When the news broke that Florida's Walt Disney World planned to open a Star Wars-themed hotel, there was a huge amount of excitement among fans of the franchise.
Unfortunately, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was met with mixed reviews from the start. With trips starting at $4809 for two guests in a standard cabin and going upwards of $6000 for a family, it was immediately out of reach for the vast majority of people visiting the theme park. Still, it did initially sell out and there were plenty of fans who seemed to enjoy the experience of heading into a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
We recently learned that the hotel will close its doors this September, a rare failure for the House of Mouse when it comes to its theme park offerings. Now, The Wrap (via SFFGazette.com) reports that the project likely cost Disney upwards of $1 billion, and there were even tentative plans to open additional Starcruisers in Anaheim, Paris, and Tokyo.
Cast members working in the hotel didn't learn of the sudden closure until the news broke in the media, and insiders believe former Disney CEO Bob Chapek - who remains an unpopular figure among Disney fans - is largely to blame for its failings.
His decision to streamline many of Galaxy's Edge's features as a cost-cutting measure resulted in them being incorporated into this hotel, hence why they didn't work particularly well in their new home. Chapek was also keen to bring more wealthy guests to the Disney Parks after the pandemic, explaining the high admission fee and increases in everything from regular ticket prices to Genie+ replacing FastPass.
"Once you went through the one-percenters who could afford it and the fanatical ‘Star Wars’ fans who would sell their mother to do it, you were done," a Disney insider tells the trade. Another adds, "No one connected to this came off well."
Before returning Disney CEO Bob Iger made the decision to close the hotel's doors, a number of ideas were thrown around. Among them were "tours" of the facilities that would have given access to the bar, dinner show, and gift shop for an additional charge. They also considered retheming it to The Mandalorian, but Iger said no. Now, it's unclear what will become of the building that has 100 hotel rooms in it.
Oh, and how much will Disney lose from this venture? At least $300 million.