[Disney's Grand Californian Hotel] Extension de l'hôtel

Disney a publié un communiqué de presse officialisant les plans d'extension du Grand Californian à Disneyland Resort, qui augmentera la capacité de l'hôtel de 30%. Sont aux programmes, sur plus d'un hectare de superficie:

• 200 chambres supplémentaires
  
• 50 appartements Disney Vacation Club, de 2 à 3 chambres
  
• 1 nouvelle piscine
  
• une terrasse sur le toit aménagée pour regarder les feux d'artifice
  
• 300 places de parking souterraines
  

Ouverture fin 2009.

Disney prend le meilleur, et l'améliore... à quand ça chez nous?

En V.O.: http://www.disneylandnews.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=234

18 September 2007
DISNEYLAND RESORT EXPANDING DISNEY’S GRAND CALIFORNIAN HOTEL & SPA

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept 18, 2007 – Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim.

This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney’s long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure.

“This expansion underscores our commitment to growing and investing in both the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Resort Area,” said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. “These new hotel rooms and villas will give more people the opportunity to enjoy the immersive vacation experience Disney is known for. We know that our guests value being able to stay in the middle of the magic with our world-class theme parks, shopping and dining just steps away.”

The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel’s south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s innovative vacation-ownership program.

“For more than 50 years, the Disneyland Resort has been investing in our community and they have helped us build a world class resort destination in which all of Anaheim can be proud,” Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said. “Thanks to Disneyland and the Anaheim Resort Area, Anaheim boasts one of the fastest growing markets in the country for hotel occupancy.”

Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas.

Photo ci-dessus: une partie du chantier vu depuis Disneyland Drive



Photo ci-dessus: le chantier vu depuis Sun Wheel


http://www.westcoaster.net/updates.php?updateCD=091507&page=2

Concept art de la section DVC en ligne:



Photo officielle de la première pierre:

Des photos des travaux... ça creuse!! Sacrées fondations!!!!
http://westcoaster.net/updates.php?updateCD=110807

C'est surement pour les parkings !

GRAND CALIFORNIAN PROGRESS REPORT
The Hotel expansion project continues to progress.

Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael


Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael


Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael


Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael


Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael

http://micechat.com/forums/blog.php?b=311

DVC-ya-later

And speaking of using up the last of your home equity, it seems an increasing number of Southern Californians have done just that, right as the Disney Vacation Club tries to get them to shell out big bucks for a timeshare deal. DVC has seen record and undreamed of growth over the last 10 years at their properties in Florida and South Carolina, with many new DVC members back East using their home equity credit lines to fork over the tens of thousands of dollars in dues and fees needed when you sign the lifetime contract. While construction continues on the first small batch of DVC units on the West Coast located in the new Grand Californian expansion wing, the number of new accounts being signed up by DVC representatives is falling short of internal goals.
There has also been a softening in the market out in Florida, but the numbers here in California just can't get off the launching pad. They've recently begun trying to offer big discounts to Anaheim Cast Members, but with what Disneyland pays there are only a small handful of salaried folks in TDA who could even begin to afford the big down payment and recurring annual fees. Needless to say, the recent attempt by DVC to drum up sales amongst Disneyland Cast Members wasn't a big success.

The DVC units planned for the Grand are still on track, and there is enough demand from DVC owners back East to likely fill the small collection of units when they open in 2010. But the soft sales figures are making TDA take a second look at their long term plans for hotel and lodging construction in Anaheim.

http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al061708c.htm

Un article super intéressant détaille les nouveautés de ce nouveau complexe, grâce à la visite "guidée" d'un Imagineer du projet.

