The Disneyland Hotel is a resort hotel located at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, owned by Walt Disney Company and operated through the Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products division. Opened on 5 October 1955, as a motor inn owned and operated by Jack Wrather under an agreement with Walt Disney, this hotel was the first to officially bear the Disney name. Under Wrather's ownership, the hotel underwent several expansions and renovations over the years before it was acquired by Disney in 1988. The hotel was downsized to its current capacity in 1999 as part of the Disneyland Resort expansion.
Video Disneyland Hotel (California)
History
Concept and construction
At the time of its construction in the mid-1950s, Disneyland was in a remote area just outside Anaheim, California. Walt Disney wanted to build a hotel for Disneyland visitors to spend the night, because Disneyland was quite far from the population center in Southern California at the time. But Disney's financial resources are significantly spent by the park's development. Initially he tried to attract his friend Art Linkletter in building the hotel but the Linkletter refused. At that time, Linkletter hesitated about the prospect of the park (only with regret years later walking along the sidewalk in front of the property while telling himself with every step "And that's another million I missed in"). So Disney then looks for and negotiates an agreement with Jack Wrather and his business partner, Maria Helen Alvarez, where Wrather-Alvarez Productions will own and operate a hotel called the Disneyland Hotel across the street from Disneyland. Wrather is a Texas oil millionaire who is a movie producer who already owns hotels in Las Vegas and Palm Springs, and a shared television station in Tulsa and San Diego with Alvarez.
The Wrather 1955-1984
The original Disneyland Hotel was designed by Pereira & amp; Luckman and opened on October 5, 1955, almost 3 months after Disneyland. Various strikes led to the opening being postponed from the August date advertised in pre-opening promotional materials, and the hotel only had limited capacity when it was initially opened. The hotel originally comprised of just over 100 rooms in 5 double-storey living room complexes (later known as South Garden Rooms and even later as Oriental Gardens) were rented for $ 15 a night with shopping, dining and recreational facilities added in early 1956 In addition , he has doctors and dentists on site as well as salons and beauty salons.
On August 25, 1956, the hotel celebrated an "official" opening with many Hollywood stars and celebrities attending the celebrations. It was rapidly expanded in 1956 with three North Garden living room structures, another North Garden structure in 1958 and last, two more North garden structures in 1960. The hotel now boasts over 300 guest rooms and suites. It is one of the region's first hotels that offers accommodation for four people per room.
When the Wrather-Alvarez partnership ended fiercely in 1958, Wrather bought Alvarez shares at the Wrather-Alvarez Hotel, making him the sole owner of the Disneyland Hotel. Over the years, the hotel expanded to include three living room towers: Sierra (1962; expanded 1966), Marina (1970), and Bonita (1978).
Guests travel between the hotel and the main entrance of Disneyland Park via tram. The Monorail Disneyland was extended from its original 1959 configuration and the station opened at the hotel in 1961 (pictured below). Recreation areas, attractions, and convention centers (1972) were also added over the years. On June 15, 1970, an adjacent recreational park called Vacationland opened (which has its own pool and clubhouse) that can be seen as a forerunner of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & The campsite opened at Walt Disney World in 1971. The hotel also features Richfield service stations for several years as part of the Richfield sponsor for several Disneyland attractions, including Autopia.
Disney takes over
When Michael Eisner became chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Productions in 1984, he wanted to get out of the Disney deal with Wrather Corporation and bring Disneyland Hotel under the Walt Disney Company umbrella. Wrather refused to sell, just as he had rejected Walt Disney years before. Wrather died two months after Eisner took over at Disney, and in 1988, after Wrather's widow Bonita Granville died, Disney bought the entire Wrather company. At that time, Wrather's company also owns the rights to Lone Ranger and Lassie TV series, and manages and operates combined combined Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach. Although Disney maintains the hotel, it has since sold other assets that come with the purchase.
Expansion Resort 1999-2001
In early 1997, Holiday land was closed and destroyed. Then in 1999, most hotels were also destroyed, all to pave the way for Downtown Disney and the parking area for the newly expanded Disneyland Resort. Most of the buildings east of the Sierra Tower and north of the Marina Tower are destroyed, including the original hotel building from 1955. The only remaining buildings in the area are the convention center and the parking garage. The recreational facility is built on the square between three towers, formerly the Air Wonderland site, to replace the formerly located east of the Sierra Tower.
Roads previously used to access hotels with cars have been rejected and/or eliminated, and new roads were built to access the hotel. The tram service from the hotel was also stopped, leaving the Monorail as the only mode of transportation from the park to the hotel. The loss of hotel rooms was offset by the opening of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in 2001, but many restaurants and facilities before 1999 were never replaced.
Hotels of the day
Today no original hotel building from 1955 remains standing. Very few hotels besides the parking area and service facilities sit outside the perimeter made by the three remaining living room towers. The original signs and other artifacts from some shops and restaurants that were destroyed by the Plaza were displayed in the cafeteria of the hotel employees.
ESPN Zone, Rainforest Cafà ©  ©, and AMC Theaters - all of Downtown Disney spots - now occupy most of the former hotel spaces east of the Sierra Tower. Mickey Mouse puzzles are used in many pieces of furniture and interior details. In 2007, Marina, Sierra, and Bonita Towers were each named Magic, Dreams, and Wonder. Other buildings in the hotel complex restaurant complex, shops, offices, recreational facilities and convention and banquet facilities. The complex also has a gazebo and garden area used for Disney Wedding Wedding & amp; Honeymoon.
A Downtown Disney Monorail Station is built on the same site as the Disneyland Hotel station that takes guests to Tomorrowland within Disneyland Park along the same road that existed before the 1999-2001 expansion.
The Disneyland Hotel started a massive renovation in 2009, starting with the Dream Tower. The hotel's renovations include new windows, wallpaper, carpets, and decorations. The Dreams Tower, completed in 2010, becomes the Adventure Tower. Wonder Tower becomes the Border Tower after its completion in 2011, and the Magic Tower becomes the Fantasy Tower in 2012.
Never Land Pool area also received a redesign completed in 2012. The transformation includes six new cabana and two new water slides, featuring the original park signboard at the top along with a replica of Mark I Monorails that wrap both slides. A new four-foot pool was built between the former Land Pool and the water play area.
Maps Disneyland Hotel (California)
See also
- Grand Californian Disney & amp; Spa
- Paradise Pier Hotel Disney
- The Magic Tiki Bar Sam Trader
- Downtown Disney (Disneyland Resort)
References
External links
- Official website
- Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years 1954-1988
- Postcard Vacation
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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