Coronado Springs Hotel Tower Expansion!
Walt Disney World has just announced another hotel expansion, this time adding a 15-story tower to Coronado Springs Resort that will add 500 rooms, including suites and concierge-level services. Additionally, the resort will also refurbish its current resort rooms, transforming its landscape with floating gardens and an island that connects the resort through a series of bridges.
The new business-class tower will overlook Lago Dorado, the resort’s centerpiece lake, and will also feature rooftop dining with panoramic views of nighttime fireworks from Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (While not explicitly stated, there will not be anything Moderate about this. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney eliminates the Value, Moderate, Deluxe distinctions in the near future.)
The news about this is still breaking (in fact, I was in the process of writing a rumor version of this post before Disney made the official announcement), but the goal of the Coronado Springs expansion seems to be catering more to business and convention guests (as we write in our Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review, it’s basically “the convention hotel”), many of whom expect higher caliber accommodations.
This follows yesterday’s rumor of a Gondola Skyway Coming to Walt Disney World? and in that post, we stated that one of the reasons we felt the rumor had veracity was because the gondolas “could alleviate some of that stress and allow expansion at resort hotels without reaching the breaking point.”
Well, here’s the ‘other half’ of that rumor, so to speak. You can expect even more Walt Disney World hotel news and rumors in the near future…
One thing that strikes me about the concept art is that it looks a lot like Shanghai Disneyland Hotel from the exterior. Take a look at my photo of Shanghai Disneyland Hotel above. (Is it just me?)
…Hopefully the finished product doesn’t match the concept art or Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. That is an Art Nouveau style, which definitely does not fit the theme of Coronado Springs. We get that conventioneers don’t care so much about theme, but at least draw some sort of tenuous connection, Disney.
Before the announcement, Len Testa over at TouringPlans.com posted the plans on Twitter:
For reference when Disney makes the Coronado Springs announcement today, here’s the drawing showing scope and location. pic.twitter.com/8ywYJbjsur
– Len Testa (@LenTesta) February 16, 2017
In addition to his posting of the plans, @Coaster Lover on the WDWMagic forums overlaid the plan with a map of Coronado Springs.
It’s interesting that Disney would announce this before construction has begun, as the company does not tend to announce hotel projects for Florida until they are underway and at the point their construction in plain view can no longer be denied.
On the other hand, if the goal is to lure companies and convention business to book with Walt Disney World at Coronado Springs going forward, it might behoove Disney to announce sooner rather than later in order to incentivize bookings.
As much as fans might hate to hear this, Walt Disney World’s core business is rooms (hotel and DVC), not theme parks. The significant investment we are seeing now in the theme parks is done with the aim of increasing attendance–but also with the aim of increasing room occupancy. With occupancy rates already pretty high, that means adding room inventory.
With Star Wars Land opening in 2019 (and being a guaranteed draw), we are likely in for a couple years of significant expansion on the hotel and Disney Vacation Club side of Walt Disney World’s business. That means news like today’s could start to be a more common thing.
An expansion like this at Coronado Springs makes a lot of sense. First, giving the resort more range to cater to business travelers makes sense. The rooms and exterior hallways are likely not up to the standards of c-suite types who would be attending a lot of conferences.
Second, concentrating Walt Disney World’s conference business at Coronado Springs, a resort that isn’t particularly popular with non-business travelers (sorry, Coronado Springs fans) frees up space at resorts that are popular with “regular” Disney guests.
Finally, any hotel expansion that targets specific, underserved segments also seems savvy. Just as going after the convention market makes sense, I’d also expect to see more family suites, and an increase in other room types beyond Walt Disney World’s standard rooms.
The takeaway from all of this, even if you couldn’t care less about Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, is that the next few years are going to be a booming time for Walt Disney World. In addition to all of the theme park expansion, you should expect a lot in terms of expansion elsewhere around the resort to accommodate the increased attendance and number of guests flocking to the resort. With the huge capital project of Shanghai Disneyland completed, Parks & Resorts’ resources can now be directed elsewhere. After a period of neglect, it would seem Florida is that “elsewhere,” and Walt Disney World is finally receiving the level of investment it deserves. Perhaps this is the new “Disney Decade” for the Florida Project…
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about this new tower coming to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort? Is this exciting news, or do you not care? Share any questions, armchair Imagineering, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
I have a reservation for Coronado springs starting May 29th does anyone know if this will affect me I made the reservation September 2016 way before the construction announcement.
No. We were just there as we are pass holders and stay their quite frequently along with Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House), Bay Lake Towers and Saratoga Springs, The construction at Coronado does not in any hinder your stay… you will enjoy staying there. The only thing that I do no like about CS is that they changed there dining area which use to have a some really great stations, now it is a bit limited – but this may be because of all of the new plans.
This is a very exciting, surprising announcement! I find it fascinating and leads me to feel, once again, I will find childlike surprise once again inside of ‘The World.’ It refreshes my love for the resort. I can’t wait til the project is finished!
I’ve stayed at all the value and moderate hotels and a handful of the deluxe and I’d say it’s a mistake to move Pop and Art to moderate. It’s already a stretch to price them above the All-Stars. I won’t stay at the values any more because they aren’t comfortable. Unfortunately, the moderates are getting too expensive so there will either be fewer visits or I’ll stay off property. Disney might be going for higher revenue customers but nobody wants to feel like they are being fleeced.
I find it interesting that Art will be a moderate resort, having stayed in a Little Mermaids room (not suite, room) a few years back. On the other hand, Art has been the most expensive of the Value resorts, often times only 20-40 less per night than some of the moderates.
