Hotel Rooms Are Basically Turning Into Full-Blown Movie Sets
The future of hospitality is seriously cinematic.
In 2019, Hurricane Dorian hit central Florida while I was living there in an RV. Not accustomed to that kind of extreme weather, I found sanctuary in my happy place: Disney World. With my mini dachshund in tow, we used the impending storm as an excuse to treat ourselves to a couple nights on-property, at one of Disney’s “Value” resorts, the Art of Animation. Here, vibrant stories come to life via a giant Finding Nemo-themed pool, a makeshift Pride Rock from The Lion King, and rooms that make guests feel like they’re living out their Disney dreams. My Little Mermaid-inspired room, clad in under-the-sea tones and animation artwork, was a pleasant distraction from the stormy forecast, while my dog gnawed on a Mickey Mouse plush.
To some, hotels are merely a place to sleep—a stopover en route to the final destination. For others, hotels are the destination. Or, at least they can be, considering the caliber of design on display at hotels nowadays. Welcome to the age of hotels as thematic and immersive as movie sets, where interior designers and architects get to channel their inner Imagineer and conceptualize place-making spaces that go far beyond what most people think of when they picture a themed hotel suite—both at Disney and elsewhere.
The innovation is most evident in and around theme parks, where touristy enclaves have the resources—and a vast canon of intellectual property—to pull from. While Disney hotels have long gone above and beyond (sometimes a little toobeyond), recent efforts have drawn more of that Imagineering magic into its blueprints. In 2021, Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World underwent a major refurbishment that saw its rooms and public spaces re-themed to The Incredibles. And this being Disney, that doesn’t just mean movie posters, but details right down to the red-orange color scheme in halls lined with original artwork, and rooms bedecked with retro bed frames, Monorail-themed bathroom mirrors, and Incredibles details on everything from pillows and drapes to lamps and closets. Even the bedside drawers feature images of character glasses, to-do lists, and cookies.
Next door, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort recently went through a Moana-themed glow-up of its own, with guest rooms newly sporting a beachy tan scheme, infused with tints of orange and teal, wallpaper bursting with Hawaiian flowers and movie characters, and billowy drapes reminiscent of the ocean.
In Disneyland, the brand-new Pixar Place Hotel doubles down as the only hotel in the world dedicated to the wide world of Pixar. Walking in, guests are greeted by the signature Pixar lamp, atop a giant Toy Story ball, while a sea of characters—from Wall-E to Nemo—dangle overhead. Elsewhere in the lobby, Soul’s Joe Gardner plays the piano and InsideOut’s Bing-Bong greets guests. Meanwhile, the rooms keep the cinematic vibes thriving with furnishings and artwork created by Pixar Animation Studios, packed with colors and characters. Overseas, the same immersive approach weaves its way through the newly reimagined Disneyland Hotel at Disneyland Paris, which resembles a literal princess castle with lavish new decor (a Bohemian crystal chandelier inspired by Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle shimmers in the lobby) and regal suites themed after the likes of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen. According to Disney’s Parks Blog, “From Aurora’s magical color-changing dress to a shining Sundrop flower and even Queen Elsa’s Ice castle, you will practically walk into scenes right out of each film.”
But while the world’s most prolific theme park brand might have plenty of expensive inspiration at its disposal, Disney hotels aren’t the only ones lending cinematic luster to accommodations. From Disney-inspired properties to those that draw from other cinematic iconography, themed rooms have become a blank canvas for art and design, as well as a way for brands—independent and established alike—to get more playful.
The Wonderland House in Brighton features Alice in Wonderland-themed rooms, and the Hilton New York Times Square has an Aladdin-themed suite—a smart way to highlight the hotel’s proximity to Aladdin the Musical. The one-bedroom Palace Suite, as it’s called, is a corner room realized by Broadway dressing room designer Devin Sparkles Design, featuring design sketches, Moroccan sconces, “magic” carpets, a requisite Genie lamp, and a gilded bathroom inspired by the Cave of Wonders. Beyond the room, the hotel echoes the theming with “Genie-tini” cocktails and wake-up calls from the Genie himself.
