The cancelled new hotel...

[Disneyland1084]

That was supposed to open at Disneyland next year, but wasn't approved by the Anaheim City Council? I'm just curious why Disney shut down the Rainforest Cafe before getting final approval from the city council for the expansion. I'm sure this has been talked about multiple times, sorry. I had to cancel two Disney trips this year. During this pandemic, I've been watching a lot of Disney YouTube videos and pretending I'm there. I watched the latest Downtown Disney video and saw the building that housed the Rainforest Cafe.

 

[Nonsuch]

Shifting Anaheim politics: first created incentives to build the new 4-Star hotel, then killed it

 

[ParkHopper1]

It was a long drawn out power play between DL and Anaheim officials that had turned anti Disney where in the end Disney came out on top getting out from under Anaheim's pending living wage requirements they were tying to impose on the resort since there was taxpayer subsided projects with the M&F Parking Garage and potentially new Hotel.

Disney shifted gears on the hotel and tried to take advantage of the 4 Star Hotel incentives that was designed to bring more business level rooms to support the convection center but the city was ticked because it was never intended for Disney yet they could not deny it.

Few actually believe that the last iteration of the Hotel as it was presented was even gonna get off the ground.

Now, what the long term plays for the Western side of DTD is has yet to be seen. Rainforest Cafe actually wanted to return but Disney would not give them a long enough term lease so there is something in the works.

 

[Disneyland1084]

Thanks for the responses. Eventually Disneyland will have to build another resort hotel. I'll be curious to see how that goes.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Thanks for the responses. Eventually Disneyland will have to build another resort hotel. I'll be curious to see how that goes.

They're building a new DVC wing instead.

 

[gottalovepluto]

That was supposed to open at Disneyland next year, but wasn't approved by the Anaheim City Council? I'm just curious why Disney shut down the Rainforest Cafe before getting final approval from the city council for the expansion. I'm sure this has been talked about multiple times, sorry. I had to cancel two Disney trips this year. During this pandemic, I've been watching a lot of Disney YouTube videos and pretending I'm there. I watched the latest Downtown Disney video and saw the building that housed the Rainforest Cafe.

More complicated

Disney done goofed. Overestimated their ability to get their way with the City and lost millions in the process. Disney was approved for millions in tax incentives to build on the address next to DLH, Anaheim approved everything under the assumption DtD would remain as is (they ran economic impact reports and such to understand it all). Disney announced their hotel in the address next to the spot approved for tax incentives, now it would require the destruction of part of DtD. The city didn’t care, Disney could build there if they wanted to. Disney proceeded with kicking everyone out to prepare. And then the City told them the project was approved, but no tax incentives as that address was not approved for them. We’re talking tens of millions here. Disney said they weren’t going to build it in the original location and would only build it with tax incentives at the DtD slot. City still said no tax incentives for that location. Disney walked, ending the saga looking like fools. Again. (Again because this was on the heels of their previous multi-million dollar disaster project known as the Eastern Gateway which also cost millions and netted them nothing but a vacant strip of land on Harbor )

It will be a very long time before a 4th hotel pokes its head into the convo again for DLR. They definitely don’t “have to” build another hotel.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I would love to see the Rainforest Cafe back. I wonder what was holding Disney back prior to our little apocalypse here?

It was sitting vacant for awhile after that hotel plan got scrapped.

 

[ParkHopper1]

They're building a new DVC wing instead.

It is not an either or...Disney has been seeking to build both a new hotel and a DVC project to fill an extremely high demand for both.

 

[montreid]

It is not an either or...Disney has been seeking to build both a new hotel and a DVC project to fill an extremely high demand for both.

Agreed. A number of higher level hotel beds coming online now too - Westin, JW Marriott reflecting the desires for beds.

I bet Disney would love to expand beds as much as possible without severely impacting Downtown Disney's core. I'm interested to see how DD does next week.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Disney done goofed.

May speculate that Disney did not goof rather played the city rather well and knew exactly what they were doing. Once they knew the Eastern Gateway and 4 Star hotel were going south, the "move" netted them getting released from a $1B investment promise that was going to come with the living wage regulations and that was their our to hit the pause button and get out of all those agreements. While it may seem like short term detrimental, over the long term Disney won big in the end,.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Agreed. A number of higher level hotel beds coming online now too - Westin, JW Marriott reflecting the desires for beds.

The desire for those tier of beds are not Disney but Convention Center related. OC has a great CC facility but gets passed up on a LOT of business because of a severe lack of true business level accommodations for the size conventions they could actually handle...and what few full service properties there are have a ton of resort occupancy consistently booked...hence the incentives to build 4 star hotel that Disney tried to jump on the bandwagon of. Initial plan of a fourth resort hotel was never 4 star level until that incentive came along.

I bet Disney would love to expand beds as much as possible without severely impacting Downtown Disney's core. I'm interested to see how DD does next week.

There was once renderings and planning where DTD made a turn to the North into the DTD parking lot with GCH DVC above it...but that was also when they were still trying to make DTD a stand alone destination like City Walk. They have since given up on that strategy as a driving focus and are now catering DTD more directly to park guests rather than unique visitors so will be interesting to see where they go with it.

 

[Nonsuch]

There was once renderings and planning where DTD made a turn to the North into the DTD parking lot...

DVC Expansion Study

 

[dina444444]

I would love to see the Rainforest Cafe back. I wonder what was holding Disney back prior to our little apocalypse here?

It was sitting vacant for awhile after that hotel plan got scrapped.

My guess is that since DtD only has a limited number of retail/dining spots to go around they may not want the type of place rainforest cafe is. The most recent dining locations that have gone in are more “trendy” and if they are chains, it’s from much smaller chains.

 

[Malcon10t]

May speculate that Disney did not goof rather played the city rather well and knew exactly what they were doing. Once they knew the Eastern Gateway and 4 Star hotel were going south, the "move" netted them getting released from a $1B investment promise that was going to come with the living wage regulations and that was their our to hit the pause button and get out of all those agreements. While it may seem like short term detrimental, over the long term Disney won big in the end,.

Totally agree. My personal opinion is they did not want to play ball, and intentionally moved the hotel. They played the old council very well. And this quarantine is helping show just how much Disney is needed. Anaheim is bleeding seriously right now.

We all saw what happened when they were going to build the parking garage over on Manchester, and the complaints about how it would be, so they moved everything to the west side of DTD. Disney knows how to play ball.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I remember seeing renderings of the hotel project that showed a Rainforest Cafe as part of the hotel. I hope they bring it back in some way. I wasn't a fan of the food, but the atmosphere and the little store were always very nice.

 

[mentos]

Wasn't the argument over something trivial like 26 feet in one direction?

Also, was the $1B development promise satisfied by SWGE to prevent a gate tax? For some reason, I always thought the hotel project was strictly to take advantage of the 4 star/diamond tax incentive in place.

Admittedly, I didn't follow the back end politics closely.

With Rainforest gone, ESPN zone converted to rehearsal/art space, and the theater gone...it's kind of a strange Earl of Sandwich island.

RE: Eastern Gateway, now what the heck are they gonna do with that landing strip + parking lot space behind it? I saw a homeless man camping out in a tent on that strip facing Harbor. That's gotta be the most expensive parking lot & camp ground in the area