Universal's Epic Universe Hotel Speculation

[Alicia]

Here's an image showing the road that will connect this new hotel to Epic Universe. Cars will be able to turn right at the intersection to get to Epic's parking, while it looks like buses might be able to go straight ahead directly into the bus loop! That's going to be one fast shuttle ride!

 

[Mad Dog]

Here's an image showing the road that will connect this new hotel to Epic Universe. Cars will be able to turn right at the intersection to get to Epic's parking, while it looks like buses might be able to go straight ahead directly into the bus loop! That's going to be one fast shuttle ride!

View attachment 15860

Yes,so short that it will be more like a parking lot tram service, though they'll use busses for sure.

 

[Alicia]

Yes,so short that it will be more like a parking lot tram service, though they'll use busses for sure.

They’ll also be able to turn left at that intersection and head north on Kirkman to the existing Universal Orlando Resort and CityWalk.

 

[Disneyhead]

As @Alicia says this could be combined with P913 in an Endless Summer senario, or it could also be like RPR/SF, Swan/Dolphin as a combined convention resort. It's proximity to OCCC and it's relatively small size makes me think the latter.

 

[SpatulaShack]

They’ll also be able to turn left at that intersection and head north on Kirkman to the existing Universal Orlando Resort and CityWalk.

The close proximity is great news and I hope some form of a "garden walk" will be built as well allowing guests to walk? The walkability of Universal is one of the biggest selling points that never really gets discussed.

 

[Alicia]

The close proximity is great news and I hope some form of a "garden walk" will be built as well allowing guests to walk? The walkability of Universal is one of the biggest selling points that never really gets discussed.

Currently I believe the roads are planned with sidewalks and bike paths, with cross walks. Perhaps an elevated garden walk will be added later, like they did after Cabana Bay opened, but currently I have not seen any plans for it.

 

[Ahmanet]

The second hotel for Epic has officially entered the ring:

Surf Side ... Dock Side ... LAGOON Side ???

 

[quinnmac000]

What if the nintendo hotel is themed to Wuhu Island...it would be unique concept based in Nintendo and actually could have unique amenities.

 

[Alicia]

What if the nintendo hotel is themed to Wuhu Island...it would be unique concept based in Nintendo and actually could have unique amenities.

I don’t believe there will be a Nintendo hotel. The hotels across the street below Epic Universe could maybe possibly have Nintendo themed suites, how Royal Pacific has Jurassic World and Minion rooms, but that’s the furthest extent of theming I would expect to see.

 

[Magistra]

Other than for the fandom (which is kinda all that is needed lol) what would be special about a potter hotel? The world of potter is essentially the world we currently live in so help convince a person like me, who is a casual potter fan, how a potter hotel could work when we already have hogwarts,hogsmeade, diagon alley and for it to work, according to the potter universe, you cannot duplicate places that area already built by the park.

I don't live in a castle or have any nearby in my world, so that's a huge attraction for me even if it weren't Harry Potter themed--but only if done right and not super cheesy. Also, it would be very feasible to have parts of Hogwarts or Hogsmeade or any other magical location inserted into the new hotel and connected via magic. A Great Hall restaurant could be placed inside the Helios hotel and accessed via magical chimneys similar to the ones in the Ministry of Magic. Or they could have dormitories and common rooms inside, again accessible by magical chimneys. In a resort full of beachy hotels that never really take you outside of Florida unless it's to take you to another tropical or beachy location, a hotel that takes you back in time to the architecture of the middle ages would be quite unique. It doesn't even really have to be Hogwarts, but it needs Old-World architecture and interactive magic of some sort.

 

[GadgetGuru]

I don’t believe there will be a Nintendo hotel. The hotels across the street below Epic Universe could maybe possibly have Nintendo themed suites, how Royal Pacific has Jurassic World and Minion rooms, but that’s the furthest extent of theming I would expect to see.

I would love to see some data showing how popular the themed rooms are. Universal isn’t expanding the number of them, so that feels not great. On the other hand, they’re ludicrously expensive, so that might explain soft demand.

