Why Did the Star Wars Hotel Flop? Disney Is Desperate To Find Out

A year ago, in August, word got out that Disney was about to launch a fully immersive Star Wars experience at Disney World. It sounded like the perfect getaway for a Star Wars superfan—but that’s not what ended up happening.

Now, Disney is trying to figure out why the incredibly expensive hotel flopped, and the company is spending even more money to try and find out why.

According to Disneyland News, the company is looking to understand why their first fully immersive hotel experience was so bad that no one wanted to book a stay. Now, some guests who had previously stayed at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and completed a survey after their stay are being asked to join a paid focus group so Disney can learn more about their experiences.

Essentially, they’re paying even more money to try and find out why their Star Wars hotel was, seemingly a flop.

Again, per Disneyland News, former guests received an email titled “Invitation to participate in research for Disneyland Resort,” where they were asked if they’d be willing to share what went wrong.

“Invited guests will need to complete a 5-minute survey by email before being selected to participate in the focus group,” the publication reported. “The 5-minute survey was only about Walt Disney World, although the email title referenced Disneyland Resort.”

The focus group they’re being asked to participate in is a 90-minute virtual session that will take place during the last week of June. Participants will be paid $175 via Disney Gift Card for their time. The publication points out that the location noted on the survey doesn’t match the location of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser but wondered whether the email was incorrect or if it’s pointing to early research into a similarly immersive experience at Disney World.

Either way, it’s probably smart that the company is looking for feedback on its immersive hotel. There was early criticism when first look photos were released ahead of the hotel opening. The concerns stemmed from small hotel rooms and the whole experience of being indoors. And that’s ultimately the criticism that was heard when the hotel opened on March 1, and bookings stalled.

Hopefully, the company will be able to learn enough to make it work. The idea of a fully immersive hotel sounds really cool. Maybe the Force will be with Disney this time around.