Universal Orlando Resort is a vacation destination out of the ordinary! It’s a top destination that attracts millions of visitors yearly. With the resort’s many new additions, attendance rates are drastically rising. To encourage the growing number of guests to stay on-site, Universal Orlando constructed Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort and is currently building Loews Sapphire Fall Resort. However, the resort is continuously expanding; Skull Island: Reign of Kong will open next year, Fast & Furious: Supercharged will open in 2017 as will Universal’s Volcano Bay. Plus, Nintendo-themed attractions will be coming in the near future and there’s no doubt Universal is planning more attractions. To accommodate guests, it is expected that Universal Orlando will build at least three additional on-site hotels but what will their themes be?
There’s no predicting what themes Universal Orlando will use for their upcoming hotels as many plans change. In the past, Universal planned to construct an Egyptian themed hotel as well as a hotel themed around the golden era of cinema. These plans, however, were not utilized. Rather than spilling rumors, I’d like to share themes I would like Universal to use for their new on-site hotels:
German-themed hotel
Personally, I am a fan of Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. The hotel is truly majestic and I just love how it is themed after an actual Italian village. I think Universal Orlando should influence one of their upcoming on-site hotels on another village or in this case, a town based in Europe – Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany is a medieval old town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken, the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. The town dates back to 970 AD and immensely developed in 1274, according to germany-insider-facts.com. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a top destination for tourists from around the world because of its strong history.If Universal were to construct a hotel of this scale, the entire town does not have to be recreated. Like Portofino Bay Hotel, parts of the town can be constructed. There could be a town center where the hotel’s shops and restaurants are located and hotel rooms located on the upper floors of the town center. Perhaps the town center could be a shopping district like Disney’s Boardwalk. Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s brilliant architecture would make it a site to see if it were to become a hotel.
As seen in the above photo, this could be used as the town center where many of the hotel’s shops and restaurants are situated. The structure seen to the right of the above photo may be used as a stage for live performances and some hotel rooms could be located in the above floors to provide guests with a view of the village.
Universal Studios-themed hotel
Universal is widely known for their legendary movies. The company has the largest working movie studio in the world and a 100-year history; 100 years of heroes, 100 years of horror, 100 years of laughter, 100 years of good vs. evil, and 100 years of triumph. With a 100 year legacy, there are so many films that the company can use to construct a themed on-site hotel dedicated to the production company’s most well-known films. My envision of a Universal themed hotel is to create an old style tower hotel similar to the Silverscreen Resort, a 1,800 room on-site hotel originally planned for Universal Orlando inspired from the golden age of cinema. However, rather than showcasing the golden age of cinema, this hotel could showcase Universal’s most well-known films such as The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces; Jurassic Park; Jaws; E.T.; The Blues Brothers; An American Tail; Despicable Me; Fast & Furious; and other classic Universal Monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein.
The hotel itself could showcase Universal films just as The Hard Rock Hotel showcases famous artists; the hotel could have its own distinct theme. The hotel rooms could feature posters on the walls displaying the original Jaws poster, Jurassic Park poster and more while the hotel lobby could feature small movie props, movie posters, framed photos of the production company’s movie studio during its early years, and a statue of Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Studios. This theme would incorporate the Silverscreen Resort’s plan but completely change it.
Modern hotel
All of Universal Orlando’s on-site hotels have breathtaking themes and are equipped with modern appliances, but none of their hotels have a “modern” theme. In Universal Orlando’s current on-site hotels, each hotel’s furniture and room design accompany the hotel’s theme. For example, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort takes you back to the 1950’s and 60’s, which is why the rooms feature retro furniture. A modern themed hotel would feature modern designed furniture and appliances; this would complete Universal Orlando’s on-site hotel lineup. Their modern themed hotel could be moderately priced or lower priced, depending on the room. This hotel theme would give guests more of an option when selecting a hotel to stay at.
Modern rooms have plenty of natural lighting, mainly flat surfaces, vibrant colors, and a simple design. A modern hotel would open a new window of opportunity for Universal Orlando, creating an entirely new and different type of architecture for the theme park resort. Universal has already created a hotel based upon an art form (Hard Rock Hotel), different time periods (Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort), and has several hotels themed after different countries and their architecture style (Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and the soon to open Loews Sapphire Falls Resort) but the resort does not consist of any simple hotels like that of a modern theme.
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