Union fails as Universal

Good news for travelers. The local florida union has officially announced that they are no longer going to try and secure enough signatures from employees to try an unionize the Universal Studios of Orlando workforce.

This is great news for Orlando visitors because at Disney World, where the employees are unionized, all union employees are guaranteed a 3.5% raise. This cost increase is simply past right along to the theme park visitors. By Universal Studios not being unionize they will not have this extra pressure to raise the gate ticket prices.

I know, I know. Theme park tickets go up every year, but Universal Studios as least won't have the excuse that since their labor cost have gone up their ticket prices have to go up as well.

Universal Halloween Horror Nights a huge draw

Easily one of the biggest draws to Universal Studios Orlando is the Halloween Horror nights. In fact, this has become such a big draw that they have hired a team to do nothing but work on this project year round.
Recently we came across an interview Jim Timon, Senior Vice President of Universal Studios Orlando, did with the Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel.

This is a very intriguing question and answer interview and it gives us quite a bit of insight into the huge task Universal has on their hands to overcome Disney’s Magic Your Way pricing structure. I personally never knew that Halloween Horror Nights and Mardi Gras were Universal’s two biggest draws here in Orlando. In fact, the pressure to keep the haunted houses new and innovative is something that Universal has to work year round on.

In the interview here is Mr. Timon response to how important Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights is to Universal’s Success. “Those events demand so much new thinking and creativity because we do them new every year...That spills over to make us always challenge ourselves to meet that bar in just about everything we do. What we used to call events is now our brand.”

Personally, I really like the Halloween Horror Nights and it a true blessing to travel companies in Orlando. It gives us a boost during our slower Fall season. Over the last few years, Halloween Horror Nights has really come to the fore front as a being a major draw to Orlando.

If you are going to be coming to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights, you might want to stay at some of our Orlando resort hotels. Most of them offer free shuttle service to Universal Studios and a few of them even offer free breakfast in the morning.

Universal's President to retire

Bob Gault is retiring from Universal Orlando on December 5, 2006. The ride for the theme park giant has had it’s ups and downs during his time as president.

Bill Davis, a former SeaWorld of Florida general manager, will replace him, becoming the next chief operating officer of Universal's resort with two of the world's largest theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and the City Walk entertainment district and three resort hotels.

Gault, 62, has long been praised for his success for being a team player and president that saw the theme park through some difficult times. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks attendance at the theme parks was at an all time low. He rebounded in 2004 when Universal set an all time record for attendance. His success did not stop their however; in 2005 Universal set another record this time for overall employee satisfaction.

Gault will long be missed for his attention to detail and his unwavering commitment to employee satisfaction. “ I think I was at the right place at the right time," he said.
His boss, Universal Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Williams, agreed, calling him a "consummate professional”. "There was no better leader for this time than Bob Gault," Williams said.

In Gault's five years, Universal added few attractions. There are just two major new shows, Shrek 4-D and Fear Factor Live, and one major new ride, Revenge of the Mummy -- The Ride, and all replaced old attractions. This year, Universal opened a nightclub, a restaurant, a children's train ride, and a fresh summer night show, Universal 360.Gault credited what he called a strong team of leaders and employees, and quality attractions. He said he stuck to fundamentals -- pleasing employees and guests and controlling costs.

"I'm a fundamentalist," he said. "If you have the team together, feeling good about the job they do, that equates to strong guest satisfaction, and that equates to a reasonable profit."Gault is widely praised for his focus on the resort's 13,000 employees. He frequently gets into the parks to meet with them, and regularly holds lunch meetings with them. The company reported that employee surveys find job satisfaction is now at its highest levels ever.

Davis, 60, led SeaWorld of Florida from 1988 to 1997, then was transferred to SeaWorld of California. In 2003, he joined Vivendi Universal as managing director of the Universal Mediterranea theme park resort in Spain. But Vivendi sold that resort and Davis moved on to run a Six Flags park in California.He left that park in June, and he and his wife, Becky, moved back to their home in Orlando.

"I couldn't be happier," Davis said