Universal Hollywood Plans New Rides & Hotels as Part of Multi-Year Expansion, Following Disneyland and Epic Universe

The past few years, we've seen growth in the theme park business with the addition of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando, new projects breaking ground at Walt Disney World, and the DisneylandForward framework for expansion.

Universal Studios Hollywood is the next theme park that is in its own process of growth as the company charts its multi-year expansion. Let's get into all the details of the changes coming soon to Universal Studios Hollywood and why these changes will bring positive benefits to the theme park.

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NBC Universal Evolution Plan Outlines Future Improvements

The NBC Universal Evolution Plan is a large planning and development effort that includes new additions to the existing studio, theme park, retail, and entertainment uses, including CityWalk, along with the introduction of an area for new hotels. The project could add up to approximately 1.89 million square feet of net new commercial development, including new studio, entertainment, retail, hotel, office, and related spaces.

Keep in mind that this number includes areas of the studio, not just theme park space, but we could see expansion and changes to Universal Studios Hollywood as a result. These changes will allow Universal Studios Hollywood to be more competitive with other theme parks in the area, especially with improvements to CityWalk and the addition of on-site hotels.

According to the Forward in the planning documents, “The NBC Universal Evolution Plan (the “Evolution Plan”) is a comprehensive planning and development effort to maintain Universal City’s status as a center of entertainment and tourism, to meet the future needs of Southern California’s entertainment industry, and to allow the site to grow in a way that is compatible with Los Angeles.”

Universal also calls out how “family recreation businesses, including Universal Studios Hollywood (Theme Park) and CityWalk,” are priorities in this expansion, as they are considered economic drivers for Los Angeles County.

The map above gives good insight into the varied stakeholders NBC Universal is juggling as it plans this expansion from balancing the needs of the studio, businesses, entertainment, and existing Universal facilities.

This plan outlines similar goals we've seen from DisneylandForward to allow for theme park expansion while also seamlessly growing with the city surrounding it. Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood navigate similar constraints that their Orlando counterparts don't face, as they are both located in the middle of cities. I read through this new plan to pull out the most important highlights as we look into what this expansion project could hold for Universal Studios Hollywood.

What About the Universal Studio Tour?

According to the documents, the plan allows for the expansion and renovation of existing attractions, along with the opportunity to add new attractions.

Universal specifically states that these enhancements will still aim to preserve the park's character, especially with The Back Lot District. The Back Lot District is the area that contains production facilities and also provides attractions for the Universal Studio Tour, like the Bates Motel and Earthquake. Universal states that The Back Lot District will continue to offer these attractions while also allowing “opportunities for additional experiences.”

Universal Studios Hollywood has already hinted at more experiences coming to the Universal Studio Tour. The section of the studio tour featuring Fast & Furious closed permanently in March 2025 at the time that Universal announced more details on the new Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster opening next year. Once Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift opens in 2026, it will be the main Fast & Furious feature experience at the theme park. Since that portion of the Universal Studio Tour has been removed, there is space to expand on more experiences.

The Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift roller coaster is a good example of how Universal Studios Hollywood has had to navigate expansion with limited space. This is the reason for the clever move to build the tracks over the escalators that lead down to the Lower Lot.

The current Universal tram maintenance site, near the boarding area for the tour, may also be used for a home to a future attraction. This could mean that the tram loading is going to be moved to the lower lot. There is a lot of space in the backlot area, which they need to find the right way to utilize.

WaterWorld May Be on the Chopping Block

Another revelation from the NBC Universal Evolution Plan was a future concept map that showed the area currently occupied by the WaterWorld show labeled as “new theme park attraction with food & beverage retail.”

While nothing has been confirmed regarding WaterWorld's fate, this detail hints at a future reworking of the theme park spaces. You can read more about the future of WaterWorld and view the concept map in our earlier coverage of this news.

New Hotels Coming to Universal Studios Hollywood

The plan also revealed more details, pointing to one confirmed hotel and potential space for another along Universal Hollywood Drive.

The first hotel would be located in the Entertainment District next to the entrance of the theme park. This hotel is planned to offer up to 500 rooms and is in the same hilltop area where Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk are located. This would put the hotel directly adjacent to the theme park and CityWalk, most likely in the area between the entrance plaza and CityWalk.

The second hotel could be located along Universal Hollywood Drive. This area is planned to be restructured to create space for another hotel or a new entertainment use. This spot would overlook the entrance area to the park and CityWalk. If a hotel is placed here, the location would be on the hillside road that leads guests up from Lankershim Boulevard/Metro Station to the CityWalk/Theme Park entrance.

Building hotels with such close access to Universal Studios Hollywood would be a huge win for the theme park, as this is an area it is dramatically lacking when compared to its competitors. Especially if the hotels offered perks similar to what we see in Universal Orlando, like Express Pass for its luxury hotel guests.

Needed Changes Also Coming to CityWalk

Universal CityWalk has seen many stores close in recent years, and aside from crowds at opening and closing periods for the theme park, it remains largely empty of crowds and underutilized by theme park guests.

This new concept plan would help fix that as Universal calls out plans to provide “improved pedestrian facilities and updated food and merchandising venues.” There is definitely room for improvement at Universal CityWalk, as there's not much of a draw for locals and tourists due to a lack of strong entertainment options and limited shopping experiences.

Concepts of What Can Happen But No Guarantees

The NBC Universal Evolution Plan outlines a blueprint of what can happen and is not a guarantee of what will happen, as is the case with many processes like these. I am optimistic since Universal has demonstrated a commitment to expansion and aggressive construction timelines for its current theme park projects and past additions.

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I think it is likely we will see these projects take place, but we may not hear news of them until construction is well underway. This is more in line with Universal's style, as it is common for them not to announce their plans in advance the way that Disney does.

We will have to wait and see which movies and franchises are represented in new stories told. We have already heard different mentions of Wicked and more Harry Potter as future Universal expansions. There could of course also be inspiration from the success of Epic Universe where they just introduced a classic Universal monsters land and How to Train Your Dragon land. We'll be keeping a close eye on the potential for the growth of this park.

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