Why did Disney lose a billion dollars on their Star Wars hotel?

Because it was a shakedown. They thought they could put all the expensive items they had developed in the R&D phase of Star Wars land behind a $3000 a day paywall and drain every penny out of the most fanatical paypigs, rather than integrate it into the main park and endure the torment of lower profit margins.

The paypigs balked and Disney got fucked.