Disney to close its "Star Wars" hotel that opened last year
Walt Disney World is closing its Star Wars-themed hotel one year after the space adventure attraction opened in Florida.
Disney announced the closing of Halcyon on its website late Thursday, saying the final guest stay will be September 30. Anyone who previously booked a stay for after September 30 should contact Disney to modify their reservation, the company said.
"We are so proud of all of the cast members and imagineers who brought Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to life and look forward to delivering an excellent experience for guests during the remaining voyages over the coming months," the company said in a statement. "Thank you to our guests and fans for making this experience so special."
Disney also said it's pausing the hotel's reservation portal until May 26 to focus on helping customers who made reservations for after the closing date.
Disney didn't disclose why it's closing the hotel or how much it spent to build the 100-room facility in Bay Lake, Florida.
Halcyon opened with steep prices in March 2022: $4,800 for a couple, $5,299 for two adults and a child, and $5,999 for three adults and a child. At the time, Disney said guests would experience a two-day stay inside luxurious rooms with "exquisite dining and out-of-this-world entertainment."
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At the hotel, guests were able to embark on a personal adventure by interacting with characters, crew and other passengers they met as they became part of a broader, two-day "Star Wars" storyline. Guests checked in and were then shuttled to their rooms on a "Launch Pod."
A Halcyon stay also included several activities, including lightsaber training and lessons on how to operate the Galactic Starcruiser's navigation system — and interactions with popular Star Wars characters like Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.
Halcyon's closing comes as Disney cuts more than $5 billion in costs, with CEO Bob Iger seeking a "transformation." Disney plans to slash 7,000 jobs in three waves and the final round is slated for the beginning of summer. The pending layoffs stretch across Disney's business, ranging from early career animators and artists to senior executives.
Disney had planned to build a 1.8 million-square-foot office space that would house 2,000 employees in Lake Nona, just outside Orlando. The entertainment giant said this week it's pulling out of the roughly $1 billion investment in Florida, citing "changing business conditions" amid a year-long feud with the state's Republican governor Ron DeSantis.
Khristopher J. BrooksKhristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.
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