If you were a kid in the 90s to early 2000s, you probably remember the height of Nickelodeon’s popularity in Orlando. From 1990 to 2005, Nickelodeon Studios had taken up residence in Universal Studios Orlando.
This studio, dubbed the “World’s First Headquarters for Kids”, was an active filming location for some of Nickelodeon’s popular shows such as Kenan & Kel, Figure It Out, and All That.
The location also played host to the Kids’ Choice Awards in 1999 and 2000. Along with live filmings, Nickelodeon Studios also boasted an erupting green slime geyser and the location of the Nickelodeon time capsule. During this time of production and popularity, Universal Studios was not the only location to visit for fans of the television network.
What was the Nickelodeon Hotel?
Just down the street was the impressive Nick Hotel, a Nickelodeon-themed resort where fans could shop for official Nickelodeon merchandise, dine with their favorite Nicktoons or enjoy the pool and waterpark branded with familiar Nickelodeon characters such as Spongebob and Jimmy Neutron. The Nick Hotel was a partnership between Nickelodeon and the local Holiday Inn.
Upon arriving at the hotel, guests would be greeted by Spongebob, Danny Phantom, Dora, and other popular walk around Nickelodeon characters. Guests had the choice between a single bedroom suite, a two-bedroom kids suite, three-bedroom kids suite, or a honeymoon suite (which were only available during the first few years of operation). The kids’ rooms were themed to popular Nickelodeon shows such as Danny Phantom, Spongebob, The Fairly Odd Parents, or Jimmy Neutron.
Along with the Nickelodeon-related activities, there was also a large arcade, two pools, a basketball court, and a fitness center. The most impressive offering, however, was a Nickelodeon themed water park. This was the primary attraction for younger audiences and contained a number of water slides, sprinklers, and a large water bucket that would gradually fill and eventually tip, dousing all underneath in a large wave of water. Occasionally, the water that filled the bucket was colored green to simulate Nickelodeon slime. The resort also offered a spa, an adult bar, and numerous dining options.
At its peak, the hotel could accommodate guests in 777 available suites.
What led to its decline?
For a time, the Nick Hotel’s popularity was assured due to its proximity to both Universal Studios and Disney World. Its themed entertainment made it appealing for younger guests for a relatively affordable price. Including meals, room prices, all access wristbands, and other potential expenses, families would be looking at an average price tag of $700 for a weekend at the resort. Unlike the hotels of the local theme parks, the Nick hotel was designed with enough activities in mind the keep families on site for the duration of their stay instead of requiring the purchase of an additional park ticket to add to the cost of a family’s vacation.
After only a month of the Nick Hotel’s opening, the local Nickelodeon Studios at the Universal Orlando Resort was closed due to declining popularity and the growing disinterest in live filmings at the location. Once Nickelodeon Studios was closed, the time capsule that was buried outside was dug up and moved to the Nick Hotel where it remained for another decade.
In 2015, the resort celebrated its 10th anniversary. Not long after this grand celebration, however, things took a turn for the worse for the resort…
The resort had lost a bit of its shine over the years as guests tended to prefer other offerings in the Orlando area. The resort was beginning to look dated, as many of the popular shows Nickelodeon had up its sleeve during the height of its popularity in the early 2000s had ended or been discontinued.
Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom and The Rugrats, arguably some of the most recognizable characters and shows from that era were replaced by modern Nickelodeon characters such as Fanboy and Chumchum and T.U.F.F. Puppy, shows that never quite reached the same status of popularity as its predecessors.
Along with this, the Orlando location was especially difficult to utilize for a self-contained resort of the type. There was no nearby ocean or scenic location to make the trip to the Nick Hotel feel like a getaway. Crowded streets and Orlando traffic were always right outside.
Perhaps the most prevalent reason for the hotel’s decline was Nickelodeon’s disinterest in continuing the creation of Nickelodeon resorts alongside Holiday Inn. Around this time, Nickelodeon had finished negotiations with Charisma Hotels to create a new line of Nickelodeon resorts at more exotic and tropical tourist locations. The first resort in this new lineup opened in the Dominican Republic in 2016. Unlike the Nick Hotel, this new line of resorts featured more subtle and classy decor, more appropriate for a beachside resort.
After the trial run in the Dominican Republic proved to be a success, Nickelodeon officially pulled the plug on their agreements with Holiday Inn in 2016. With licensing agreements out of the way, Holiday Inn began a massive overhaul and desperation project on the location.
After a decade of welcoming Nickelodeon fans from worldwide, the former resort was in need of some polish and was beginning to show its age. Thus began the long debranding process where all familiar signage was removed, orange and green walls were repainted, and all remnants of the Nickelodeon brand were gradually scrubbed out. The Nickelodeon time capsule was once again dug up and moved to Nickelodeon Studios in California where it remains to this day.
Then, in 2016, the hotel opened once more as the Holiday Inn Orlando Suites. Although most of the Nickelodeon theming had been removed, the bones of the resort remained relatively unchanged. A lot of the original attractions remained intact but re-themed, and the price for a stay at the resort was far more affordable with prices averaging around $100 a night. The hotel remained in this state for another five years. In January of 2021, the debranded resort filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Nick Hotel was an ambitious project geared toward young kids. Although the resort could hardly be declared a success, it wasn’t necessarily a failure either. The resort was still drawing crowds up until the day of its closure. Ultimately, this project was a trial run for future Nickelodeon resorts.
Still, it is easy to be overcome with childhood nostalgia seeing pictures of the original Nick Hotel in Orlando with iconic characters peeking at passerby through the windows. This location was a staple of the Orlando area for nearly eleven years and had significant impact in the hearts and minds of a generation of kids.
What is next for the future of Nickelodeon in Orlando?
However, in May of 2023, Nickelodeon may be making a return to the Orlando scene with a brand new themed experience located near Walt Disney World. This new development, Everest Place, is a multi-billion dollar creation and is expected to inhabit 224 acres of land.
Along with a Nickelodeon hotel, the other offerings at Everest Place will include the first Mysk hotel in North America, condos, apartment living space, a waterpark, a lake, and nature trails around the complex. For those longing for some Nick nostalgia, you’ll only have to wait a few more years for the company’s return to the Orlando area!
Did you ever get to visit the original Nick Hotel? Are you excited to see another Nickelodeon resort back in the Orlando area? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
