Disneyland's Fourth Hotel Canceled

The Disneyland that Never Was has a new addition:

OC Register wrote:

Disney announces it’s pulling the plug on Anaheim luxury hotel

By Alicia Robinson
The Orange County Register
October 10, 2018

Plans for a new Disney-branded luxury hotel at the west end of Downtown Disney in Anaheim are dead, and the area will remain focused on shopping, dining and entertainment, Walt Disney Co. officials announced Wednesday.

The proposed four-diamond hotel was expected to draw in business and pleasure travelers seeking high-end accommodations, but it’s been in limbo since August, when the city told Disney a move in the location of the project meant it could no longer receive a promised tax incentive. Construction on the 700-room hotel was supposed to start this year, in time for a 2021 opening. It was projected to create about 1,100 permanent jobs and generate $400 million in hotel room taxes over 20 years, plus millions more in sales and property taxes.

On Wednesday, the company officially pulled the plug. “We’ve taken the time to review the economics of our proposed four-diamond hotel for Anaheim and have made the final decision to cancel the project,” spokeswoman Lisa Haines said in a statement.

“While this is disappointing for many, the conditions and agreements that stimulated this investment in Anaheim no longer exist and we must therefore adjust our long-term investment strategy.”

But under an incentive deal the Anaheim City Council approved in 2016, the city would have diverted 70 percent of the hotel tax over that time – about $267 million – back to Disney to help finance the project.

The tax deal became a sore point for some city leaders and a political talking point for unions representing Disneyland Resort workers who have campaigned for months for higher wages.

Several Downtown Disney businesses had closed to make way for the hotel, including the Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Zone and the Earl of Sandwich, a popular restaurant that recently reopened.

Disney officials said they’re looking to bring back food and entertainment venues now that the hotel won’t go forward, but no immediate details were available.

“We would have loved to have seen this hotel go forward, but we understand that the company needed to evaluate whether it was feasible for them,” Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said. “We look forward to whatever they may end up doing with the space.”

Haines said the company hopes for a productive relationship with Anaheim city leaders.

In November, Anaheim voters will elect a new mayor and vote on several council seats. They’ll also decide on a measure that would raise wages at Anaheim Resort District businesses that receive city tax subsidies.

Haines said the timing of the hotel cancellation is a business decision unrelated to the election.