Legoland California Resort has scheduled a Jan. 18 groundbreaking for its planned new castle-themed hotel, which will be the second on-site hotel at the Carlsbad park.
Park officials said the 250-room hotel, plans for which were announced in fall 2016, is slated to open in spring 2018. It will join a similar-sized Lego-brick-themed hotel that opened in 2013 at the Carlsbad venue.
Approved by the city of Carlsbad in October, the new three-story hotel will include an outdoor swimming pool and its own full-service restaurant and gift shop. It will have building and pavement elements emulating a castle’s towers, drawbridge and other elements.
The hotel is being built on a portion of a parking lot located west of the theme park’s existing hotel and main entrance, off Legoland Drive near Cannon Road. Legoland California Resort currently employs about 2,500 people, and the new hotel is expected to add approximately 250 jobs.
Legoland California’s operator, U.K.- based Merlin Entertainments, does not disclose project costs or other financial figures for its individual theme parks. The world’s second-largest theme park operator owns more than 100 attractions in 24 countries, including Legoland parks in Florida, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
For 2017, the Carlsbad park has also previously announced significant expansions of existing Legoland attractions, including its “Star Wars” Miniland and its on-site waterpark. It also plans new redesigned rooms at its existing hotel that will be themed around the popular Lego Ninjago block sets and TV show.
