CARLSBADCARLSBAD — Legoland California is set to open the nation’s first Lego-themed hotel on Friday, a move that could transform the Carlsbad theme park from a daytime attraction to an overnight vacation destination.
Company officials said they expect the three-story, 250-room hotel will attract more visitors, both regionally and across the United States, and convince them to stay longer.
“It just puts us more in line with the Disney resort concept where you stay and play,” Frank Idris, the hotel’s general manager said during a tour last week, as crews placed finishing touches on the building.
The hotel is steps from the park’s entrance and adorned with thousands of Lego toy models, from knights and dragons to pirates and butterflies, including at least eight in each guest room. Each model is meticulously fashioned using the famous Lego building bricks.
Red, yellow and green Lego décor envelops each guest room – from the bedspreads to the bathroom – making visitors feel as if they’ve walked into a pirate ship, castle or adventure land. Children have their own sleeping areas and televisions in each room.
The one-of-a-kind approach will help Legoland snap up hotel guests, industry experts said.
“I think this is a pretty strong sell for people looking for a destination vacation,” said Robert Niles of Pasadena, founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com and former Walt Disney World attractions host. “It’s certainly unique. And unique is something that helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace.”
Simple strategy
Owned by London-based Merlin Entertainment Group, Legoland California is not the first theme park to open a hotel on its grounds.
Disneyland and Disney World feature hotels on their respective sites in Anaheim and Orlando, as does Universal Studios in Orlando.
The Carlsbad hotel is patterned after Legoland’s first Lego-themed hotel – in Windsor, England. Altogether, there are six Legoland parks worldwide, with the others in Florida, Denmark, and Malaysia.
The hotel is considered the largest investment made at the Carlsbad park since it opened in 1999. Officials would not divulge the hotel’s price tag, but assuming a typical cost of about $200,000 per room, it may have run about $50 million or more.
Like the other resorts, Legoland California’s motivation for providing an overnight stay was simple: “To drive more attendance to the park,” said Idris, the hotel general manager.
The hotel is likely to attract visitors from Legoland’s core Southern California market, industry experts said. But it should also expand its market to places across the West like Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
It may even bring some international visitors, said Howard Hian, a San Diego-based hotel consultant and travel writer.
Early hotel bookings show visitors from as far as New York and Florida are planning trips, Idris said.
“We’re pleased with advanced bookings,” he said, adding that the hotel’s first week was nearly sold out.
Still available at the hotel are dozens of jobs. Legoland hotel plans to hire 250 workers, but still had dozens of positions available as of last week, including cooks, dishwashers, front desk agents and a facilities technician, among others. (More information is at legoland.com/jobs).
Money winner?
Those new hires will be charged with creating a fun but also profitable environment for the hotel.
While some hotels can be a money loser for theme parks, experts estimated Legoland won’t have that problem. Niles said the park is “sharply focused” on its target audience of elementary school age children, and has built a strong reputation in the industry since the park opened in 1999.
Numerous hotel features were designed to ensure children enjoy the stay, from the giant Lego castle and pirate ship play area inside the lobby to the shorter restaurant buffet bars and bathroom sinks designed for a child’s height.
Performers dressed like Lego pirates and princesses will entertain guests each night at the play area, park officials said. There’s also a pool for guests only and several dining and drink spots inside.
“They’re not going to have any trouble filling this hotel,” Hian said, adding that Legoland would probably be able to “drive (room) rates pretty high,” given the park’s strong and unique draw.
Added Niles: “Merlin is a smart company. They’re not going to build something unless they’re confident about a return on investment.”
No decision has been made on whether the park will extend its hours into the night once the hotel opens. Most park attractions close by 6 or 7 p.m.
Hotel guests will receive exclusive early morning access to the park, officials said.
Hian, the hotel consultant, said there are some entertainment venues where hotels would not make sense. It might be hard for a museum in the High Desert, for example, to convince people to stay overnight.
Legoland in Carlsbad, with is pleasant climate and places like SeaWorld or the San Diego Zoo Safari Park close by, makes a lot of sense, he said. The nearby attractions could experience a ripple effect of more visitors once the hotel opens.
Idris said the hotel charges rates comparable with other full service hotels in the area. In the fall and winter months, the price ranges from $149 per night for standard themed rooms to $349 per night for family suites, said Estrada.
The costs are “subject to change depending on the season, demand and size of the room,” the spokeswoman said in an email.
On a Saturday in early May, the cost for one room (shared by two adults and two children) increases to a range of between $246 and $409, according to the hotel booking website. On a Saturday in early July, that range is $309 to $509.
Guests have an array of park ticket and dining packages to choose from, which are separate from hotel room costs.
The general public can expect to pay between $54 and $97 for a one-day ticket, depending on the visitor’s age and how many attractions they want to see, according to Legoland’s website.
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