My stays thus far have only been at value (Art of Animation) and deluxe (Animal Kingdom Lodge this past fall, Grand Floridian over 25 years ago – don’t recall a thing about it). The AKL trip was actually booked as a moderate (Port Orleans-French Quarter), but we received an offer to upgrade from Disney and opted for the upgrade (at a nominal cost – less than the rate of some of the moderates). We are staying at All Star Movies this summer.
It looks like they are trying to apply a Spanish colonial revival overlay and a stretch to the Art Nouveau/Moderne look of the Shanghai hotel. These styles can be slightly compatible from a 1920’s/1930’s perspective if done right. Los Angeles Union Station is an example of a Spanish/moderne hybrid.
Prediction- Disney is going to reorganize their hotels into 4 categories. I think people need the classifications and it allows people to spend more because they are “Splurging” on the next level from where they usually stay at.
Current Categories (not counting the villas at each resort, but counting the “villa resorts”)
Value:
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Moderate:
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disne’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Deluxe:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
New Categories:
All-Star (I never understood why they used the “value” name):
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
+New All Star resort (themed around animals or another movies resort)
Moderate:
+Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
+Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disne’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Deluxe:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Magical Deluxe:
+Disney’s Contemporary Resort
+Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
+Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
+Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
(I could also see Animal Kingdom Lodge going here)
This balances out the categories so each has 4-6. It allows the monorail resort to charge their high prices without having to be compared to Sarasota’s low rate in the same category.
Thoughts?
With Villas being built at the Carribean Beach, suites at Art of Animation and both spots for the rumored gondolas, I think they might be taken out of Moderate.
Yes. As much as we’ve enjoyed staying on site, Disney may kill the goose that laid the golden egg and drive business off site. The first time we went as a family, we stayed off site along 192/Irlo Bronson. If prices get too high for perceived value, or Disney starts upcharging for every little thing, we may reach a point where we do that again in the future.
I think a new All Star resort would be All Star TV.
I am very concerned about any pricing changes. As a family, this will be the first time we choose a non Disney vacation. They have already priced us out, and I just can’t justify paying nearly $200/night on a value resort.
Between the gondola rumor and this announcment I’m really concerned about the moderate price range becoming a thing of the past. I think the all stars are likely to stay in a lower price range, but it seems like AofA, Pop, and all moderates are at risk of inching closer to that deluxe pricing in the next few years. If Disney does decide to do away with resort categories, how do u predict they will handle room rates ? I’m sure the monorail resorts will maintain their status as the gold standard and their rates will continue to reflect that– but will they inch up more in price or will the margins between crescent lake resorts and those that are now moderate resorts just become more narrow leaving a huge pricing gap between the likes of CBR/Coronado and the All Stars ??
I wouldn’t worry too much. While Disney wants to capture higher-revenue guests, there’s also the realization that there is not an endless supply of high-revenue guests. Moreover, they are coming very close to pricing out some of their core demographic–which would not be a wise long-term move.
I highly doubt Pop Century would go beyond the (current) Moderate tier pricing, for starters. I also don’t see Port Orleans changing much.
Coronado’s standard rooms might see a bump, but you should expect this new tower to have dramatically different price points than existing rooms–it’s not going to be an increase the board increase in pricing at Coronado (to that end, Coronado’s standard rooms should represent a better value in the future–they’ll have access to the Deluxe-caliber amenities at Moderate-tier prices).
I think Disney would take a wait and see approach on another Value Resort, but if Pandora, Star Wars Land, and everything else proves a significant attendance driver, I could see another one of those announced in 2019 or 2020.
Good thoughts. It’s easy to forget how much space they have left on property. Their deciding to just build more resorts outright is not unlikely. But they would have to be values as they would , by necessity,be further out. That could be a factor in their decision to upgrade the resorts they already have. They can get those with better real estate and park proximity up to a higher price level and build more value properties wherever they have space.
I’ve stayed at Coronado and really enjoyed it, but I prefer Port Orleans. So if it stays in the same general price range, it will likely become our go to. Although I’m booking a week at WL this December as a splurge, so I may find myself a deluxe convert.
It’s also been announced that at Caribbean Beach they will be making renovations to the marketplace area that include shopping and dining upgrades. They mentioned a new waterfront dining experience. I think that your idea about Disney doing away with the resort categories is spot on. Between the changes at Pop Century, Coronado, adding the gondolas, etc. I think it’s going to be hard to keep all these resorts, with changes coming, in their current categories. So at the very least there would be some shifting of categories.
Even now, you have Art of Animation Suites in the Value class and Fort Wilderness Cabins are Moderates, neither of which makes any sense in terms of pricing. At one point, the tiers might’ve served a purpose–I think that’s no longer true, though.
Agreed. Pop is more expensive than the all star resorts, sometimes approaching CBR prices. And even the non-suite SMS rooms are more expensive than Pop. Plus Soap is never included with the discounts they offer on other value resorts, so this trend has begun.
I think the distinction is only really useful for the free dining promotion. And that’s easy to work around with just a hotel list.
Even the discounts are so riddled with exceptions and blockouts at this point that the distinctions don’t do much there, either.
That’s true, I totally spaced out the suites and cabins. Other then the obvious amenities that the deluxe resorts offer, the transportation has always been what really separated them but now with a possible future gondola resort route, the tiers or just most likely the prices will see some definite spikes I think. Maybe they start to categorize “value rooms” and “deluxe rooms” as opposed to value or deluxe resorts?
We have a trip booked to WDW with Be Our Guest vacations to stay at Caribbean beach October of this year… with all that I’ve been seeing about renovations at CBR, I’m starting to wonder if we should try to switch resorts. Any thoughts on how impactful construction/upgrades will be to that resort come October???? Thanks 🙂
There is a great thread at WDW Magic about the CBR Reno that will prob answer that for you.
We are booked there for the beginning of September and I was wondering the same thing. My other hotel preference was Coronado springs.