Disney takes a look at building Hawaii spot
Walt Disney Co. is looking to build a stand-alone hotel in Hawaii.
The Disney empire
» Walt Disney opened the first Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif., in 1955. Since then Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland have been added.
» Disney Vacation Club time-share properties at Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Vero Beach, Fla.
» Walt Disney Parks and Resorts also includes the Disney Cruise Line; Disney Regional Entertainment, which operates eight ESPN Zone dining and entertainment centers; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation program; the World of Disney Stores; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs Disney parks, resorts and attractions.
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Disney representatives have told the Star-Bulletin that Hawaii is on the list of places the company's Parks and Resorts unit is scouting for potential new hotels.
"We've got nothing to announce today, but clearly Hawaii as well as other geographies are attractive markets for us as we look for ways to grow our business," said Disney spokeswoman Lisa Haines.
A local broker who asked not to be identified said the 52-year-old theme park and resort operator is close to signing a deal with the Ko Olina Resort & Marina. Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Disney has previously said that it would not be building another theme park in any of the domestic states. However, the company is looking at a number of different areas worldwide to build new stand-alone hotels.
Domestically, the company owns and operates Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., and Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., which have their own on-site hotels.
The company has historically built and operated its domestic operations, while it has partnered to develop the Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Resort Paris. Tokyo Disneyland is owned and operated separately under license.