“A successful themed suite is rooted in creativity and imagination,” says Thom Caska, general manager of the Hilton New York Times Square. “In addition to our partnership with Disney Theatrical Group, Mr. Sparkles was able to deliver our vision for guests, ensuring every detail of the suite evokes the whimsical spirit of the musical from a lago-inspired bird light to scenic design sketches and show prints.” A win-win-win for Broadway enthusiasts, Disney fans, and the hotel itself, the Aladdin theming ties it all together.
On a more boutique scale, The Curtis is a downtown Denver hotel that features “hyper-themed” rooms like Ghostbusters —with “Slimer”-green flooring—and Talladega Nights, replete with American flags, NASCAR ephemera, and a painting of a mountain lion with a cheese fountain. At The Roxbury, a themed resort in the Catskills, The Wizard’s Emeralds is an homage to The Wizard of Oz, complete with yellow brick road and ruby slippers, while the Pacific Inn Motel, in Forks, Washington, has Twilight-themed rooms decorated with movie posters, dark linens, and blood-red comforters.
The same intensive ethos also holds true for larger properties brimming with I.P., like Universal’s Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, where a Jurassic World suite transports families to Isla Nublar via Gyrosphere bed frames, custom carpeting designed to resemble the jungle floor, and dinosaur murals. Then there’s Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts, which is opening its third location in Orlando in 2026. Similar to Disney and Universal, Nickelodeon is a brand with immense place-making potential, a sentiment they’ve woven into existing properties in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, like the Spongebob Squarepants-themed Pineapple Villa in Punta Cunta and the Snick Lounge in Riviera Maya, as well as into the forthcoming resort in the Theme Park Capital of the World.
“One of our primary objectives when developing these experiential hotels is to represent the brand effectively and bring Nickelodeon’s iconic I.P.’s to life,” says Mario Mathieu, SVP of Business Development for Lion Star. “Our goal is to develop a multi-generational product for all guests that transcends being branded as a kids' hotel, and instead an unforgettable stay for those young and young at heart. Playfulness must be integrated into everything we do, and the hotels are meant to offer an immersive experience in the world of Nickelodeon.”
By partnering with Paramount’s creative team, Lion Star has been able to develop what Mathieu describes as a “well-rounded experiential hotel” that transcends generations and immerses guests in spaces themed after everything from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to PAW Patrol.
“We work very closely with the Paramount creative team to decide which Nickelodeon themes, characters, and aesthetics to incorporate into our hotels,” Mathieu explains. “Some features of the Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts properties have become iconic and essential in the design of each resort, but we always aim to introduce something new and different at each location. For example, the Pineapple Villa at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana has become a distinctive element of the resort, and the Snick Lounge, which first debuted at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, has been a massive hit.”
For the Orlando property, as with the two existing resorts, most rooms feature multi-I.P. themes and characters to cater to a broad, multi-generational audience. All rooms, designed at once for kids and the young at heart, can accommodate two adults and three children, and the Orlando location is poised to feature the first PAW Patrol suite in the portfolio.
“We firmly believe that the present and future of leisure hospitality are all about experiences,” Mathieu emphasizes. “Themed hotels, like Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Orlando, captivate guests by offering immersive activities that combine beloved characters and interactive environments, making them a unique destination for families and fans. Additionally, they create a sense of playful adventure, enhancing the overall vacation experience and making it memorable beyond just a place to stay.”
For brands large and small, from Nickelodeon to a boutique motel in Washington, rooms themed after beloved movies and TV shows are a way to transcend beyond a place to sleep, to become more of a central facet of travel.
“Themed rooms are beloved because they often evoke a sense of nostalgia, child-like wonder, comfort, and a wanderlust-fueled stay that can only be captured in this type of experience,” says Caska. “Whether paying homage to rock and roll legends or transporting guests to the Arabian desert kingdom of Agrabah, they offer a sense of escapism into a world of imagination.”