You said, “back,” initially. HHN moved to Islands to get people into Islands for the first time, because its opening wasn’t what Universal wanted (the “Universal Escape” debacle didn’t help). So, you’re both right in that regard.
That said, all of this is a completely different situation. Universal had been heavily reliant on original concepts prior to “the Icon years.” Frightanic, Dungeon of Terror, Hell High, Hotel Hell, etc established a well-known precedent. The only real change for HHN from the 90s into the aughts was how it was marketed. They went from generic, original imagery to icons. That was able to change because A&D was given free reign of an event that, single-handedly, kept the resort in the black.
Now, though HHN remains hugely important to their profits, it’s not the only thing carrying the resort. New owners have made its execution more conventional than it was, and A&D’s responsibilities have expanded to support a resort with far more stuff going on. HHN now has 8 years of IP-focused precedence in its marketing, which sets a different expectation.
Most of all, Universal as a resort isn’t what it was and Coronavirus isn’t post-9/11 America. The struggling Universal of 2003 didn’t have Harry Potter, Simpsons, Despicable Me, Nintendo, or eight hotels. Tourist were skittish about modes of transportation being used as weapons of war, rather than pandemic that, once a vaccine is created, basically ends.
Will Universal have to convince people to return? Yes, but not to the extent they needed to from 2002-2007. And the onus won’t be on HHN to do it.