Speaker 1: Disney is bringing a little bit of its signature magic
Speaker 1: off Main Street and into the California desert in Rancho Mirage,
Speaker 1: a place where Walt Disney himself wants vacationed. The company
Speaker 1: is about to open the gates to Kotino, its first
Speaker 1: ever master planned community. We're talking multimillion dollar homes, a
Speaker 1: private waterfront paradise, world class shopping, dining, and even a
Speaker 1: secret clubhouse inspired by the Incredibles. And right now we're
Speaker 1: diving into anything you need to know about Disney's bold
Speaker 1: new venture into real estate and how it's shaping the
Speaker 1: future of storytelling where you live. Some of the first
Speaker 1: homeowners in this community have already received their keys and
Speaker 1: are about to move in. Joining me now is Yolanda Caid,
Speaker 1: Vice President of Communications for Disney's Signature Experiences.
Speaker 2: So let's just jump right in. I have the pleasure
Speaker 2: a few weeks ago of heading out to the desert
Speaker 2: and seeing firsthand Cotino. Tell me a little bit about
Speaker 2: this property. If someone who has not heard of this before,
Speaker 2: what can they expect.
Speaker 3: When they so. Katino, which is the very first story
Speaker 3: living by Disney community, is really just a very special place,
Speaker 3: and there are a lot of reasons for that. One
Speaker 3: of that really starts with a concept behind the community,
Speaker 3: and we're often asked, you know what makes a different
Speaker 3: unique and special. I'll start with Walt Disney World Imagineering.
Speaker 3: Many people are familiar with the great work that they
Speaker 3: do in our parts and our attractions, but they really
Speaker 3: brought their talents to bear here because they were really
Speaker 3: inspired by all of the natural beauty and the magic
Speaker 3: that you find in the Coachella Valley. I'm sure you
Speaker 3: saw that when you were there. I was just there
Speaker 3: recently myself at the community, and it's just a special
Speaker 3: place already. But when we think about what it really
Speaker 3: meant to Walt himself, what many people don't know is
Speaker 3: that Walt Disney actually found a lot of inspiration and
Speaker 3: that this was a place of rejuvenation for him. In fact,
Speaker 3: he and his wife they had a home in the
Speaker 3: area for many years, so we thought it was a
Speaker 3: perfect place for the very first story living you know,
Speaker 3: by Disney communities. So it's really apropos that we're there now.
Speaker 2: When people hear about a living community designed by Disney imagineers,
Speaker 2: I think what comes to mind is maybe you're going
Speaker 2: to see mouse ears everywhere, lots of touches of Disney,
Speaker 2: but this didn't feel like that. Like there were definitely
Speaker 2: some you know, nods to Disney, but it's not like
Speaker 2: a theme part.
Speaker 3: You know. One of the great things, as you said
Speaker 3: about our Walt Disney imagineers, is that they are known
Speaker 3: for bringing creativity and inspiration and so we've brought the
Speaker 3: best of that here to bear. But this is not
Speaker 3: a theme part, but it brings the very best that
Speaker 3: Disney is known for, quality service and right we're really
Speaker 3: bringing this community to life through you know, the amenities
Speaker 3: that we're offering, but our residents are really going to
Speaker 3: enjoy just an incredible lifestyle. You know, they'll be able
Speaker 3: to choose. For example, as I talk about the amenities,
Speaker 3: one of the things that makes it special is a
Speaker 3: volunteery on site club which to call the artists and club,
Speaker 3: and that's where they'll be able to really explore, you know,
Speaker 3: their their passions. And there'll be a lot of Disney
Speaker 3: touches and fused there with our Disney service. But most importantly,
Speaker 3: you know, it will be operated you know by our
Speaker 3: Disney you know cast members, which will be offering a
Speaker 3: number of things. So if you can think about having
Speaker 3: you know, a monthly speaker series where you can hear
Speaker 3: everything from Disney experts or storytellers, you know, food and
Speaker 3: wine events.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: With this the backdrop of Patino Bay, which I'm sure
Speaker 3: you saw when you were there as little heather and
Speaker 3: the stunning mountains, it's simply going to be spectacular. Now,
Speaker 3: when you think about a great Disney story, there's one
Speaker 3: I will call out, and you probably had a chance
Speaker 3: to see the par House that is coming to life there.
