Disneyland plans to add a brand new luxury hotel

700 rooms and a brand new parking structure could be coming to the happiest place on earth.

Disney officials have submitted plans to build a brand new, four diamond resort, adding a fourth hotel to the already existing collection that can be found at the parks. While the new hotel has no theme yet, it is said that it will be built with two pools, a fitness center, concierge service, and a kids’ area.

What’s interesting about this development is that it will be built right on top of current the Downtown Disney parking lot. Coupled with the recent time limitations and price increase in Downtown Disney parking, one can only speculate on the impact a decrease in available parking spaces may have on the shopping center and the way it is viewed by fans.

Still, as Councilwoman Lucille Kring points out in the OC Register, the addition of this hotel would provide a number of good opportunities for the city of Anaheim.

“If the Disney luxury hotel is built, we will get multiple times the revenue for the city. …That’s entirely new income and we’re always trying to pay down our debt and provide more services for the residents…With ‘Star Wars’ coming and the convention center (expansion) opening next year, there’s a lot of good stuff happening here in Anaheim.”

Yet Disney has applied for a tax incentive that will allow them to reimbursed from guests’ rates, and the same article shows Mayor Tom Tait expressing his disappointment: “I don’t think Disney needs a subsidy…They do quite well without one. Our city needs that tax revenue to provide basic services to our residents…The council already voted to not tax them for 45 years, and that’s not enough. So, they want us to write them a check every year for 20 years. I think it’s outrageous.”

The relationship between Anaheim and The Walt Disney Company has always been tenuous, and it seems that these plans for a new hotel, while exciting, also add to the conflict.

Construction is planned to begin in 2018 and finish in 2021. In the meantime, you can check yourself into Disneyland’s older four diamond hotels (The Disneyland Hotel and Disney Grand Californian Hotel & Spa) or its three diamond property (Paradise Pier) to wait out the opening of this brand new addition to the resort.

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