Inclus de nouveaux concepts arts!

http://dvcnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=562&Itemid=1

Written by Tim Krasniewski & Dave Welty

Since its opening in January 2001, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel has often been described as the crown jewel of the Disneyland Resort complex. One feature in particular separates the Grand Californian from its fellow Disneyland resort hotels... that being its exclusive entry gate directly into Disney's California Adventure theme park. Soon the Grand Californian will earn another distinction-the first of Disney's west-coast resorts to house Disney Vacation Club villas. On a recent trip to Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering Director of Design, Resorts and Facilities Development Mike Montague was kind enough to give us a personal tour of the Grand Californian Villa model rooms, discussing many aspects of the resort expansion and DVC villa design. Montague is a 20-year Imagineering veteran who has played an integral role in creating the Grand Californian expansion. In late 2009, the Grand Californian is scheduled to unveil its first expansion, the addition of 48 Two-Bedroom equivalent villas and 2 three-bedroom Grand Villas. The Two Bedroom equivalents break-down as 21 lockoff units which can be booked separately as a One Bedroom plus a Studio, and 29 dedicated Two Bedroom villas. The resort is also adding 203 cash rooms for a total of 253 new accommodations. From its inception, many areas of the Grand Californian were designed to accommodate more than its original complement of 751 guest rooms. The new construction is taking place on the site which was previously home to the valet parking lot--a plot that has always been reserved for future expansion of the Grand Californian. Other amenities like the front desk, on-site dining and pool were either properly sized for a greater number of units from the start or were similarly designed for expansion without necessitating major changes to the resort's infrastructure. EXTERIOR DESIGN Every effort is being made to seamlessly blend the expansion into the existing Grand Californian Hotel. This is particularly important as the Grand Californian stands as a backdrop for much of Disney's California Adventure. In fact, many of the Disney Vacation Club villas will overlook the theme park itself. One particular area presented a challenge for designers. The existing resort hotel is well-suited for its current role as a backdrop for the Golden State region of Disney's California Adventure. However, the south side of the expansion boarders a very different area of DCA-Paradise Pier. Designers went to great lengths to help blend the look of the Grand Californian into Paradise Pier-an area that will itself be altered somewhat in the coming years as part of Disney's $1 billion investment in the theme park. According to Imagineer Mike Montague, the south side of the expansion is specifically designed to be "reminiscent of Paradise Pier with smaller New England-style blocks." Months were spent finalizing that elevation in order to ensure that it would not disrupt the intended look of the Paradise Pier 'land' within DCA. Southern Aspect Concept (proposed construction; artwork copyright 2008 Disney) Construction model - southern aspect View of southern profile from Disney's California Adventure Montague also says that Disney spent "a lot of dollars on the acoustical package" used in these villas so that theme park ambiance--particularly from nighttime pyrotechnics--would not be disruptive to guests. VILLA INTERIOR The units themselves will mirror the Arts and Crafts style of the 7 year old Grand Californian. Yet the villas also take into account more current design trends. Montague says that the villa design "places an emphasis on creating an open / informal layout" for the main living space with the idea being to "see the view" immediately upon entering the room. One of the more prominent changes is the addition of a living room Murphy Bed to accommodate a 5th guest in a One Bedroom villa or a 9th guest in a Two Bedroom villa. The Murphy Bed was inspired by cruise ship design which utilizes similar innovative features to maximize the use of space. At the Grand Californian, the Murphy Bed is positioned under the living room audio/visual center, providing an attractive cabinet façade during the day and a traditional twin bed with a standard spring mattress at night. Living room Murphy Bed The One and Two Bedroom villas will continue a modification first introduced in the Kidani Village room design at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas: an additional bathroom within the villa. While the Kidani Village layout added a full bathroom to its larger units, the Grand Californian design calls for only a 3/4 bath with a vanity, toilet and shower. Using a design with a shower stall rather than a full tub saves several square feet of space which, in this case, was used to house the washer/dryer unit. In proposing any villa layout, designers are given a fixed amount of space and the challenge to come up with a design that best maximizes the use of that space. Montague says that different design teams spent months submitting and refining designs leading up to the approval and construction phases. Consideration was given to many different configurations including a full bath, 1/2 bath and the 3/4 bath before settling on this layout. Even now, nearly 3 months after the model rooms were first shown to the public, the designs are still undergoing minor adjustments as suggested by Imagineering and Walt Disney management. New bedding showcased within the units includes a woven comforter and duvet. This again mirrors more recent trends within the hospitality industry and Montague expects, at the very least, that future DVC resorts will be outfitted similarly. Other noteworthy changes to the villa design include a more streamlined kitchen (with fingerprint-resistant stainless steel appliances), a floor-to-ceiling slide-out pantry cabinet and a significantly larger dining area. Slide-out Pantry Cabinet Large Dining Table VILLA BALCONY The layout of the One and Two Bedroom units features a relocation of the balcony. In more recent DVC villa designs, the balcony extends outward from the living room. The Grand Californian design relocates the balcony adjacent to the master bedroom with a large picture window dominating the living room wall. The balcony is accessible via dual entry doors from either the living room or the master bedroom. The addition of the living room side entry door necessitated another design change to the balcony--the Grand Californian balconies will be 50% deeper than other recent DVC designs, coming in at roughly 4 1/2' deep as compared to the 3' depth of balconies at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas and Saratoga Springs. Living room access to balcony The Studio rooms will maintain the more familiar look with the balcony at the far end of the unit. Studio balconies are smaller than their One and Two Bedroom counterparts, measuring the more familiar 3' depth. Montague says this was part of a necessary trade-off to add more space to the interior of the Studio villa. In fact, returning that 18" of space to the villa interior actually is more costly from a construction standpoint since interior finishes are more expensive than exterior finishes. AMENITIES A third pool is being added to the resort adjacent to its two existing pools, along with an additional hot tub and significant space for lounge chairs. Original concept art (proposed construction; copyright Disney 2007) Construction model (similar view) showing pool addition Construction site for new pool (reverse angle) - note existing pool on the far left The new pool is located in the courtyard depicted in the original concept artwork depicted above. According to Montague, the pool was omitted from the concept artwork because its design had not yet been finalized when the artwork was released. New restrooms are being constructed within the gated pool complex, eliminating the current need to leave the pool area in order to access those facilities. The Grand Californian is currently home to three restaurants--the elite Napa Rose, character buffet Storyteller's Café and White Water Café which specializes in quick service and grab-and-go items. While no new restaurant is planned for the resort, White Water will be expanded to include a selection of grocery items consistent with other Disney Vacation Club resorts. White Water Cafe An additional bank of elevators (the resort's third set) is included within the expansion wing, aiding guest movement throughout the building. The upper floor of the new wing includes an outdoor viewing pavilion. With a nighttime water pageant scheduled to debut at Disney's California Adventure in 2009, the pavilion is well situated on the south side of the building to provide a view exclusively for hotel guests. Upper floor fireworks viewing pavilion Montague says the pavilion's location is not coincidental--that it was "positioned to overlook the future park improvements including the new water pageant. The open air trellis structure creates the sense of enclosure while creating unencumbered views of the nighttime sky." The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Resort and Spa are under construction now and on target to open sometime in the fourth quarter of the 2009 calendar year. Thus far Disney Vacation Club has not revealed any pricing information or when points will be available for sale.

