Disney Needs More American Hotels
During a recent family dinner conversation, my brother and I exchanged stories about trying to book various Disney hotels.
As longtime Disney tourists, we’ve faced many booking and scheduling challenges over the years.
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/4899_wdw_50th_beacons_1920x1080_18ce18fd-a6a9-4bdc-98a2-db0882347d51.jpg)
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/4899_wdw_50th_beacons_1920x1080_18ce18fd-a6a9-4bdc-98a2-db0882347d51.jpg)
Photo:visitorlando.com
The problem has felt much worse lately, though. Demand for Disney theme parks has never been higher.
Meanwhile, Disney hasn’t added much hotel inventory over the past five years.
The truth is that Disney needs more American hotels. Let’s discuss the current situation.
The Pros of Disney Hotels
First, let’s start with a statement of the obvious. Disney theme park hotels exemplify the pinnacle of the industry.
Since 1955, resorts have stood close to Disneyland, delighting guests with their logistics and luxury.
![Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
![Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
Photo: Yesterland
When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, Disney debuted its first fully owned hotels, Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Five years after the Disneyland Hotel opened, The Happiest Place on Earth hosted five million guests annually.
![Jack Wrather Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/JAck-Wrather-Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
![Jack Wrather Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/JAck-Wrather-Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
Yesterland
By 1976, Walt Disney World attendance had already reached 13 million guests.
Both those numbers sound remarkable for their eras, but Walt Disney World hosts about 58 million guests annually today.
![Disneyland Hotel benefits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Disneyland-hotel-lobby.jpg)
![Disneyland Hotel benefits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Disneyland-hotel-lobby.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Disneyland Resort estimates aren’t as accurate since many guests spend time at both theme parks.
A fair estimate is that 20 million people visit Disneyland Resort annually, not counting locals hanging out at Downtown Disney.
![Downtown Disney Map](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Downtown-Disney-Map.jpg)
![Downtown Disney Map](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Downtown-Disney-Map.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Disney faces a sustained problem in scaling up to meet tourism demand.
An additional challenge involves the differences between Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Tourists aren’t as desperate to stay at official Disneyland resorts as at Walt Disney World.
That’s Disney’s fault, though. Walt Disney himself couldn’t afford to build Disneyland Hotel and had to sell someone else on the idea.
![Disneyland Hotel benefits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/12-4.jpg)
![Disneyland Hotel benefits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/12-4.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Disney didn’t acquire the Disneyland Hotel until 1988, so the park operated without a first-party hotel for 33 years.
Disney officials always lamented this fact and tried to address it.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-dlr-disneyland-resort-pixar-place-hotel-1-scaled.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-dlr-disneyland-resort-pixar-place-hotel-1-scaled.jpg)
Pixar Place
The company purchased what we now call Pixar Pier Hotel in 1998, followed by Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in 2001.
By that point, though, some local habits had formed. So, many of the guests staying at these properties aren’t from the Golden State.
Disney’s Pressing Inventory Problem
Thirteen years isn’t a short timeframe, but it’s odd to think that Disneyland switched from zero hotels to three in that short a timeframe.
Everyone presumed that Disneyland had fully committed to hotel expansion, thereby taking back tourism dollars from the Good Neighbor hotels.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Downtown-Disney.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Downtown-Disney.png)
Photo: Disney
That optimism proved short-lived, as Disney didn’t move toward adding a fourth hotel until 2017-2018.
While the filing had been on the records for a while, Disney didn’t push for a Downtown Disney resort until that timeframe.
![Downtown Disney Reimagining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DTD_Reimagining-r-16x9-1.webp)
![Downtown Disney Reimagining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DTD_Reimagining-r-16x9-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
Once the company did, the Anaheim City Council refused to honor a $267 million tax incentive for its construction.
Ultimately, Disney canceled the project and has since indicated it will no longer accept taxpayer funding for future projects.
![disneylandforward](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-8.33.45-AM.png)
![disneylandforward](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-2023-02-24-at-8.33.45-AM.png)
Photo: Disneylandforward
In fact, during the DisneylandForward negotiations, Disney promised to pay Anaheim for several initiatives.
Obviously, that’s a sign that park officials recognize the challenges of attempting construction without greasing the wheels.
![Both beds](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-dlr-disneyland-hotel-the-villas-at-deluxe-tour-beds.png)
![Both beds](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-dlr-disneyland-hotel-the-villas-at-deluxe-tour-beds.png)
Both beds
Thankfully, we finally did get Disneyland inventory when The Villas at Disneyland Hotel opened.
Realistically, we’re overstating the matter to call that an entirely new hotel, though.
![The Villas at Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-dlr-the-villas-at-disneyland-hotel-dvc-disney-vacation-club-1.jpg)
![The Villas at Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-dlr-the-villas-at-disneyland-hotel-dvc-disney-vacation-club-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
While Disneyland has positioned it as a standalone facility, it’s really a 344-room tower near the existing Disneyland Hotel.
As a comparison, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World built an incredibly fancy expansion tower.
![Disney free dining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3053-2-scaled.jpg)
![Disney free dining](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_3053-2-scaled.jpg)
Photo: Christy Weinberg
This facility, Gran Destino Tower, hosts 545 guest rooms and is undeniably plush.
When Disney hosted the NBA Bubble during the pandemic, stars like LeBron James stayed in the suites there. It’s that good.
