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[Pudgy Jones]

Glad to see it coming to fruition, but not crazy about the renderings. I was hoping for something more in line with the Big Cedar Lodge or Disney's Wilderness Resort. Seems like a lost opportunity.

[KBCraig]

The style doesn't do anything to build excitement. That's a hotel, not a resort. Definitely not "hillbilly chic".

[Coaster]

Initially, I was so excited. The video sucked me in. I've loved this park and visited this park for my entire life. I'm thrilled they're expanding and the thought of a decade of announcements and expansion is so exciting. The rendering of the hotel is not at all what I pictured, however. I was hoping for a more rustic look, something more in line with the theme of the park. This looks like a copy and paste of the style of the Dollywood resorts, not something that matches the aesthetic of SDC. Hopefully this can evolve over the next two years before the resort opens.

[mg]

Personally, I don't mind the design as we love the DreamMore.

I honestly think that they didn't go with a rustic lodge look for a few reasons and Big Cedar being a big one. Why make a resort that everyone just says looks like Big Cedar?

Another is what is more appealing to most moms picking a resort for their family, a rustic lodge or a nice clean looking resort in a beautiful setting? My wife is going to pick the current rendering over something rustic basically every time.

[Wildfire]

I wish phase 1 would be expanding the actual park instead of building the hotel/resort.  The current park is really pretty small in size with the largest attractions mostly on the edges which creates so many choke points.  I feel like they need to eleviate many of the crowd issues prior to building the resort, which should bring in larger crowds to a park that's already overcrowded much of the time.

[tmstephe]

I wish phase 1 would be expanding the actual park instead of building the hotel/resort.  The current park is really pretty small in size with the largest attractions mostly on the edges which creates so many choke points.  I feel like they need to eleviate many of the crowd issues prior to building the resort, which should bring in larger crowds to a park that's already overcrowded much of the time.

Here's the thing, though... do you actually think the resort will bring in more people?  You can already get a hotel room in Branson for under $50/night.  I think this will encourage people to stay on site instead of 5 miles down the highway.  SDC isn't really a multi-day park (in the same way Disney is).  It'll be interesting to see what all happens over the next 5-10 years, for sure!

[Parson B Ready]

I think many of us were expecting the announcement of a hotel or resort of some kind. So, for me there was no big surprise in the announcement.  260 rooms?  Even if the hotel was at capacity, that's only about 1,000 people.  That's a drop in the bucket for SDC.  About 1/20th of park capacity during Christmas time.  I don't see it impacting visitation that much, just another way to generate revenue.  I honestly hope that they build a bunch of new rides and attractions around the resort and preserve some of the history and nostalgia around the old park.

[mg]

Looking back at when Dollywood announced their $300 million ($405 million investment todays dollars) investment that included the DreamMore, this is a general list of what they got:
DreamMore Resort
FireChaser Express
Lightning Rod
Drop Line
Whistle Punk Chaser
TailSpin Racer Slides at Splash Country
Wildwood Grove - 6 acre area
- Dragonflier
- Till & Harvest Restaurant
- Mad Mockingbird
- Frogs
- Black Bear Trail
- Treetop Tower
- Hidden Hollow Indoor play area
- Wildwood Creek Splash Pad
- Great Tree Swing boat ride
- The Wildwood Tree show tree
Plus show, festival, and other general park improvements.


I think this is a much bigger deal than most people are realizing.

[Coaster]

Personally, I don't mind the design as we love the DreamMore.

I honestly think that they didn't go with a rustic lodge look for a few reasons and Big Cedar being a big one. Why make a resort that everyone just says looks like Big Cedar?

Another is what is more appealing to most moms picking a resort for their family, a rustic lodge or a nice clean looking resort in a beautiful setting? My wife is going to pick the current rendering over something rustic basically every time.

This is a great point, and I honestly feel like you hit the nail on the head.

As far as this resort bringing in more people, I think it's important to remember that this is only the first announcement in a decade's worth of expansion. The park will be expanded, along with potentially bringing a waterpark to the property. These things will turn SDC into a multi-day destination.

[History Buff]

"Priority park access"

Does anyone else think the new plaza looks like an eventual second park entrance for the resort?

[tmstephe]

"Priority park access"

Does anyone else think the new plaza looks like an eventual second park entrance for the resort?

Not impossible, but it's on the wrong side of the park.  The new resort is to the northwest.  The new plaza is on the northeast.  There's a whole lot of back of house infrastructure between the two.  Again, not impossible - just unlikely. 

Edited to add: they could transport people from the resort to the park by just using the existing highway, but I can't see them wanting to rely on a public access road.  We'll see!

[Duelist]

Here's the thing, though... do you actually think the resort will bring in more people?  You can already get a hotel room in Branson for under $50/night.  I think this will encourage people to stay on site instead of 5 miles down the highway.  SDC isn't really a multi-day park (in the same way Disney is).  It'll be interesting to see what all happens over the next 5-10 years, for sure!

[/quote]
We were at the park yesterday (a nightmare) and today.  Friday was crazy crowded.  Like a Saturday Christmas crowd.  My wife and I were talking if they could ever get a 30,000 plus crowd in the park.  We decided no because they don't have the parking.  But with the new resort there will be a boatload of new parking places to get more people into the City.  And they failed on so many levels yesterday with the epic crowds.  They are still having issues getting enough employees and now they think they'll find enough to staff a resort?  I see them overestimating what they can accommodate for.  And with the sad state of Branson economy?  I can see them wanting a resort but I think they're being overly optimistic with this thing.

[legoerosion]

They are still having issues getting enough employees and now they think they'll find enough to staff a resort?  I see them overestimating what they can accommodate for.  And with the sad state of Branson economy?  I can see them wanting a resort but I think they're being overly optimistic with this thing.

Getting employees for a resort is a lot easier than it is for a theme park. You get to work inside, get tips, and depending on the position you don't have to deal with angry Karen's that are overstimulated and overheated. I'm sure there will be even more work visas for international students as well now that they have their dorm open.

[KBCraig]

I started to write a long explainer about J1 visa holders, and how well they work in the hospitality and tourism industry.

I realized it was way too complicated, so let's just say that it's a good match for a resort. There will be many foreign applicants who actually have to pay a lot of money for the visa.

[BackInTime]

Mixed emotions surrounding an announcement that felt like a mere formality from day one. While some aspects of a dedicated resort seem appealing, the building rendering feels little more than a scaled down cousin to DW's DreamMore, with a hint of Disney's Grand Floridian sprinkled in for good measure. I'm sure it will be well done and ridiculously overpriced like everything else is now.

Hard to know what the master plan holds, but as others have pointed out, it seems counterintuitive to not be prioritizing significant park expansion and infrastructure in the short term. The huge crowds in a smaller park have grown to a point that's really starting to dilute what used to be the park's best feature – charm. Attendance numbers certainly don't seem to indicate people being turned off and turning away due to overcrowding, but it would be hard to argue that park volume isn't contributing to a far from ideal experience for many patrons at this point. It's just hard to understand why HFE wouldn't want to start expanding the footprint of the park now to help thin the herd and give people new places to explore.

The last 10 years at SDC have netted Fireman's landing, Mystic River Falls, Time Traveler and Fire in the Hole. An investment totaling less than $90 and all within the existing footprint. I'm sure the park will look dramatically different by 2034, but it will be very interesting to see how $500 million gets "spread out" beyond the cost of resort construction alone.