Disney closes ‘Star Wars’ themed hotel less than two years after opening

After spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build an immersive “Star Wars”-themed hotel at Walt Disney World, Disney said on Thursday that amid sweeping cost-cutting, it would close the underperforming attraction in September, just about 18 months later. it opened.

Named Galactic Starcruiser, the attraction was marketed as part luxury hotel, part theme park ride, part role-playing game.

Guests are welcomed aboard a 275-year-old starship and embark on a celestial journey where they may be asked to deliver a secret message, go to the engine room to help repair a fuel valve, or take part in lightsaber training.

Disney said the hotel’s “final trip” would take place from September 28 to 30. Guests who had already booked the hotel after September will be contacted to discuss options to change their plans, the company said, and new bookings were paused to prioritize those guests.

All visits are two-night stays with starting costs in excess of $4,800 for two people and approximately $6,000 for a family of four. For authenticity, the 100 cabins at the Florida hotel have no windows. Instead, stars, planets and asteroid showers are shown on video screens.

The announcement came as Disney pulled the plug on plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Orlando, a decision said to have been influenced by the company’s feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. It also wasn’t long after Robert A. Iger, upon his return as the company’s CEO, unveiled a corporate restructuring designed to cut costs by $5.5 billion.

Expectations were high for the hotel after it opened in March 2022. Two months later, Bob Chapek, then CEO of Disney, described demand for stays as strong and said the company would see a “utilization of 100 percent” expected. .

“The response to next-gen stories like Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has been phenomenal,” he said at the time.

Some fans weren’t fazed by the plans to shut down Galactic Starcruiser, including Dylan Dickson, who is in charge Theme park obsession Youtube Channel.

In a video in response to the closure, he called the hotel’s short notice “disappointing” and “unfortunate” and suggested the company was trying to subtly bury the news.

But the story took place on Twitter, where one user complained that he never got a chance to try the blue colored prawns offered at the hotel. Another, poking fun at the futuristic concrete building with few windows, joked that the hotel would be converted into a prison.

Mr Dickson said he thought the exorbitant price drove the hotel “to its demise”, and argued that Disney fans should visit a park abroad for the same price instead. He himself never stayed at the hotel, saying in an email that “the price didn’t justify the experience”.

He thought another “big problem” with Galactic Starcruiser was that it only offered one scenario: guests are recruited to aid the evil First Order or the courageous Resistance. That, he said, limited any incentive to return.

“It’s just odd that Disney isn’t willing to find a way to discount the experience to make it more accessible to the average family,” said Mr. Dickson.

In his YouTube video he said, “All that wasted money, company money, time, blood, sweat and tears that went into this. To me, that’s insulting to the Imagineers. That is a slap in the face.”

The “Imagineers” are Disney’s team that develops theme park attractions. The company planned to move much of that department to the now-cancelled Orlando campus.

In a statement this week, Disney said, “We are so proud of all the cast members and Imagineers who have brought Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to life and we look forward to providing guests with an outstanding experience on the remaining journeys in the coming months.”

Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s theme park and consumer products business, told employees in an email Thursday that $17 billion had been earmarked for building Disney World over the next decade, which he said would create 13,000 jobs.

“I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business,” he wrote.