The announcement did not include names for the hotels, nor an opening date, but did note that Universal will start taking reservations for the hotels early next year. Given that Universal typically starts taking reservations for a new hotel about one year in advance, that suggests a 2019 opening for the new facilities.
We told you earlier this year much more about what we will for now just call the Wet 'n Wild hotels. It includes two hotel complexes, on either side of Universal Blvd., for a total of 4,000 rooms. There will be three parking garages to accommodate guests' and team members' vehicles, and Universal will provide transportation from the hotels to CityWalk and its theme parks on the other side of Interstate 4.
These will be Universal's lowest-priced hotel rooms, with "nightly rates starting at less than $100," according to Universal's announcement. A stay at the hotel will include Early Park Admission benefits, although they will not offer Universal Express Unlimited, which remains only for guests of the original three on-site Universal Orlando hotels: The Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific.
Universal said that "vibrant and natural colors will set a free-spirited and beachy tone" for the new hotels, which will feature a "laid-back coastal feel."
The new hotels will give Universal more than 10,000 hotel rooms at its Orlando resort, meeting the lower end of NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke's stated goal of building between 10,000-15,000 hotel rooms on the Universal Orlando property.
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The city made a serious mistake 30 years ago by allowing the strip malls on the out parcels. Universal's biggest problem with acquisition will be the surprisingly small number of players who own most of the properties.
I'm more interested in the transportation issues. There are a lot of rooms associated with these properties, and having done the walk from hotels adjacent to the old Wet 'n Wild to UO before, they need to offer solid ground transportation between the parks and these hotels. It cannot be a handful of buses in the morning and evening with one every 45-60 minutes during the day. While walking is a viable alternative for some, it cannot be seen as the primary alternative as it is for the other UO resorts, unless speedwalks are part of the equation.
If that's the case, it makes perfect sense what they're doing here. Why spend more than the minimum on theming for hotels that are sort of off the beaten path? These are just being built for room count, and to cater to the low end of their customer base.
A lot of people can't afford $300 per night for one of their on-site original hotels with Express Pass, but they could swing $99.99 (that's sub-$100, right?). And so what if they have to bus it over to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure? It's not a lot different than staying at Art of Animation, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans, etc.
I'd be way more surprised if these were high-end hotels with great theming, simply because of their location.
With that said, having a presence on I-Drive could very well shutter some of the "roach motels" that clutter the area. I would imagine chain hotels like Hyatt / Marriott would pick up their game a bit with some renovations, but others could be in a position to sell, if business drops off far enough.
Now, I do believe any hotel that finds itself in a prime location near a new gate or full resort type area will indeed be at least a mid-level, such as any of the newest ones they've built.
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When Disney built cheaper hotels those on nearby 192 took a huge hit and many became abandoned or basically roach motels. If this happens on that section of I-Drive Universal could be looking at buying a lot more land at some point in the future.