Dive Brief:
- Lion Star Hospitality, Everest Place and Paramount have partnered to bring a 400-room Nickelodeon-branded resort to Kissimmee, Florida, near Orlando.
- The family-oriented hotel and residences property, dubbed Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Orlando, will open in 2026 within the 220-acre Everest Place mixed-use project. Lion Star Hospitality, the exclusive U.S. licensee for Karisma Hotels & Resorts, will operate the property.
- The resort will cater to growing travel demand in Orlando, including from heightened meetings activity in the market. Experts previously told Hotel Dive that individuals traveling for business this year are more frequently bringing along their families and seeking kid-friendly accommodations.
Dive Insight:
Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Orlando will blend “world-class entertainment with forward-thinking accommodation options,” setting “the standard for family vacations,” according to Mario Mathieu, senior vice president of business development, design and construction at Karisma Hotels & Resorts.
The resort will include the water park Aqua Nick, the kids-only play area Club Nick, Nickelodeon-themed retail shops, multiple restaurants and character meet and greets.
Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Orlando will cater to increased travel demand in the market. In 2023, Orlando saw 6.13 million international visitors, up 25% year over year, according to the city’s tourism bureau, Visit Orlando.
The market has also seen heightened business travel, leading other U.S. cities for meetings and events growth in recent months. And earlier this month, Cvent named Orlando as the top meetings and events destination in North America.
Business travelers are increasingly seeking kid-friendly amenities. As more business professionals hop on the “bleisure” trend and bring their families along for work vacations, they are looking for accommodations that meet their families’ needs, Marriott International Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for the U.S. and Canada Julius Robinson told Hotel Dive in March.
Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Orlando is among several other hotels to recently open in the market, including another family-friendly property, the Villatel Orlando Resort, and Hilton’s second Conrad location in Florida.
Marriott International is also developing the Aloft Lake Nona nearby, set to be the closest hotel to the United States Tennis Association National Campus.
On a national level, child-centered hotel brand Hotel Bambinee launched earlier this year to meet growing family travel demand.
