Disney and Four Seasons to develop luxury hotel
The new luxury hotel being developed by Disney and Four Seasons will form part of a new, 900-acre luxury development on the site of Disney’s Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses, along the northeast border of Walt Disney World in Florida. The development will also include an 18-hole championship golf course, single- and multi-family holiday homes and fractional ownership holiday homes.
Describing the project as the “first of a kind” for Walt Disney World its president, Meg Crofton, said: “Families around the globe know they can trust Disney to deliver magical experiences and Four Seasons to offer exceptional service and amenities. Combined, this is a huge win for devotees of both brands and for Central Florida.”
Site work is scheduled to start later this year, with the hotel forecast to open in 2010.
Four Seasons currently operates two properties in Florida, the Four Seasons Hotel Miami and the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. Last month, the company was taken private in a move valuing it at $3.8bn. The chain’s new owners are its chief executive Isadore Sharp, Kingdom Hotels, and the Bill Gates-owned Cascade Investments.
Disney also announced a new, 450-acre development on the western edge of Walt Disney World, which will include third party branded lodging, retail and dining outlets in a “pedestrian-friendly” environment. Early plans for the project include 4,000-5,000 low- to mid-rise, value-priced lodging units and 300,000-500,000 square feet of commercial space designed around a retail village.
This second development is currently in the design stage with site work anticipated to begin later this year. It will be built in phases over the next eight to ten years.
The 40-square-mile Walt Disney World Resort, which opened in 1971, includes four theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom – two water parks, the entertainment/shopping/dining complex Downtown Disney and 32 hotels, 22 of which are Disney-owned and eight of which are classed as deluxe.
Report by Chitra Mogul
Chitra Mogul
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