New AAA-4 Diamond Hotel coming to the Disneyland Resort
Yesterday Disney announced an all-new AAA 4-Diamond Hotel for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The property is scheduled to begin construction next year and opening slated for 2021.
What we know so far
The hotel will be the fourth on-property resort at the Happiest Place on Earth; and the newest addition in almost two decades. Featuring a sophisticated design, the new yet-to-be-named hotel will sport 700 guest rooms, public spaces and gardens. I was very pleased to learn the hotel will also feature an upper-level restaurant and lounge, which will offer spectacular views towards Disneyland Park and the dazzling fireworks.
The ground level of the hotel will include a variety of shops and restaurants that open up on to an expansive plaza linking the rest of Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel and a new 6,500 vehicle parking structure which was also announced yesterday.
Location
The new property will be located towards the West Side of the Downtown Disney District. Notably this will encompass the area currently home to ESPN Zone, Rainforest Cafe, AMC Cinema, Starbucks and Earl of Sandwich. Sadly this means the days of some of us running into Downtown Disney to grab an Earl of Sandwich are numbered. However according to numerous reports on social media, Disney are beginning talks with the above establishments, some which may be able to re-locate and operate within the hotel itself.
Eagle eyed readers might notice the Disneyland Monorail in the photo above. A dedicated platform inside the hotel will be used to offer direct transportation into Disneyland Park, which I’m guessing will replace the currently Downtown Disney Monorail Station we are used to in it’s current form today.
Thoughts
I think the announcement of a new on-site hotel at the Disneyland Resort is fantastic news. It comes after the city of Anaheim gave permission for three new hotels in the area, which includes the Disney hotel, a Westin property and another yet-to-be announced establishment. I’ll be sad to see the likes of Earl of Sandwich and Rainforest Cafe vacate their current locations in Downtown Disney, but let’s hope they will find new locations. This could be the start of a Disney Springs-style makeover!
The addition of a new hotel will also help with the anticipated demand for when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens, along with various other projects which are underway across the Disneyland Resort.
What are your thoughts?
