How high does the Sycamore grow? If you cut it down, then you’ll never know. And in the case of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, they cut it all down just to start construction on the new resort…
At least we get to know what the lobby will look like.
In the latest piece of lobby concept art, we get to see the bright and airy nature of the new “wilderness-inspired” lodge. We say wilderness-inspired and use it lightly, because whereas the actual Wilderness Lodge next door embeds elements of nature within its design, like a simulated slab of Grand Canyon rock strata comprising the lobby fireplace, at Reflections, it’s more a pick-and-choose modernist take. With characters.
A large Pocahontas statue stands atop a ledge, with the wind blowing in her hair. Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? Well, the artists must’ve run out of ink, because gusts of wind are depicted white and lacking any color at all. Still, the ’90s kid in me is excited that the Powhatan princess is finally getting the recognition she deserves.
If you saw those spherical structures lurking in the back of the first photo, here’s a closer look at the general space they occupy. I’m a huge fan of all the hidden cubbies and living spaces that Wilderness Lodge features, so here’s an interesting iteration of that, with a large space sectioned out into more intimate spheres. Free-form sofas in hues of orange, green, and purple with watercolor-like rugs make the space feel organic.
If “lifestyle hotel” were the buzz words for Gran Destino Tower, we reckon “organic living” will be the terms for Reflections, what with it already sounding like some nature retreat and all. All along the glass-paned walls are even more seating spaces and orb-like light fixtures. In the back left corner, you have what seems to be the gift shop. Pay no mind to the foosball table on the left corner. We Photoshopped that in.
If we’ve piqued your curiosity on Reflections, check out some more of the details we’ve covered on the upcoming resort. So far, we know that the resort will feature waterfront dining, with a table service restaurant on Bay Lake. The main building of the resort is set to have a counter service restaurant on the first floor. That might just be it in that right corner of the first photo.
Recent permits showed us the general layout of the resort, with the locations of the new cabins to be built. We expect further details and concept art for the resort to be released in the coming months, if not sooner.
RIP River Country. In spirit, you’ll always be just around the river bend.
Excuse me, is this a Modern art gallery ?????
A couple of things:
First…darn you for the fooseball misdirect. I was actually down for that!
Second, I wonder why they couldn’t have repurposed parts of River Country for, say, their pool area? It would have made it more unique to have 2 or 3 of the old slides, perhaps a small wave pool or lazy river. It would have certainly made it a rival for the Beach Club’s pool.
I’ll take it you never saw the shape that any of the remnants of River Country was in. It was also not built like a normal water park and would require a very massive overhaul. It’s much cheaper to bulldoze and rebuild it the right way.
Wow, that is horrible. I yearn for the days of Disney’s themed resorts. All we get lately are these generic style resorts with some themed elements thrown in. Gone are the days of AKL, WL, hell even Port Orleans would not get built by Disney’s hotel design standards nowadays. What a shame
I really miss the days when Disney themed hotels had a story attached to them and truly made you feel that you were immersed in that theme (see Port Orleans, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk, etc.). All these new modern inspired “themed” hotels just fall flat for me.
I like Pocahontas but.. in the ultra sensitive culture that we live in, I’m waiting for someone to be offended. And when they do… you heard it here first!!!! 😂
And her statue seems out of place in that lobby the way it is designed and decorated.
Well honestly, I would love for the hotel to be pushing the Native American theme. The way to do it right would be to hire NA artists and designers so it’s done right, and also so you are supporting NA professionals in that field. That’s actually what they did when they made Moana.
What is bonkers to me is why we don’t get a truly Mediterranean (Greek isles or Venetian) hotel like Miracosta in TDL, instead we get the Riviera (which is…fine I guess). They have so many ways they could go: English countryside (cottages/castle!), mining/cave themed, “adventure” themed (like Indiana Jones/South American rainforest). Heck, I’d even be down for a Northern Europe/ice theme hotel (wouldn’t even hate the Frozen tie-in for that). So many possibilities, and they went with…this.
I’m sure it will be pretty, but unless the pool is absolutely bonkers I can’t see anything that puts this above most of the other Deluxe resorts.
Wow this looks absolutely terrible. No theme whatsoever.
Being a fan of mid-century modern and modernist architecture in general, I rather like it – at least the lobby renderings and the porte cochere. The room wings, however, look rather generic here. Reminds me of the Spring Mountain Visitor’s Gateway, or the visitor’s center at Mt. Rushmore in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and several recently built park buildings around the country. I also like Wilderness Lodge, but it’s probably a good idea not to replicate that. WDW is big enough to have all sorts of architectural styles.
Everything goes in cycles. It will probably swing back the other way at some point, if it doesn’t impact the bottom line.
I know this is merely concept art, and that many things will change between now and the final product. Still, words like hideous, uninspired, and tacky come quickly to mind. As others have hinted, there’s no way resorts like WL, AKL, et.al., would be built by today’s Disney.
Haters gonna hate…
I think it looks great.
All that glass facing the lake.
Gonna be a beautiful setting!
Love the way you incorporated the song from the movie.
Wait and see what it will look like as the actual building always look different than the art concept.
Where did this concept art come from? There’s no Disney copyright on the images. Arm-chair imagineering by someone? Weird.
I made it. (This is a joke)
Is it me? The exterior view looks like an Indian gaming casino! Ironic, no?
The color white is technically ALL of the colors in the spectrum, so, technically the artist did paint with all the colors of the wind.