Speaker 3: That's going to be a multi purpose event venue available
Speaker 3: for overnight stays and for special events. Now, the design,
Speaker 3: if it's familiar, is inspired by the par Family's house
Speaker 3: from Disney and Pixar's Incredibles too, so that may ring
Speaker 3: a bell for people. So the Pixar artists actually found
Speaker 3: their original inspiration for the family's home right there in
Speaker 3: coll In Coachella Valley. So you know, it was only
Speaker 3: fitting for us to build a powerhouse here. So our
Speaker 3: imagineers then in turn work with the Pixar artists and
Speaker 3: they were able to design some really creative you know concepts,
Speaker 3: you know, inspired by the film and incorporated that into
Speaker 3: the homes detail. The you know, the details of the home.
Speaker 3: So a very special place.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is. It looks really cool. And one
Speaker 2: of the things that was interesting too is that this
Speaker 2: is in many ways a standard housing development. People can
Speaker 2: go in, they can pick their floor plan, the type
Speaker 2: of house that they want to build it, and then
Speaker 2: customize you know, the features and and you know, maybe
Speaker 2: they work with an imagineer to pick out certain types
Speaker 2: of tapestries and you know, those sorts of things. What
Speaker 2: are some of the phases that are going to be
Speaker 2: rolling out in the next few months are next few years? Rather,
Speaker 2: I understand there's going to be a big shopping center
Speaker 2: like a town center.
Speaker 3: Area next year. We're looking forward to the opening of
Speaker 3: Coatino Town Center. It will be open to the public,
Speaker 3: so again it's going to provide you know, just a
Speaker 3: nice amenity there in the community. So that town center
Speaker 3: is actually going to be offer a mix of shopping.
Speaker 3: They'll be dining with local and national brands. Will also
Speaker 3: be an open air artists market, along with public access
Speaker 3: to Katino Bay for a fee. So this will, uh,
Speaker 3: you know, really be a central piece of the community
Speaker 3: and from a resident standpoint, you know, I was saying
Speaker 3: earlier how you think of having everything within your community.
Speaker 3: You know, you can walk, ride your bike, drive, or
Speaker 3: just drive your golf cart over to the Katino Town Center.
Speaker 3: You can shop, you can have dinner in the community
Speaker 3: or at the town center. So again, lots of offerings.
Speaker 3: And I have to tell you, I'm really excited to
Speaker 3: share with you that our first residents officially have their keys, uh,
Speaker 3: and they'll be moving in soon. So this fall, we're excited,
Speaker 3: you know, for the opening of an artisan club. You
Speaker 3: know that includes the parkhouse that we just talked about.
Speaker 3: My club members will be able to also enjoy Katino
Speaker 3: Bay and you know, all the amazing amenities. So again,
Speaker 3: lots of excitement, and you know, we can't wait for
Speaker 3: our residence in the community to experience it.
Speaker 2: You know, when I was telling people here sort of
Speaker 2: about this community, they had one big question, if you
Speaker 2: buy a house in Katino, does it come with free
Speaker 2: Disneyland tickets?
Speaker 3: Well, if I will tell you if if we have
Speaker 3: a conversation and we're not asked that every single time,
Speaker 3: I'm telling you all, I would be surprised. And it's
Speaker 3: a natural question. And so you know, there are lots
Speaker 3: of amenities and lots of ways that we're going to
Speaker 3: be bringing as the experiences to life, But no, right now,
Speaker 3: that is not a part of the plan. You know,
Speaker 3: a home that comes equipped with tickets. In this case,
Speaker 3: you know, the park is just you know, a short
Speaker 3: drive away. But we're excited, you know, to provide a
Speaker 3: special place and a special community that they can call home.
Speaker 2: Well, I think it sounds like a magical place and
Speaker 2: I cannot wait to go back and see how it's
Speaker 2: all come together over the next few years. So, Yolanda,
Speaker 2: thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.
Speaker 1: To find out more information, you can visit story Living
Speaker 1: by Disney dot com or head to our website k
Speaker 1: if I am six forty dot com. I'm Motherbrooker. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and you can listen anywhere, anytime on the
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