Why For did WDW’s Asian, Venetian and Persian resorts never get built?

Jim Hill

18 years ago

Terri P. writes in to say:

I really enjoyed last week’s Why For and was wondering if you had any more info about those three resort hotels that were never built.

Ah, you mean the Asian, the Venetian and the Persian.

Turning again to my handy-dandy copy of the “Preview Edition” of the “Walt Disney World : Vacation Kingdom of the World” guide, the Asian resort is described as being …

… strongly Thai in its motif. A theme restaurant and lounge at the top of its 160-foot tower building will provide an enchanting setting for nighttime dancing and stageshow entertainment.

Each of its 600 rooms, including 50 elegant suites in royal Thai decor, will look out on the lagoon or a central recreation area.

While at the Venetian resort …

… an enclosed small boat harbor and intricate system of waterways will recreate the old world charm of the famed Italian “City of Canals.” Shopping with be a unique experience as guests travel by gondola along “streets of water” and under ornate bridges linking various sections of the resort. The style is reminiscent of St. Mark’s Square, complete with a 120-foot campanile which will toll the time. The entire lobby will be glass-topped, creating a brilliant, sunlit atrium effect indoors.

And as for the Persian Resort (Which was deliberately designed to look it had come straight out of “The Arabian Nights”), this …

… exotic far-Eastern palace (was to have been) located on the Northwest shore of (Bay) lake.

Jewel-like mosques and columns will rise above landscaped courtyards, while terraced sundecks offer sculptured swimming pools and “old Persian” dining facilities. Guests will practically be able to sail to their own rooms through a sheltered marina.

Now it’s important to understand that — as late as the Fall of 1972 — all three of these themed resorts were still considered to be “Go” projects. Meaning that Disney officials genuinely planned to push forward with construction of each of these hotels as part of WDW’s “Phase Two” (I.E. That time period in the resort’s master plan that was supposed to have stretched from October of 1976 to September of 1981).

And — in the case of the Asian Resort … Well, according to what was written in Walt Disney Productions’ 1972 annual report, the company was originally looking to start construction of that particular themed hotel a full two years ahead of schedule.

Don’t believe me? Okay. Here’s the appropriate quote from that corporate document:

Since opening day, the demand for accomodations throughout central Florida has exceeded the supply. On site, our two theme resort-hotels, the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village, operated at near 100% capacity all year long … Recognizing that the public will always prefer to stay within the “Vacation Kingdom” site, the Company will soon begin architectural work on a third theme resort, the 500-room Asian Hotel. Construction is planned for 1974, with the formal opening to take place late that year.

And if you look at this aerial photograph of the resort that was taken in December of 1971, you can see that Disney’s construction team had already done most of the site prep for both the Asian and the Venetian resorts.

If all had gone according to plan, that Thai-themed hotel was to have been built on this square piece of property that juts out from the Western shore of Seven Seas Lagoon.

While the Venetian resort was to have built on the Eastern side of this same body of water. With the various canals that were to have run around & through this Italian themed hotel being dug out of the soil that was left on site after all of the prep work was done.

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia for all you WDW history buffs. Do you see that cleared chunk of forest along the southwestern shore of Bay Lake?

That’s where the Imagineers had WDW’s construction crew do site prep for a sixth themed hotel. Which wasn’t supposed to be built ’til after construction of the Persian Resort was completed in 1980. Back then, this was where the Cypress Point Lodge would have been located. A rustic-themed resort that was to have resembled Yellowstone Lodge.

Cypress Point was to have been the first hotel built as part of WDW’s “Phase Three” (The period in WDW’s Master Plan that was to have run from October of 1981 through September of 1986). But then the Energy Crisis of 1973 happened. And all of Disney’s carefully crafted expansion plans promptly flew out the window.

Quoting now from Walt Disney Productions’ 1974 annual report:

Inflation, the crisis of confidence in government and the prolonged concern about the availability of gasoline had a profound effect upon business activity in the United States, and our Company felt the impact of these conditions, as did everyone else.

Long story short: When attendance at the resort dropped off by more than 20% due to the Oil Embargo, Disney officials realized that they should probably cut back on the number of new on-property resorts that they were planning on building. And — instead — give people a truly compelling reason to come down to Orlando and then stay on the hotel rooms that the Mouse already owned. Which is why — starting in 1974 — development of Epcot was fast-tracked, while plans for any additional on-property resorts were quietly tabled.

Mind you, the Imagineers always hoped that they’d be eventually able to get back to Disney World’s “Master Plan.” But then a decade went by and suddenly the Walt Disney Company had a brand-new management team. And Michael Eisner? He wasn’t all that enthusiastic about the idea of building a Thai-themed hotel at Walt Disney World. But an elegant new resort that paid tribute to those grand old hotels that you used to find in Sarasota & Boca Raton around the turn of the century? That Disney’s new CEO could get behind.

Which is why WDW wound up with the Grand Floridian Resort in 1988.

And as for the proposed construction site of the Venetian Resort … Well, the Imagineers came up with a number of ideas that Uncle Michael liked (Including a resort that tried to put a post-modern spin on classic Greek architecture) …

… Only to have construction of this particular hotel permanently postponed because … Well, this piece of property alongside Seven Seas Lagoon is notoriously boggy. So much so that every time Disney’s construction team has driven in a test piling (I.E. To see if this chunk of shoreline could then actually support the weight of an enormousnew waterfront hotel) … That piling just sinks into the ground and is never seen again.

Sooo … Until WDW can come up with a construction technique that can safely be used on this primo piece of property (And/or come up with some other way to stabilize this soil) … The old Venetian resort site is off-limits. Which is one of the main reasons that Disney Vacation Club is building its yet-to-officially-be-announced Magic Kingdom Area resort next to the Contemporary, rather than over here.

Ironically enough, the themed-resort that was furtherest down in the pile (I.E. Cypress Point. Originally No. 6 on WED’s list of proposed WDW hotels) was the only other one to get built. Though with a slightly different design and a rather different name: Wilderness Lodge.

Anyway … That’s a brief overview of the Asian, the Venetian and the Persian resorts. Three beautifully designed & themed hotels that — thanks to circumstances entirely beyond Disney’s control (I.E. The Oil Embargo) — never quite made it off the drawing board.

And sepaking of overviews …

… Pretty, ain’t it?

Your thoughts?