The cheaper rates will also come with fewer amenities. Like guests in the three existing hotels, travelers booking rooms in Cabana Bay will get early admission to Universal Orlando's theme parks. But unlike guests in the other hotels, they will not receive complimentary front-of-the-line ride passes.
That's a significant philosophical shift, said Chad Emerson, an author who has written about Orlando's theme-park industry. By not including front-of-the-line passes with Cabana Bay bookings, Universal is essentially "tiering" its on-property guests based on their level of accommodations.
By contrast, Disney World, which owns approximately 26,000 hotel rooms, still offers the same perks to guests staying in its "value" hotels as it does to those in its deluxe hotels.
"For Universal, it is a big risk to be the first to do this compared to Disney World," Emerson said.
"If Universal is truly trying to compete with Disney for value-level, on-property lodging, they would be wise to let Disney be the first to tier amenities in such an overt way," he added. "It makes very little sense for Universal to attempt to lure more guests to stay on property — and then take away the most valuable amenity for staying on property at Universal for those new value-level guests."
Norsworthy said Cabana Bay is designed to give travelers a more diverse set of on-property options and price points. Not including front-of-the-line privileges with the new hotel could also dissuade travelers from trading down from the higher-priced resorts, ensuring that the new hotel doesn't cannibalize their bookings.