Walt Disney Parks & Resorts is going to build its first hotel not associated with a theme park on 21 oceanfront acres on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The 800-unit Ko Olina Resort & Marina--which
translates as "place of joy" in Hawaiian--will also offer Disney Vacation Club time-share units. It is scheduled to open in 2011 on the island's west coast.
The company is not offering
many details about the hotel's features, although one Disney spokeswoman says Imagineers--as it refers to designers--are working with local architects, engineers and cultural advisors to create an
"authentic Hawaiian experience."
Until now, Disney's hotels have all been built near one of its 11 theme parks. But at an investor conference in February, company chairman Jay Rasulo
alluded to what he called "blue-sky concepts," including expanding resorts beyond Disney's existing destinations "to claim a greater share of the hotel industry."
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