Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has purchased a 15-acre site for a 500-room hotel overlooking the Potomac River at the massive National Harbor complex in Prince George’s County. Groundbreaking for the project has not been announced. Disney’s move, The Washington Post reported, is expected to elevate interest in the 300-acre National Harbor venture, which opened a year ago.
“The addition of Disney as a partner to the National Harbor mix validates and fulfills the shared vision that we will be a world-class waterfront destination resort,” said Milton V. Peterson, chairman of Peterson Companies. “It’s an extraordinary compliment in this economy.” At National Harbor, Disney will join the National Children’s Museum, which announced late last month that it will open a permanent home designed by architect Cesar Pelli in 2013.
