By the summer of 2013, the entrance to LEGOLAND California Resort will look remarkably different than it does now: what is currently a bus parking lot just east of the main entrance will hold a three-story, 250-room hotel.
General Manager Peter Ronchetti made the announcement at a news conference last month filled with the whimsical touches one has come to expect from the theme park.
Ronchetti was surrounded by reminders of the theme park's successes and milestones, including ride cars from the Safari Trek and the Volvo Driving School; a 12-foot-long shark from the Sea Life Carlsbad Aquarium; and lifeguards in flotation devices with LEGOS (or Build-a-Rafts) to symbolize the LEGOLAND Water Park. To symbolize the new hotel, the resort unveiled a new creation, a 6-foot-tall bellhop built out of more than 37,000 bricks, the first sculpture to be created specifically for the resort.
Instead of the traditional groundbreaking ceremonies that see officials take shovels to the ground, a front loader dropped more than 28,000 green, red and blue DUPLO bricks (LEGO's larger constrution blocks, ideal for smaller hands) on a colorful bed that announced the 2013 date. Children invited from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carlsbad wore pajamas to the press conference and got to play with the bricks after they formed a pile on the ground.
The bed was pulled by the "Brick Mobile," a multicolored hot rod that carried Mayor Pro Tem Ann Kulchin, who spoke on behalf of the City of Carlsbad at the event.
"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."
The City of Carlsbad's Planning Commission approved LEGOLAND California Resort's request for permission to build a hotel on the 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."
The theme park has set attendance records in 2009 and 2010, said Ronchetti, who added that the park is on pace to set records again this year.
Construction is expected to begin in October.
The addition is the largest for the theme park since it opened its doors in 1999. The hotel, the first of its kind in North America, will be designed for families with young children and will include rooms and suites themed after the most popular LEGOLAND areas.
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-LEGOLAND.
General Manager Peter Ronchetti made the announcement at a news conference last month filled with the whimsical touches one has come to expect from the theme park.
Ronchetti was surrounded by reminders of the theme park's successes and milestones, including ride cars from the Safari Trek and the Volvo Driving School; a 12-foot-long shark from the Sea Life Carlsbad Aquarium; and lifeguards in flotation devices with LEGOS (or Build-a-Rafts) to symbolize the LEGOLAND Water Park. To symbolize the new hotel, the resort unveiled a new creation, a 6-foot-tall bellhop built out of more than 37,000 bricks, the first sculpture to be created specifically for the resort.
Instead of the traditional groundbreaking ceremonies that see officials take shovels to the ground, a front loader dropped more than 28,000 green, red and blue DUPLO bricks (LEGO's larger constrution blocks, ideal for smaller hands) on a colorful bed that announced the 2013 date. Children invited from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carlsbad wore pajamas to the press conference and got to play with the bricks after they formed a pile on the ground.
The bed was pulled by the "Brick Mobile," a multicolored hot rod that carried Mayor Pro Tem Ann Kulchin, who spoke on behalf of the City of Carlsbad at the event.
"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."
The City of Carlsbad's Planning Commission approved LEGOLAND California Resort's request for permission to build a hotel on the 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."
The theme park has set attendance records in 2009 and 2010, said Ronchetti, who added that the park is on pace to set records again this year.
Construction is expected to begin in October.
The addition is the largest for the theme park since it opened its doors in 1999. The hotel, the first of its kind in North America, will be designed for families with young children and will include rooms and suites themed after the most popular LEGOLAND areas.
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-LEGOLAND.