Is Disney's New 'Star Wars'-Inspired Hotel Turning Into A Flop?

Walt Disney Co. DIS is facing a rare stumble in its lodging operations as the ballyhooed "Star Wars"-inspired Galactic Starcruiser hotel is not generating a great level of tourist interest.

What Happened: According to an SFgate.com report, the 100-room hotel opened on March 1 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, with starting prices for two adults at roughly $5,000 and a family of four at nearly $6,000. Guests are required to stay a minimum of two nights, and their accommodations include admission to Hollywood Studios on the second day to explore the attraction’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

However, as of March 12, Disney’s availability calendar recorded availability at the hotel across June and July, including a number of weekends, and the hotel is barely booked from August through December.

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Why It Happened: The hotel is designed to generate an immersive Star Wars experience, with Disney cast members costumed as characters from the long-running franchise who encourage guests to engage in role-play based on the Star Wars storylines; Disney refers to the guest stays as "voyages." As for meals, the hotel has guests in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, with the promise of a “special musical performance by a galactic superstar” and a music-free experience the second night with courses “inspired by the geography and environments of iconic planets.”

But anyone expecting the comforts of a contemporary hotel will find they are truly in a galaxy far, far away. The establishment does not have a pool and spa, and the units are smallish and only have window views of video screens displaying outer space.

While the initial slate of online reviews was mostly positive, some guests have warned that the higher-than-normal lodging prices do not translate into luxury accommodations.

Photo: One of the rooms at the Galactic Starcruiser hotel, courtesy of Disney.

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