GRAND EXPANSION
It's been a while since we updated you on the progress at the Grand Californian where new Disney's Vacation Club villas are currently under construction. Fishbulb took these great shots looking over at Grand Californian construction from the Paradise Pier Hotel.











http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1010-celebration-point-big-thunder-ranch-repaving-grand-californian-dca-more.html

J'espère qu'ils vont faire quelque chose pour la vue des chambres sur l'arrière de Mulholland Madness (peut être lors de la rethématisation de l'attraction), parce que là franchement...

Ce resort est en compléte restructuration, cela n'annonce que du bon

GRAND CALIFORNIAN EXPANSION
Work continues at the Grand Californian Hotel as the new Disney's Vacation Club units get closer to completion...

An exit from the main lobby is closed as work outside the door and in the adjacent outdoor fireplace takes over...










New trees are going into the ground.


Work on the new jacuzzi


The new pool






http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1102-dcas-new-restrooms-harbour-galleys-new-menu-grand-californian-expansion-more.html

The Disney Vacation Club expansion of the Grand Californian Hotel is progressing nicely for a September 23 opening.














http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1184-admission-goes-up-orange-peel-dca-construction-grand-californian-more.html

Si je ne connaissais pas cet hôtel, ces photos ne m'emballeraient pas des masses. C'est quoi cette nouvelle piscine riquiqui, et surtout très basique de forme?

Mais bon, vivement l'ouverture du 23/09, je suis sûr que le résultat sera super beau.

