Disney’s Star Wars Hotel Is Seeing Cancellations Amid Fan Backlash
Star Wars fans are fleeing the new hotel!
This article is more than 2 years old
Star Wars has seen a wide variety of success, and there’s no question as to why. The property has been a sci-fi goldmine since 1977’s original film. This popularity has only increased since Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars. The Skywalker Saga concluded in December of 2019 (per Entertainment Weekly) with the release of The Rise of Skywalker. But that doesn’t mean that Star Wars is dead. Series for Disney such as The Book of Boba Fett and Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka series are highly anticipated. Apart from fictional interpretations, Disney has also been pushing their theme park known as The Galaxy’s Edge. Some of the attractions include building your own lightsaber (per Disney World). But that pales in comparison to the experience at the Star Wars hotel, also known as the Star Wars Galactic Cruiser hotel. Regardless, the hotel doesn’t appear to be doing well.
For close to $6,000 for a two night stay, accommodations for the Star Wars hotel include 4 meals aboard the Galactic Cruiser, interactive entertainment, admission to Galaxy’s Edge, and valet parking, according to USA Today. It may be worth it to the fans who can afford it. Nevertheless, the Star Wars hotel has received significant backlash. While the Star Wars hotel had been booked months in advance, fans on Twitter have begun to be suspicious about the availability of admissions to the hotel.
When first introduced, the Star Wars hotel capitalized on the escapist dream to be in the Star Wars universe. That is most likely how they justified the high cost. Many Star Wars aficionados accepted this price tag as a hazard of being a fan. Who wouldn’t want to spend two nights pretending to be Han Solo? But in recent history, some outlets are taking another look at the cost and wondering if it’s really worth it.
It isn’t clear if this sudden availability is necessarily due to the price of a stay. The high cost has not been a secret as these prices have been available for months (via Nerdist). According to ScreenRant, many are concluding that a backlash has resulted in significant cancellations. This may be due to a promo video for the Star Wars hotel. This video cannot be seen anymore because Disney promptly deleted it after release. But many account the poor quality of the video as the reason it was pulled. The Disney website Inside the Magic concludes that after viewing the video, many consumers were not impressed with accommodations in accordance to the high cost.
Inside The Magic reports that all promotional material for the Star Wars hotel has been taken down. This may just be a story of coincidental timing. Another factor to take into account is the increasing spread of COVID-19. The Omicron variant has increased cases and home testing kits have been difficult to obtain (per CNBC). Whatever the reason behind Disney’s reaction, consumers can still get some information on the hotel.
Ann Morrow Johnson, the creative director of Star Wars hotel assures fans that the experience is not just a hotel. It is a full interactive entertainment extravaganza (via Inside The Magic). Star Wars enthusiasts can see for themselves when the Star Wars hotel opens in March of 2022 (via IGN).