![Coronado Springs Gran Destino Tower](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Coronado-Springs-Gran-Destino-Tower-.png)
![Coronado Springs Gran Destino Tower](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Coronado-Springs-Gran-Destino-Tower-.png)
Photo: Christy Weinberg
The problem is that we haven’t gotten enough of it lately.
Disney’s Slowed Hotel Expansion
I’m not saying anything today that Disney strategists don’t know.
In 2019, Disney’s Riviera Resort opened in addition to Gran Destino Tower.
![Gran Destino](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Gran-Destino-Tower-Lobby-2.jpg)
![Gran Destino](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Gran-Destino-Tower-Lobby-2.jpg)
Photo: Disney
This hotel is also an expansion tower on Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort campus, offering 300 more rooms.
Disney fully intended to build more. Before the pandemic, the company had announced Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge.
![DVC Tower Polynesian Construction](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Polynesian-DVC-Tower-5-scaled.jpeg)
![DVC Tower Polynesian Construction](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Polynesian-DVC-Tower-5-scaled.jpeg)
New DVC Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Since then, the company has filed the paperwork to shut down this project, effectively replacing it with an expansion tower at the Polynesian.
Are you noticing a trend here? Rather than building in new spaces, Disney saves money by choosing previously developed land.
![Construction Niue Building Polynesian Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Polynesian-Niue-Construction-4-scaled.jpeg)
![Construction Niue Building Polynesian Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Polynesian-Niue-Construction-4-scaled.jpeg)
Construction at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
By adding another expansion tower, Disney will add another 400 rooms later in 2024.
You could argue that Disney is building something else at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, but that’s not quite true.
![2024 Fort Wilderness Cabins](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Fort-Wilderness-CabinsD9-Z3kaEAAeSdp.jpeFort-Wilderness-Cabins-e1707501860397.jpeg)
![2024 Fort Wilderness Cabins](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Fort-Wilderness-CabinsD9-Z3kaEAAeSdp.jpeFort-Wilderness-Cabins-e1707501860397.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Disney tore down previous cabins – which you can purchase online! – to build modern ones in their place. It’s not really new inventory.
Now contrast that to how much demand has increased over the past five years.
![Fort Wilderness Cabins](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Fort-Wilderness-CabinsD9-asZaYAAS6dFort-Wilderness-Cabins.jpeFort-Wilderness-Cabins.jpeg)
![Fort Wilderness Cabins](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Fort-Wilderness-CabinsD9-asZaYAAS6dFort-Wilderness-Cabins.jpeFort-Wilderness-Cabins.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Once consumers were denied Disneyland and Walt Disney World during the pandemic, they wanted to go more than ever.
The outcome was something called Revenge Travel, causing a massive surge in attendance.
![The Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
![The Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Disneyland-Hotel.jpg)
Disney
Serendipitously, Walt Disney World turned 50 in 2021, and the birthday party lasted into 2022.
That double whammy spiked attendance, with Disneyland benefiting from Revenge Travel as well.
![Disneyland Hotel Pool](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Disneyland-Hotel-Pool.jpg)
![Disneyland Hotel Pool](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Disneyland-Hotel-Pool.jpg)
Disney
Disney also made that park the focus of its centennial celebration, giving it another reason for increased tourism.
Disney Needs More American Hotels
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-13-at-5.53.56-PM.png)
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-13-at-5.53.56-PM.png)
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
What’s the end result? We’ve had an endless onslaught of people at the parks. The demand is ceaseless.
Disney has indicated that it’s not even close to matching the demand with supply…and we’re talking exponents away!
![disneyland hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/disneyland-hotel-06-full.jpg.webp)
![disneyland hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/disneyland-hotel-06-full.jpg.webp)
Photo: Disneyland
That lack of inventory has caused longtime Disney fans to fight harder for the same hotel rooms. And we’re paying more, too.
That’s the backbone of economics: supply and demand. Right now, Disney doesn’t have enough supply to match demand.
![Disneyland Resort Hotels](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/pixar-pier-family-16x9-1.webp)
![Disneyland Resort Hotels](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/pixar-pier-family-16x9-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
So, while we’re all speculating on which attractions and themed lands Disney needs to build, we shouldn’t overlook the obvious.
Disney must direct some of that $60 billion toward constructing new hotels, especially at Disneyland.
![The Villas at Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-dlr-the-villas-at-disneyland-hotel-dvc-disney-vacation-club-8.jpg)
![The Villas at Disneyland Hotel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-dlr-the-villas-at-disneyland-hotel-dvc-disney-vacation-club-8.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Right now, The Happiest Place on Earth offers roughly 2,500 hotel rooms, and that’s after adding The Villas at Disneyland Hotel.
Not coincidentally, my brother was understandably venting about scheduling his Christmas vacation at Disneyland. It’s a challenge.
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-9.04.34-AM.png)
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-14-at-9.04.34-AM.png)
Photo: Disneyplanning.com
The challenge at Walt Disney World isn’t quite as dramatic, but it’s trending in that direction as well.
Park strategists must get ahead of this issue by building new hotels, preferably via startup construction rather than hotel expansion.
![Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PP9642786726537625765327.webp)
![Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PP9642786726537625765327.webp)
Photo: Disney
Otherwise, Disney fans will become more frustrated while booking hotel rooms.
Of course, there is one magical hack you can use. Remember to speak with a MickeyTravels agent.
![Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PP68783798773869726837.webp)
![Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PP68783798773869726837.webp)
Photo: Disney
Their services are free to you, and they possess the most detailed information about which Disney hotels are available.
They can find you a better price than you would on your own as well.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Feature Photo: Disney