Et bien moi qui ne connaît pas cet hôtel je trouve justement que ces photos ne sont pas très emballantes, je ne trouve pas cet hôtel forcément très beau. On dirait une sorte que Sequoia Lodge un peu cheap. Pourrais-tu en dire plus sur cet hôtel Grandmath?

Et bien comme tu le dis, les photos ne lui rendent pas justice.

Cet hôtel est magnifique, il est assez simple et élégant de l'extérieur (mais plus varié dans ses formes que le Sequoia à mon goût), mais sublime à l'intérieur. J'adore les matériaux utilisés, cette odeur de bois et ce léger courant d'air qui donne l'impression d'être en pleine nature. Ca ressemble au Sequoia mais un niveau au dessus (4 étoiles oblige). Le spa est de premier ordre, et en plus, il borde le parc DCA avec une entrée privée et rien que ça, c'est la classe!

Sur ces photos de chantier, je trouve les murs très "nus", et l'environnement assez désertique, ça explique aussi cela car quand ce sera fini, il y a aura beaucoup d'arbres et de verdure.

Voilà quelques photos de l'hôtel existant.

Je confirme, le Sequoia c'est de la gnognotte à côté!

C'est surtout pas la même catégorie d'hôtel. Le Grand Californian est un peu l'équivalent de l'hôtel Disneyland à Paris. C'est plutôt entre ces deux hôtels là qu'il faudrait comparer la qualité (même si, thématiquement, c'est au Séquoia qu'il fait penser)

The new wing of the Grand Californian Hotel opens next month, and work crews continue to work around the clock to finish up the final details before opening the doors.


The new swimming pool and spa have been filled.








http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1209-selling-halloween-california-adventure-construction-disney-gallery-uncovered-more.html

Disney hotel expansion means big bucks for city


August 27th, 2009, 3:00 am · 4 Comments · posted by Sarah Tully



Model of Grand Californian time share

The city of Anaheim stands to make about $2.5 million annually in taxes from the expansion of a prestigious Disney hotel.
The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is undergoing a renovation that will add about 203 hotel rooms and 48 time share units when completed next month. With those new rooms, the city is counting on the extra bed tax money tied to the rooms.
The new hotel rooms are projected to generate more than $2 million annually, while the time share units could make $464,748 the first year alone, according to city documents. The amount will go up each year.
Hotel rooms’ taxes are calculated on a straight percentage. For time shares, city officials must compute the equivalent amount of taxes based on the time share’s value and reach agreements with operators.
The City Council this week unanimously approved an agreement for Disney’s time share units without any discussion.
The Grand Californian units, including two grand villas, will be the first West Coast destinations of the Disney Vacation Club, the company’s time share program.
Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown said Disney officials are happy with the agreement in a prepared e-mail statement:

Grand Californian Hotel

“We are pleased that the City Council approved this agreement, which is one of the final steps in preparation of opening the Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa next month. These units — the first Disney Vacation Club location on the West Coast — as well as the addition of approximately 200 new hotel rooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa underscore Disney’s ongoing commitment to investing in Anaheim and supporting the local economy.”
Hotel bed taxes make up the biggest chunk of Anaheim’s budget — a projected $79.6 million in 2009-10.
The expansion of the Grand Californian is scheduled to open Sept. 23.
Nearby, renovations on the Disneyland Hotel began Monday. Remodeled rooms could be available as early as January.

http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/27/disney-hotel-expansion-means-big-bucks-for-city/16019/

GRAND EXPANSION
As the Disneyland Hotel begins its big remodel project, the Grand Californian Hotel's expansion is winding down as the new wing featuring the first West Coast Disney's Vacation Club rooms prepares to open on September 23.


The pool and spa areas look ready for guests.



A look inside the Disney's Vacation Club Grand Californian model units gives a sneak peek at what DVC members staying in the new wing can expect later next month in the 1-bedroom suite.















...And a look at the Studio unit:










http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1218-fantasyland-construction-refurbishments-disneyland-hotel-remodel-dca-work-more.html

The new wing of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel is all finished and ready to welcome its first Disney Vacation Club guests Wednesday, September 23.




The new daycare center


And a new arcade:


No big lobby for the DVC wing.


http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1251-lighthouses-construction-grand-californian-hotel-almost-halloween-more.html