Do you think Coronado Springs will become a deluxe resort?

[WDW_Ding]

In the 7 in 7 Coronado Springs episode, Pete wondered if Coronado Springs was on its way to becoming a deluxe resort.

What do you guys think?

Feel free to opine in the comments too!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

I'm with Steve on this one - IF the gondolas get extended here, I could see it. I think they could get away with charging more/are expected to have more amenities once the tower opens because of it being a conventioneer site, so people are on expense accounts, doing "write offs", etc. But that't not true for the "normal vacationer" who's deciding where to stay - UNLESS there is a transportation/location advantage, like the Epcot area properties, or those on the monorail loop. Have heard that NUMEROUS times over the years from people planning. Could there be a whole, NEW category "deluxe lite" or something like that, as Pete suggested? Sure - it's possible, but what would be the impetus (if not transpo?)

 

[Tonyz]

Absolutely not. I love CS, but it doesn't have the level of theming that most of the other deluxe resorts have. Maybe it's just as good/better themed than the Contemporary or Beach/Yacht Club... but those are also the only three resorts where you can walk to a park. And that brings me to the second reason it won't be a deluxe... location. Now yeah Animal Kingdom Lodge doesn't have a great location, but it also is the best themed/best dining/best merchandise of any of the hotels, with the exception of maybe The Poly and the Grand.

 

[WDW_Ding]

I noted no, but I think it is entirely possible that CS becomes more of Moderate+.

Or that DVC gets extended there, ala Caribbean Beach.

 

[Willow1213]

I have heard rumors that the Value/Mod/Deluxe tiered system we all know and love will be a thing of the past once the Gondola system opens up. Value Plus/Enhanced whatever for Pop and AofA. Coronado has two pricing tiers, with the towers being Deluxe like Craig mentioned on the review video, similar to the Tower/Garden rooms at Contemporary. They can't make the entire resort Deluxe. I love Coronado, but I refuse to label anything with motel style exterior hallways as Deluxe.

 

[hertamaniac]

As stated on a previous post, we did a couple of trips resort hopping recently to gauge the conditions, etc.

CS has the potential to be deluxe provided:

1) Gondola system interconnect
2) Update Peppers menu and seating area
3) Finalize the causeways across the resort areas
4) Keep the pricing on the low-end even with Gondola interconnect
5) Establish a parking pricing structure in-line with resort demand/rating

 

[Bobb_o]

I just feel like it'll be more expensive but still in the moderate category.

 

[Horizons-1]

At a minimum a deluxe resort would need all of the rooms to have room access via the inside of the building. The new tower will have this feature, but the exterior buildings all have room access via a common balcony.

At most I could see them split the resort like Pete mentioned where the tower is deluxe and the rest is moderate, or priced lower because of the resort already being a moderate.

 

[ThisIsJason]

Don't think so. At least not fully.

I think that the current buildings will stay Moderate. The tower will either be Deluxe or a new category of Deluxe Lite/Moderate Plus (something on that line), something more than just a price point to justify the pricing (whatever that will be).

Personally, I can't wait for the tower to be done to check out CSR again. CSR holds a special place in my heart because it is the first resort I stayed at with my wife (and her first time at WDW).

 

[HollywoodTowerHotel]

I have heard rumors that the Value/Mod/Deluxe tiered system we all know and love will be a thing of the past once the Gondola system opens up. Value Plus/Enhanced whatever for Pop and AofA. Coronado has two pricing tiers, with the towers being Deluxe like Craig mentioned on the review video, similar to the Tower/Garden rooms at Contemporary. They can't make the entire resort Deluxe. I love Coronado, but I refuse to label anything with motel style exterior hallways as Deluxe.

It seems like Disney should change the labeling of the Value/Moderate/Deluxe categories. After all, $180 a night at Pop doesn’t sound like a Value! It’s like when you go to happy hour for $1 domestics, but Sam Adams doesn’t count.

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

 

[rteetz]

At a minimum a deluxe resort would need all of the rooms to have room access via the inside of the building. The new tower will have this feature, but the exterior buildings all have room access via a common balcony.

Saratoga doesn’t have all of their doors “inside”.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Saratoga doesn’t have all of their doors “inside”.

Neither does OKW. But they are (or were - they were starting to stray away from the moniker -for whatever reason) "Home Away from Home" resorts - yet ANOTHER category. Or - in the case of Saratoga - a horse of a different color? (don't hate!)

 

[Irish_Mike]

And that brings me to the second reason it won't be a deluxe... location. Now yeah Animal Kingdom Lodge doesn't have a great location, but it also is the best themed/best dining/best merchandise of any of the hotels, with the exception of maybe The Poly and the Grand.