 

[Alicia]

I would love to see some data showing how popular the themed rooms are. Universal isn’t expanding the number of them, so that feels not great. On the other hand, they’re ludicrously expensive, so that might explain soft demand.

Bingo.

Using pics of them in advertising is probably useful. Even though most people probably end up not booking the fun suites due to cheaper rooms being available, they make useful main images in adverts that get people to click.

And a Nintendo themed suite as a main image on a travel website would certainly get folks to click.

 

[Happytycho]

Confirming some of Orlando Business Journal's old reporting, the fasttrack site indicates that Finfrock (the builder of Endless Summer) is also the contractor for P912.

This is unlikely to be a fancy hotel, but it remains to be seen just how value/cheap it will be. Endless Summer was pretty far on the austerity end of what Finfrock can do; they have built somewhat better looking buildings elsewhere in the area.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Confirming some of Orlando Business Journal's old reporting, the fasttrack site indicates that Finfrock (the builder of Endless Summer) is also the contractor for P912.

This is unlikely to be a fancy hotel, but it remains to be seen just how value/cheap it will be. Endless Summer was pretty far on the austerity end of what Finfrock can do; they have built somewhat better looking buildings elsewhere in the area.

Feels like Universal is really missing a true family suite option. Sure the Endless 3 beds are nice but something with a larger footprint, dedicated living room, actual kitchen, etc would do very well.

 

[Happytycho]

Feels like Universal is really missing a true family suite option. Sure the Endless 3 beds are nice but something with a larger footprint, dedicated living room, actual kitchen, etc would do very well.

Definitely agree on wanting more and different family suite options. However, having more space means more money which makes it difficult at a really low price point, and I can't see Universal ever doing full kitchens when there's so much money to be made from food sales.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Feels like Universal is really missing a true family suite option. Sure the Endless 3 beds are nice but something with a larger footprint, dedicated living room, actual kitchen, etc would do very well.

The funny thing is that Disney doesn’t have those outside of DVC. Maybe that’s where the market is?
It would be really foolish for Universal to get into the timeshare business.

 

[Alicia]

Bringing the discussion here so we can keep it on topic.

I'm wondering if @Alicia might be willing to share an image version of those new plans?

My initial reaction is that these will be prime value resorts but I definitely have questions about what their bigger plans are.

Here is the permit image in question. It appears to be from early 2020, probably when things were just about to really get rolling before Covid slowed everything down. Comments from Loews employees online seem to confirm things are picking back up right where they left off so I imagine all the plans are still on, same as before. We still haven't gotten anything new to compare though, so consider these "old" until verified by newer ones!



These are Projects 912 (hotel on the right of Kirkman, and 913 (left of Kirkman). Both are located just south of Epic Universe. The road at the bottom of the image is Universal Blvd. For reference:

Alicia made me a video for my birthday.....sort of.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Are the round parts the hotel or is the stips above it the hotel and the round parts are the pool and such?

 

[Alicia]

Are the round parts the hotel or is the stips above it the hotel and the round parts are the pool and such?

The second one.

The round parts are definitely pool areas with cabanas and slide and bar, etc. The strips above are the hotels. Maybe up to 10 stories tall, like the tallest parts of Endless Summer.

Each resort is rumored to have 750 rooms, but again, that is going off information from mid 2019, so things may have changed. We are not sure.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The second one.

The round parts are definitely pool areas with cabanas and slide and bar, etc. The strips above are the hotels. Maybe up to 10 stories tall, like the tallest parts of Endless Summer.

Each resort is rumored to have 750 rooms, but again, that is going off information from mid 2019, so things may have changed. We are not sure.

That's what I was thinking, then someone said "like Aventura" and then I second guessed myself lol

I'm thinking this will be something like "Universal's Gemini Resorts", with one being Gemini Sun and the other Gemini Moon or such (though these sound very Pokemon game like). Heck, they could also apply some sort of sun light theme with bright yellows and oranges to one and a cooler, darker theme to the other.