A Disney Imagineering executive said under oath in early 2024 that the company was considering building one or two hotels inside Magic Kingdom as part of what will become the park’s largest expansion in its history. The revelation came through court records obtained by Florida Politics via a public records request and adds a stunning what-if to Disney World’s future.
What the Deposition Revealed
Todd Rimmer, a master-planning executive with Disney Imagineering, gave the deposition in February 2024 during the legal battle between Disney and the state-controlled Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. That fight stemmed from Governor Ron DeSantis seizing control of Disney World’s governing board, triggering a series of lawsuits between the two sides.
During questioning by lawyer Nicole Moss, Rimmer described the Magic Kingdom expansion as “still under development” and said it “included new attractions and redevelopment of existing attractions and potentially new hotels.” When pressed on how many hotel locations were being considered, Rimmer answered: “One or two hotel locations.” He confirmed they would be new hotels, not expansions of existing ones. When asked where they would be located, a Disney lawyer objected, but Rimmer ultimately said, “Generally, it’s within the same area that we’re expanding. There are no specific locations decided yet.”
Disney Has Since Walked It Back
Somewhere between that February 2024 deposition and today, Disney appears to have dropped the hotel idea entirely. When Florida Politics asked the company to comment on Rimmer’s testimony, Disney responded: “There are no plans for new hotels as part of the Magic Kingdom expansion. We’re focused on bringing to life all we’ve already announced, which you can find the details on at DisneyExperiences.com.”
In August 2024, Disney officially unveiled plans for Villains Land and new Cars-themed attractions at Magic Kingdom during the D23 fan expo — and no hotel was mentioned. More recently, additional expansion details have emerged, including Piston Peak National Park coming to Magic Kingdom, further defining the shape of what is already the park’s biggest overhaul ever. Hotels remain conspicuously absent from all of it.
Why It Would Have Been a Big Deal
The timing of the internal hotel discussions is hard to ignore. Universal opened its Helios Grand Hotel inside the Epic Universe theme park, setting a new standard for what an in-park resort experience can be. Disney currently has no hotel inside Magic Kingdom’s gates, though guests can stay at the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary, both within walking distance or a short Monorail ride away.
Len Testa, co-author of The Unofficial Guides, operator of TouringPlans.com, and co-host of The Disney Dish podcast, put it plainly: “It would be the most popular in-demand hotel in Walt Disney World from Day 1. Without question.”
But Testa also laid out exactly why Disney has never done it. “The location has to be perfect. There are places where a Magic Kingdom adjacent hotel would work and places where it wouldn’t. The second thing is that it has to have a great theme. It can’t be just a generic hotel. Then the third thing is the price has to be appropriate.” He added, “It’s such a huge commitment that getting it wrong is a big risk. So they have to be certain on all three of those things.”
Carissa Baker, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida who studies theme parks, pointed to the Fantasy Springs Hotel at Tokyo DisneySea as proof Disney can do in-park hotels right when conditions are met. “It’s just special to be able to say that you’re staying inside a theme park,” Baker said. “Rather than just leaving the park at the end of the day, now you open your window, and you’re still in the park.” She also noted that a Villains-themed hotel would have been a natural fit alongside the newly announced Villains Land.
Our Take
A hotel inside Magic Kingdom is one of those ideas that feels obviously right and obviously impossible at the same time. The demand would be instant and overwhelming — there is no more coveted address in American theme park history than inside those gates. But the execution risk is real. A poorly located, generically themed hotel at the wrong price point would not just underperform. It would become a permanent talking point in a way that a subpar hotel anywhere else on Disney property never could. Universal built Helios Grand Hotel inside Epic Universe and did it well, and Disney is watching. A Magic Kingdom hotel is the ultimate answer to that move. We would not be surprised if this conversation resurfaces once the current expansion is fully delivered and Disney turns its attention to what comes next.
What Disney Is Actually Building Right Now
While a hotel inside Magic Kingdom’s gates remains a possibility for another day, Disney is actively expanding its resort footprint elsewhere on property.
The Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows recently opened, adding a new Disney Vacation Club tower to the beloved Polynesian Resort on the Magic Kingdom monorail loop.
And on the opposite end of the property, Disney is completing Disney Lakeshore Lodge, a major new DVC Deluxe Resort expected to open in 2027. Located on the former River Country water park site between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, it will feature over 900 rooms, including cabin and bungalow-style units, a lazy river, and nature-inspired theming throughout.
Disney has committed roughly $60 billion over 10 years to its U.S. and international parks and cruise line, so the pipeline for new experiences remains wide open. Whether that ever includes something inside Magic Kingdom’s gates is a question fans will be asking for a long time.
Read the full Florida Politics report, including additional context from the deposition, here.
Disney Once Considered Building Hotels Inside Magic Kingdom, Court Records Reveal
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