Do you ever find yourself lost in thoughts about what could have been when it comes to the hotels at Disney World?
Now, we’re not coming for the current offerings. They’re all amazing as far as we’re concerned, but time and time again we can’t help but think of what might have been. Of all the hotel ideas that Disney has come up with, there’s one that we dearly wish they had brought to the light of day at Disney World.
Of the many unbuilt hotels that were originally planned for Disney World, we want to talk about one in particular. It would have significantly changed the landscape around Magic Kingdom. We’re talking about the Venetian Resort.
Disney’s Venetian Resort
Yes, you read that right. Decades, before the Venetian Resort rose in Las Vegas, Disney itself planned to build a Venetian-inspired hotel. Concept art depicts a sprawling complex with canals, gondolas, and a distinctly Italian Renaissance architectural style.
While the Vegas Venetian is quite a marvel of opulence, there’s something undeniably charming about the idea of a “Disney-fied” Venice. Could you imagine strolling past shops with gondolas as displays, indulging in delicious Italian food, and maybe even catching a gondola ride yourself?
The resort would have been built between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Contemporary Resort, and was supposed to open in the 1970s. What ultimately killed this project was the energy crisis of the 70s.
Later, in the 1990s, plans for a similar hotel, Disney’s Grande Venezia Resort, were drawn up. The hotel would have included “intricately designed buildings with terra cotta roofs, canals with functioning gondolas, lighted fountains, a masquerade-themed pool, a conference center, and a wedding chapel.” Of course, this also never happened.
Thankfully, concept art for the Venetian Resort still exists, allowing us to glimpse this lost dream where Disney would have transported us to a world of romance and wonder.
For more Disney World history, news, updates, and more, be sure to stay tuned to AllEars.
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Which unbuilt Disney World hotel do you want to be built nowadays? Tell us in the comments!
I remember these concepts and still have the 1970 preview book for the “Vacation Kingdom”. In a way this did come to pass with the Mira Costa resort at Tokyo Disney Seas (and a similar concept used at Universal Orlando).
That hotel pad is still there, so I guess it could still happen, but now Disney is building more generic looking DVC resorts.
This Venetian hotel, plus the planned Persian hotel, always interested me. During the Eisner era, instead of building hotels themed to faraway, exotic areas, we got replicas of America’s Eastern Seaboard…..the Boardwalk Inn, Yacht & Beach Club, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West. I would have much preferred the more exotic, internationally themed resort ideas: kind of like a World Showcase of resorts. Theming hotels to areas of Americana that I can easily visit myself is a letdown, fine as these resorts are, to what ‘coulda been.’
Would have been nice. So what is stopping Disney from building it now?