The newest hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort opened this morning (April 5), and the Toy Story Hotel welcomed its first visitors.
At the opening ceremony, Andy’s toys gathered at the entrance with banners declaring “Have a Good Time!” and “Welcome Friends.”
The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Kasai, who applied in advance and was selected by lottery to be the hotel’s first guest.
Kasai-sama, and his family, were handed a certificate proclaiming him being the first guest and a souvenir. His family also received a commemorative photo with the cast and Bo Peep and Jesse of the “Toy Story” series.
Along with the opening, Tokyo Disney Resort showed the hotel inside and out for the first time.
The hotel actually has a story behind it: Andy decides to build a hotel in his backyard where toys could stay. However, Andy is called by his mom to leave for summer camp before the hotel is completed, so the toys have finished the hotel where “honor toys” from around the world can stay.
The twist to this story is the guests who visit the hotel are the “honor toys” from all over the world.
In the front plaza area of the hotel is Slinky Dog Park, celebrating the fun and joy of playing with toys. Guests will discover oversized toy action figures of Jessie and Buzz Lightyear, nearly 12 feet tall, standing on an enormous Slinky Dog game board.
The hotel has two wings. One side is themed to Buzz Lightyear and the other is themed to Woody’s Roundup. The Buzz Wing, of course has a space theme, while Woody’s Wing has an old west theme to it.
Which one would you want to stay in?
The guest rooms themselves are reminiscent of Andy’s own bedroom, with the iconic cloud motif adorning the walls. The television set is a giant Etch-A-Sketch.
“Toy Story” characters can be found throughout the hotel including hallways, and even Lotso Garden Cafe (I wonder if the standee smells like strawberries).
Speaking of Lotso Garden Cafe, opening day offered up a buffet of yummy looking “Toy Story”-themed treats. How cute is that cake log with the little cowboy hats? Almost too cute to eat…almost.
There are plenty of “Toy Story” characters to enjoy outside, as well. Facing Tokyo Bay in the back of the hotel, Toy Friends Square includes life-size statues of Woody, Hamm, Bo Peep, Wheezy, and the Aliens among others.
Inside the lobby, it appears as if you were shrunk to the size of a toy, with design elements such as the floor pattern imitating a large puzzle piece and the ceiling with a game board.
Meanwhile, the check-in area proclaims “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” in Lite Brite bulbs…
The games motif extends into the gift shop, where the floor is a Scrabble board, and the ceiling is a Battleship game. It’s too bad it doesn’t have a gigantic claw machine to get you your plushie to take home, but it’s still a cute layout.
There are many things in the hotel that make the honorary toys feel like they’re having fun. One of them is the scavenger hunt-style game in the “Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel Guide Map”.
It lets guests patrol the inside of the hotel as if they were a sheriff like Woody, and explores various fun places in the hotel. Use the map to patrol while helping each other. It’s a perfect activity for a rainy day or if guests want to explore the hotel more.
I have to say they did a wonderful job of bringing the original artist renderings to life. Nearly every detail is present in the actual designs.
Here is a quick video look at the resort:
On opening day, the cast of Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel send a message to their guests: “We look forward to seeing you, all of our honorary toys!”
Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel joins the three deluxe resorts – Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Disney Ambassador Resort and Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta – and value resort Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, to become the fifth official hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort.
When visiting the Tokyo Disney Resort, guests can reserve a room at this new Toy Story Hotel at 11am Japan Standard Time (GMT +9), two months before the accommodation date.
Guests will be able to get to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea from Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel by using the Disney Resort Line monorail that circles the Resort.
However being a moderate hotel, there will be a fee for using the monorail for guests. Complimentary Disney Resort Line passes are not available for guests staying at Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel
To celebrate the opening, here is the opening day ad for the Toy Story Hotel: