Wheels Are Turning on Rejuvenation and Expansion of Disneyland Hotel : HOTELS/TOURISM

No formal plans have been announced yet. But the Walt Disney Co. is developing plans and has already approved spending “whatever is necessary” for a massive upgrade of the Disneyland Hotel.

The Anaheim hotel was bought in January by Burbank-based Disney and a joint-venture partner. But even before the sale, plans had been announced to renovate and expand the 32-year-old hotel, which is starting to show its age.

“We’ve already had approved a significant amount of money to start the process of planning how to renovate the hotel,” said Mike Bullis, vice president and general manager of Walt Disney Resorts.

“We’ll start a program over the next two to three years of redoing basically everything,” Bullis said. That will include sprucing up the grand ballrooms, guest rooms and public areas.

He stressed that there are no definite plans yet.

The 1,174-room, high-rise hotel already has a man-made marina, white-sand beaches and cascading waterfalls. And, Bullis said, “I would imagine that with the Disney magic and the way they conceptualize things into the ultimate guest experience . . . I think you’re going to see much more of the waterfalls and the marinas and those types of things develop in this hotel.”

“Disney has tremendous plans for Southern California,” he said. “They’re going to put millions into this hotel . . . and ultimately transform the entire property.”