NATION'S FIRST LEGOLAND® HOTEL OPENING SUMMER 2013!!
LEGOLAND® California Resort
announces expansion at press conference
CARLSBAD,
Calif. (Aug. 25, 2011) –
"LEGOLAND® California
Resort is ready to grow
again," announced General Manager of LEGOLAND California Resort Peter
Ronchetti. "In the summer of 2013, right where you are sitting, we
are opening LEGOLAND® Hotel" he announced to invited guests and media at today's press conference.
The three-story LEGOLAND Hotel is being designed to give guests the interactive family experience
that has brought success to LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFETM Carlsbad Aquarium and LEGOLAND® Water Park. Created to bring
children's imaginations to life, the 250-room LEGO® themed hotel will feature brightly colored LEGO décor, a pool area and
restaurant. LEGOLAND Hotel will be the first of its kind in North America and construction is set to begin in October.
The announcement was made at the site where the hotel will be built
which is to the right of
LEGOLAND California's entrance in an area currently used for bus
parking. Icons from each of the Resort's attractions flanked the
background as Ronchetti spoke to each one's success. Ride cars from
Safari Trek and Volvo Driving School and the costumed character
"Buddy" represented LEGOLAND California which opened in 1999 and
continues its stellar growth streak by having the most successful year
in
the history of the family theme park in 2010. A 12-foot acrylic shark
along with two Aquarists represented SEA LIFE Carlsbad Aquarium which
opened in
2008 and focuses on educating children on the wonders of the underwater
world in a way specifically designed for their understanding. Two
lifeguards
wearing customized Build-A-Rafts represented the world's first LEGOLAND
Water Park which opened last year and was honored with the World Water
Park Association's prestigious Industry Innovation Award. And lastly, a
six-foot tall model of a hotel bellhop built out of more than 37,000
LEGO bricks was revealed – the first model built for LEGOLAND Hotel.
Mayor Pro Tem Ann Kulchin from the City of Carlsbad congratulated
Ronchetti on the announcement after she rode in on LEGOLAND California's
whimsical "Brick Mobile" pulling behind it a queen-sized bed decked out
with colorful bedding and LEGO brick graphics. "We've
been waiting for this and now it's finally happening and I'm so
pleased," said Kulchin. "Carlsbad has the reputation of being
family oriented and this is the piece of the puzzle that really needs to
be here." With that declaration, more than 28,000 thousand
multi-colored DUPLO® bricks (a DUPLO brick is exactly twice
the dimension of a standard LEGO brick) weighing more than one-thousand
pounds were poured out of a big front loader onto the bed below.
Children invited from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carlsbad wore pajamas
to the press
conference to get in the "hotel mood" and squealed with delight as the
bricks came pouring down on to the bed.
The City of Carlsbad Planning Commission approved LEGOLAND
California Resort's request for
permission to build a hotel on Resort property in 2009. "Once the rest
of the proper approvals were attained, we had to consider many factors
including economic recovery, before establishing the perfect opening
date for this remarkable hotel," Ronchetti explained. "But now, we
are ready to move forward in our development and I can't wait to bring
the LEGOLAND experience to the next level for our guests."
Like LEGOLAND California and the SEA LIFE Carlsbad Aquarium, the
hotel will be
designed for families with young children and will feature rooms and
suites themed after the most popular LEGOLAND areas. The LEGOLAND Hotel
joins the
Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa and the Grand Pacific Palisades already
on Resort property.
While this is the first LEGOLAND Hotel in the United States, it will be the third in the world following LEGOLAND Windsor Hotel
opening in 2012 and LEGOLAND Billund which opened a 176-room LEGOLAND Hotel in 1991.
To follow the progress of LEGOLAND Hotel, visit www.LEGOLANDhotel.com. For more information on LEGOLAND California Resort, visit
www.LEGOLAND.com or call 760-918-LEGO.
LEGOLAND®
California Resort includes LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFETM Carlsbad
Aquarium, both geared for families with
children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you'll
find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including the 5.5 acre
LEGOLAND Water Park and the all-new Star WarsTM Miniland. SEA LIFE
incorporates LEGO® models into a child's voyage to the
depths of the ocean and features play zones, fun facts, quiz trails and the new Octopus Garden. For more information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com or
call (760) 918-LEGO.
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS is the leading name
in
location-based, family entertainment, and has seen the most successful
and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five
years.
Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction
operator, Merlin now operates 77 attractions, six hotels/two holiday
villages in 17 countries and across four continents. The company aims to
deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 43.6 million
visitors
worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the
commitment and passion of its managers and more than 16,000 employees.
Merlin
Entertainments operates the following attractions – SEA LIFE, Madame
Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The EDF Energy London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland,
LEGOLAND
Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park,
Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Heide Park, Earth Explorer,
Sydney
Aquarium, Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Tower Observatory and Skywalk,
Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter Underwater World, Oceanworld Manly
and Hamilton Island Koala Gallery. All brands which are distinctive,
challenging and innovative – and which have great potential for
growth in the future. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.
|
