Walt Disney World is confirming the site of its “Star Wars”-themed hotel as it continues to reveal small details about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ahead of the land’s 2019 opening.
The hotel will be located to the south of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and east of World Drive, placing it adjacent to Galaxy’s Edge. It’s not much of a surprise to fans following the project — construction permits for this area had been filed in April, site clearing has already begun and the “seamless experience” promised for hotel guests was likely to require close proximity to the new land.
“This experience stands out among all of our destinations around the globe. Families visiting this destination will board a starship that comes alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them during their voyage through the galaxy — and every cabin window has views of space,” wrote Jennifer Fickley-Baker, editorial content manager for the Walt Disney World Resort.
Announced at last year’s D23 Expo, the “Star Wars” hotel has been touted as “a 100 percent immersive” experience which sounds more like live-action role-playing than just a stay at a themed luxury resort. Disney has described it as like “boarding a starship alive with character and stories,” encouraging guests to become “active citizens of the galaxy” and even dress for their parts.
Some of the promised features have their roots in other Disney attractions. Every window will have a simulated view into space, like the “virtual portholes” used in interior cabins on the Disney Cruise Lines. The promotion as a “multiday experience” suggests the hotel may borrow its schedule from cruise ships with guests coming in for a set number of days rather than have a daily turnover of visitors.
No opening date has been set for the hotel.
The location announcement has been one of several tidbits shared about Galaxy’s Edge in recent weeks. Disney had previously revealed the land would open in fall 2019, behind the summer opening of the Disneyland version.
During a panel at the Star Wars: Galactic Nights event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering story editor Margaret Kerrison shared the name of the fictional city within Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire Outpost.