Disney to Build Nature-Inspired Mixed-Use Resort

Image: Rendering of new Disney Nature-Inspired Resort (photo courtesy Walt Disney World Resort)
Image: Rendering of new Disney Nature-Inspired Resort (photo courtesy Walt Disney World Resort)
Mia Taylor
by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 7:54 PM ET, Thu October 18, 2018

Disney is adding a new, nature-inspired resort to its portfolio.

The property, scheduled to open in 2022, will be located along Bay Lake, between Disney's Wilderness Lodge and the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

This latest resort project from Disney joins three others that are already underway at Walt Disney Resort, bringing a total of more than 1,700 new hotel rooms and also vacation club villas, online over the coming four years.

The deluxe resort, which will be themed to complement its natural surroundings, will include more than 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types, Disney said in a statement.

"Walt Disney World is in the midst of our most significant expansion in the last two decades and the combined 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas we are building at four different resorts will create thousands of new construction and permanent jobs and will drive economic opportunity and incremental revenue for Central Florida," George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a statement. "We continue to add new attractions, new lands - and these beautiful accommodations will be right in the heart of all that magic."

The soon-to-be-named resort will the 16th Disney Vacation Club property and it will continue to build on the value and flexibility of a Disney Vacation Club membership.

"This resort experience will be a celebration of Walt Disney's lifelong love and respect for nature, with some fun and even surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible," Terri Schultz, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club, said in a statement. "It will give our members and guests yet another opportunity to stay in close proximity to all the newest attractions and experiences in our theme parks, and with the flexibility, value and world-class service families expect from Disney."

The new nature resort is just the latest announcement from Disney this week. Disney also revealed plans for its Coronado Springs Resort to debut completely reimagined in 2019. That property will feature a new 15-story tower overlooking Lago Dorado, the resort's centerpiece lake.

Offering an additional 545 new guest rooms and suites, the tower also includes a two-level entrance lobby, concierge lounge, new meeting spaces and more. Guests will also be able to enjoy rooftop dining at a specialty table-service restaurant with panoramic views.

The existing 1,800 guest rooms will also be fully updated with new fixtures, furnishings and a color palette that ties the entire resort together.

Also, currently under construction near Epcot and anticipated to open in 2019 is Disney's Riviera Resort, the 15th Disney Vacation Club property. With plans for approximately 300 units across a variety of accommodation types, this property will connect to Disney's Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot via the Disney Skyliner.

This new resort will be the first all-Disney Vacation Club property at Walt Disney World since Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa opened in 2004.

Disney also recently announced that it will be increasing the costs of annual park passes for the second time this year.


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Mia Taylor

Mia Taylor

Senior Editor

Mia Taylor is an award-winning journalist who has two decades of experience. Most recently she worked as a staff writer for America's largest digital publisher DotdashMeredith, where she contributed stories on a daily basis to four of the company's most iconic brands - Parents,Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and Health. Her work has also appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Boston Globe, The San Diego UnionTribune, Westways Magazine, Fortune, and more.

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