Nick Hotel

Review of the Kid-Friendly Nickelodeon Hotel in Orlando

Mar 27, 2008 Kelby Carr

Nick Hotel in Orlando is an entire hotel built and designed for the under-four-foot set. If you have children who love Nickelodeon characters, this is the ultimate hotel.

The Nick Hotel in Orlando is an experience, an immersion in the bright-orange and slime-green world that is Nickelodeon. In a world that revolves around adults, kids enjoy this miniature world devoted to all things SpongeBob and Dora.

It is very close to all the major theme parks, and there is a convenient shuttle service with frequent runs to and from Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando.

When visiting, be sure to avoid too full an itinerary of theme park visits. That's because you will want to allow at least a good day to enjoy the Nick Hotel property, where there are tons of fun activities for the little ones, from character breakfasts to evening shows with Nick characters to two extensive pool and waterslide areas. That's because the Nick Hotel isn't just a place to stay, it's an attraction unto itself.

Nick Hotel for Toddlers or Preschoolers

In particular if you have toddlers or preschoolers, there are few places on earth that will thrill them more than this world devoted to Nickelodeon. There are so few places -- even family-friendly attractions and accommodations -- that are truly geared at the littlest travelers. This is a refreshing aspect of the Nick Hotel.

Nick Hotel Suite Rooms

Kids will go nuts when they see their rooms here, especially if they are fortunate enough to get one of the highly coveted SpongeBob rooms.

The kids' rooms can come with either bunk beds or twin beds, feature their own TV (which seemed to default to Nickelodeon or Noggin TV channels when turned on, a nice plus). The best part is the elaborate SpongeBob mural on the wall. Kids can also get a game system in-room. The children's room does not have a door, but a curtain.

The rooms are suites, although they are not terribly roomy. A slight quirkiness is that a one-bedroom suite actually has a full kitchen with stovetop, but a two-bedroom suite has just a kitchenette with very small microwave, sink, mini-bar sized fridge and coffee maker.

The adult bedroom is nice as well, and manages to continue the Nick Hotel feel with bright colors yet still feel like a grown-up room. Grown-ups will also love the big-screen flat screen TV in the living room, and the fact the room is already child-proofed with plug protectors.

Bottom Line on the Nick Hotel

There was a lot of thought and planning that went into this theme hotel, that much is clear. From the moment one enters the grounds, this is a Nickelodeon experience from the bright orange decor to little things like green slime-colored in-room toiletries. For those with kids who like the popular Nick characters, there are probably fewer experiences more exciting than for them to stay and play here.

It would be nice to see the hotel feature more of the newer and popular characters like Backyardigans (almost unseen in any manner on property). It was also disappointing to see only one size and brand of diapers in the on-site shop, and no standard wipes for sale (just a small purse cleaning towelette packet). Otherwise, this could be the highlight of a little ones' life in their short years.

Nickelodeon does the travel experience with style, and it would be great to see them delve into this realm more. The Nick Family Cruise is just about to launch. A Noggin Hotel geared entirely at babies and toddlers would be wonderful, too, and it would be interesting to see a Nickelodeon theme park.

The copyright of the article Nick Hotel in Family Travel is owned by Kelby Carr. Permission to republish Nick Hotel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.