perks may extend for the life of the property similar to Swan and Dolphin

 

[BostonEd]

Whenever the contract is up, I'm sure Universal would prefer if the free EPs go away. If I were Lowe's I would ask that free EPs would only apply to stays 2 or more nights. That would still give them a good perk, but eliminate all the people who book "throwaway nights" just to get the free EP.

 

[reddog21]

The Universal-Loews partnership is a Joint Venture, which is rare in the theme park world. In a typical "land-lease" deal (like Disney's with the Swan & Dolphin), one company owns the land and another just pays rent to run a hotel on it.

Universal and Loews, however, are legally and financially "married" through a company called Universal City Development Partners, Ltd. Lowes and Universal directly share the profits made thru the hotel so any changes to the hotel is also going to hurt Universal. Any downturn in pricing or revenue hits Universal directly in the wallet.

This is not like Disney with swan/dolphin, if people stop going to those hotels it's irrelevant to Disney there still going to get there lease money.

 

[Lewisc]

The Universal-Loews partnership is a Joint Venture, which is rare in the theme park world. In a typical "land-lease" deal (like Disney's with the Swan & Dolphin), one company owns the land and another just pays rent to run a hotel on it.

Universal and Loews, however, are legally and financially "married" through a company called Universal City Development Partners, Ltd. Lowes and Universal directly share the profits made thru the hotel so any changes to the hotel is also going to hurt Universal. Any downturn in pricing or revenue hits Universal directly in the wallet.

This is not like Disney with swan/dolphin, if people stop going to those hotels it's irrelevant to Disney there still going to get there lease money.

I'm sure Loews would love to include Express Pass at all hotels. Im sure Universal theme parks would love to terminate complimentary hotel express passes.

I guess grandfatheing existing hotels and parks was the compromise both parties could agree.

Other possible compromises SPECULATION once per attraction per day. Express pass day based on number of days, guest gets pass on check in OR checkout day.

Based on full days. You wouldn't Get EP on check in or check out day. An end to throwaway rooms.

 

[reddog21]

I'm sure Loews would love to include Express Pass at all hotels. Im sure Universal theme parks would love to terminate complimentary hotel express passes.

I guess grandfatheing existing hotels and parks was the compromise both parties could agree.

Other possible compromises SPECULATION once per attraction per day. Express pass day based on number of days, guest gets pass on check in OR checkout day.

Based on full days. You wouldn't Get EP on check in or check out day. An end to throwaway rooms.

What they should do is somehow figure out a way to stop ghost renting or penalize people who do.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

What they should do is somehow figure out a way to stop ghost renting or penalize people who do.

Why? Does it impact you? Does it impact the hotel? From Loew's perspective, they're getting the full price of the room with no need to restock it or clean it, no wear & tear. It's ready for the next person bright and early the following morning.

It helps them book their rooms at no real cost to Loews. IF those people were going to buy EP anyways, it costs Universal some revenue, but some people wouldn't pay for standalone EP so there's nothing lost from them.

IF they want to discourage this, the best method is to have higher prices for one night stays. Which they already do somewhat, although not with the AP rates... which is a major benefit of AP rates... which is a major benefit of having an AP...

 

[Minnie1222]

I agree that hotels should allow guests to book throwaway rooms. While we do not utilize this strategy, the practice hasn't affected us negatively in any way.
Many of our trips have been planned last minute, and we have not encountered any issues securing rooms for multiple nights. I also don't think the volume of EP users at IOA/UO is high enough to cause significant delays.

 

[reddog21]

Why? Does it impact you? Does it impact the hotel? From Loew's perspective, they're getting the full price of the room with no need to restock it or clean it, no wear & tear. It's ready for the next person bright and early the following morning.

Are you serious???
It 100% affects everyone—basic economics. When availability goes down, prices go up. You're taking a room that could be used by someone who genuinely wants to stay there, not just as a place to take a nap or not even go.

Case in point, I’ve been keeping an eye on room rates for the past two months for my summer trip. About a month ago, the prices suddenly skyrocketed overnight by $400 per night—yes, $400! Something must have happened that day, could be anything, but the prices haven’t dropped back to pre-spike levels. In the last couple of days, they’ve leveled off a bit, but they’re still up by over $300.

I guess people don't understand simple supply and demand.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Are you serious???
It 100% affects everyone—basic economics.

Whether or not people actually stay in the room makes no difference to the supply/demand/availability. Thus it doesn't impact the price fluctuations.