I've always found CSR's location categorization to be a bit odd - it's categorized as part of the Animal Kingdom resort area, but it's literally a 3-4 minute drive from Hollywood Studios' entrance and could definitely be considered as such if Disney wanted - particularly after SWL opens up.

 

[Horizons-1]

Neither does OKW. But they are (or were - they were starting to stray away from the moniker -for whatever reason) "Home Away from Home" resorts - yet ANOTHER category. Or - in the case of Saratoga - a horse of a different color? (don't hate!)

That's my thought as well on Saratoga & Keywest. To me those are Vacation Club resorts where they are generally larger than standard rooms. Much like the DVC for Boardwalk & Beach Club, etc...

I can't think of any traditional Deluxe resorts where you access the room from a common balcony, which is why pricing all of Coronado as a Deluxe would seem odd.

 

[GreatLakes]

I think it will stay a moderate but the categories will expand. I have always felt that the different resort categories were treated as grouped price points with little variation but I think that will change. The categories will become a wider price window with resorts fitting somewhere inside the continuum of their category. I think that also gives Disney the option to have a wider price variation at a given resort.

If the window for a moderate during a given time is $150 - $450 per night you may see a room in the Casitas area as low as $150 and in the new tower as high as $450. You may also see some overlap where Deluxe during that same time is $325 - $699 with a standard room at WL being less than a tower room at CS.

You also may see additions of categories with a new category between value and moderate and another between moderate and deluxe (excluding DVC). Value + or Moderate + though I doubt those would be the actual category names.

That is all just a guess though.

 

[Firebird060]

Ehh i think we need to stop thinking about the resorts in the current model altogether, with the refurbish of some of the resorts losing the double beds and adding queens, the new resorts disney has announced to be built, the gondola project and other things like Disney added the EMH to the Disney Springs partner resorts, you are going to see either 2 or 3 new categories for resort options or sub tiers within the new system. Will Coronado springs increase in Price over other moderate resorts, the answer is going to be of course, because Disney is really hammering down on CS being the premier business convention resort in the Orlando Area, and with Conventions 90 percent of the time some company or organization picks up the room bill, so Disney can of course charge and charge and not see much complaint from that sector. Now yes I recognize that Disney is also upgrading the convention area at the Yacht Club and they still have the one at the Grand Floridan, but neither one of those resorts can accommodate the numbers of guests that some of the large conventions pull in and that I am sure Disney is trying to attract.

For example a couple of years ago the annual ALA convention was in Orlando, that is the American Librarians Association, that is a larger professional conference. In any case although it was in Orlando, the convention was off site at the Convention Center in Orlando, and all of the bulk room discounts the attendees received were at other regional hotels, I believe there were six options. In any case although the Disney Institute Presented at the Convention, Disney potentially lost out on what could have been a large payout because the size they offer is still quite small both for space and accommodations.

We all know Disney is a for Profit Company and Disney loves to make money off of the money they invest so the bottom line is as Disney decides to invest in these properties differently then other properties within the same current resort tier they will of course want to recoup the extra money as quick as possible, so they would of course have to raise the rack rate price. Now what they call it once they do, thats all marketing.

 

[nkereina]

I also agree with Steve that the lack of transportation options, which is one of the largest amenities at a deluxe resort, might preclude CSR from becoming full deluxe. AKL has the same transportation challenges, but I think the animals and other upscale amenities give it an edge. CSR does not have that same appeal in current state, and even with the tower, I think people would not be thrilled to be in one of the pre-tower/current rooms at deluxe prices.

I also think it won't go deluxe because the moderate category is stretched thin right now. There are only 4 true moderate resorts so to remove one would be a hit to that category and target market of travelers, which includes myself. Plus who knows what will happen once DVC opens at CBR. Which I guess leads me to my next point, that I could see a total re-design of the three resort categories all together, as a PP mentions. Anything is possible!

 

[Dashzap]

I thought I heard Disney was doing away with the categories value, moderate, deluxe. I don't remember where I heard it.

 

[DLgal]

No way.

No balconies, rooms are tiny, no signature restaurant onsite, no close access to a park, no real Club Level, no room service.

Maybe some of that will change in the new tower. I can see the TOWER being Deluxe, if it included some of the above amenities.

 

[UKYRob29]

I'm with Steve on this one - IF the gondolas get extended here, I could see it. I think they could get away with charging more/are expected to have more amenities once the tower opens because of it being a conventioneer site, so people are on expense accounts, doing "write offs", etc. But that't not true for the "normal vacationer" who's deciding where to stay - UNLESS there is a transportation/location advantage, like the Epcot area properties, or those on the monorail loop. Have heard that NUMEROUS times over the years from people planning. Could there be a whole, NEW category "deluxe lite" or something like that, as Pete suggested? Sure - it's possible, but what would be the impetus (if not transpo?)

FYI, no disrespect intended, but charging your hotel room to an expense account is not a "write-off".