Epic Universe will revolutionize the theme park industry, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said, calling it "the absolute, state-of-the-art, best-in-the-world park."
At Universal Orlando's brand new theme park opening next year, facial recognition will be used when visitors enter. Roberts didn't dive into details but said cutting-edge technology will be used beyond the rides to help the consumer experience from "navigating the lines, paying for food, communicating" and retail shopping.
"It's going to redefine the park experience," Roberts said during a Q&A at the MoffettNathanson's Media, Internet and Communications Conference.
Roberts showed investors a video that depicted, he said, the park renderings versus Epic Universe's current state of construction. People tuning in to the live webcast missed out and were not shown the short video. Universal Orlando did not respond immediately to a request from Florida Politics Tuesday for a copy of it.
"We've taken seven years to build this," Roberts said afterward. "There's more dirt that's been moved. Steel was brought in. Hotels, restaurants, retail — I don't think there's been anything quite like it in this country."
Epic Universe includes three new hotels, including one with a special entrance into Epic Universe. The theme park has five lands featuring Nintendo, Harry Potter, "How to Train Your Dragon," Universal Monsters and another land with trees and water so it resembles an actual park.
"This is not just like, here's a new Harry Potter," Roberts said. "It's pretty spectacular."
Universal wants guests to stay for a week in Orlando on vacation. With Epic Universe, the Comcast-owned theme park is making a push to capture some of Disney World's guests. Disney World has been the biggest player in town, although Universal is catching up.
"Here in Orlando where we know the weather's good, where we know the tourists want to come," Roberts said, "we think it's a very good investment for the company and for the stockholders, and at the same time, will just elevate Universal."
No comments:
Post a Comment