European Theme Park Accommodations

Efteling Grand Hotel, which opened this summer at the Efteling theme park resort in the Netherlands, evokes the elegance of a bygone era. “Visitors can expect a residence of grandeur, providing a unique and elevated experience for guests,” says Sander de Bruijn, manager of design and experience at Efteling.

The Efteling Grand Hotel represents a premium accommodation offering—the “next natural step” in the resort’s evolution, according to De Bruijn. Situated alongside the newly renovated Efteling Wonder Hotel, Efteling’s latest hotel puts guests inside the park. “Efteling Grand Hotel visitors can expect a seamless visitor experience, with fairy tales, roller coasters, and attractions right on their doorstep,” De Bruijn says.

The design is an homage to Europe’s classic grand dame hotels, blending stylish surroundings with subtle fairytale and storytelling flourishes. De Bruijn took inspiration from a fairytale scene in the park, depicting the Golden Goose.

Bellhops invite guests into an atmospheric lobby, redolent of the park’s storied heritage. A grand piano plays while magical golden keys shimmer above visitors’ heads. The menu at Brasserie 7 (one of two hotel restaurants) features seven fairytale-inspired ingredients. Guest rooms include a special fairytale book that continues the story.

The Efteling Grand Hotel has 140 rooms and 644 beds across seven floors, ranging from Premium Deluxe rooms to the luxurious Excellence Tower Suite. A fully digital check-in streamlines the guest experience (while staff stand ready to assist). Guest license plates are tracked to monitor their arrival times. Room keys appear automatically on their smartphones.

Guests can dine at the Restaurant-Bar Mystique, overlooking the park’s Aquanura water show, or relax in the hotel spa. Café Biscuit serves fresh coffee, while guests can browse the nearby hotel boutique.   

Positioned adjacent to the park’s front gate, the Efteling Grand Hotel further strengthens Efteling’s accommodation line-up, which includes the Bosrijk and Loonsche Land properties. The combined developments show Efteling’s flexibility in adapting to changing guest expectations and booking patterns.

“Our hotels have made a huge impact on our business, for the better. They increase the length of stay of our park guests, as well as providing year-round income,” says Amanda Thompson OBE, CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool, England.

While many might have expected the resort to build themed hotels, it opted for versatile, year-round accommodations. “We designed our hotels for both leisure guests and the business market. Our hotels are not park hotels; we focus on looking after guests to Blackpool and Pleasure Beach,” Thompson explains.

“Our first hotel, the Big Blue Hotel, was built for charm, comfort, and affordability, and has incredible views of the park,” she says. Park fans can see rides including The Big One, ICON, and The Big Dipper from their rooms.

Boulevard brings luxury and style to Blackpool with fine dining and ocean views from the bedrooms. Business guests can work and relax in this private hideaway on the promenade. The hotels host conferences and have even welcomed three British prime ministers. The Big Blue Hotel has 157 rooms; Boulevard has 120.

“The market for hotels is growing in the resort, and guests have become more aspirational since COVID-19. We’re finding that more Big Blue customers have upgraded to Boulevard as an indulgent treat,” Thompson says.

The resort aims for 90% occupancy. “Although we aren’t there, the hotel business is growing in size and experiencing increasing occupancy year on year. We have also seen a marked improvement with direct bookings through our hotel website, which is very positive as we can focus offers through our own site,” Thompson says.

With Plopsaland Belgium attracting more than 1.3 million annual visitors, the demand for on-site accommodation had become increasingly clear. “Adding a hotel supported the resort’s growth and extended the guest experience beyond the park’s opening hours,” says Xavier Verellen, chief marketing and sales officer at Plopsa.

The Plopsaland Theater Hotel—launched in 2020—has welcomed more than 253,000 guests since its debut. Occupancy rates have reached 94% in peak periods, such as August, when the hotel’s proximity to the park and seaside proves a winning combination.

“The goal was to let families continue the Plopsaland experience after a day in the park,” Verellen explains. Plopsa’s creative director Piet De Koninck designed a hotel that set the stage for further adventures. Themed rooms and suites extend the magic. Families can stay overnight in immersive environments inspired by favorite characters and stories. The experience “creates memories that go beyond a single-day visit,” Verellen says.

Recently, the Plopsaland Village opened, offering more affordable holiday accommodation. Built in a cottage style, the 55 villas have a relaxing, neutral aesthetic compared to the highly themed hotel suites. “We’ve learned the importance of variety. With the hotel, the villa resort, and the chalets, we offer a range of options to suit different preferences and budgets,” Verellen says.

Plopsaland Belgium’s team has adapted the park experience to include extra evening activities and extended offerings for overnight guests. These include live performances by the Plopsa Singers, transport services like the Plopsa Plaza Explorer train for village guests, and an expanded entertainment program in the Studio 100 Theater. Plopsa strategically placed the new family ride, Wickie’s Wervelwind, next to the Plopsaland Village.

“Guests increasingly value convenience and a stress-free experience,” Verellen says. “Offering packages that include reserved seats in the theater, meals, and park access allows families to enjoy their holiday without needing to plan every detail.”

In France, Parc Astérix continues to develop its accommodation capacity, with a fourth hotel on the way. The 300-room hotel and convention center will have a Mediterranean theme, aligned with the Astérix and Obélix universe. The park aims to launch the hotel by late 2026/early 2027. This latest addition will join Parc Astérix’s themed accommodation portfolio, which already includes the Hôtel des Trois Hiboux, La Cité Suspendue, and the four-star, 150-room Les Quais de Lutèce.

The hotels are an integral part of the park’s master plan. “First, we think about the story we want to tell our guests,” says Parc Astérix CEO Delphine Pons.

The project teams also work closely with the operations team to ensure that the hotels run smoothly after completion.

In France’s Vendée region, there’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to family lodgings. In 2024, O’Tel Park started rustling up cozy overnight stays close to O’Fun Park and O’Gliss Park. Guests can bunk in 25 stagecoaches and 25 wooden chalets in the rural setting.

“With their Far West and cowboy ambience, these original accommodations represent the second largest hotel offering in the Vendée, with 97 rooms and 133 beds,” says Clément Trigatti, communications manager for the Oceano Loisirs group, which operates the themed accommodations, the leisure park, and water park. The group hopes to double the number of rooms by 2026.

Campers at Toverland’s Pop-Up Summer Camp can wake up to magnificent views of the park’s wooden roller coaster, Troy. Toverland’s owners have long harbored ambitions to add overnight accommodation to the theme park in Sevenum, Netherlands, but began modestly.

“We first launched the Pop-Up Summer Camp in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw it as a low-threshold way to test whether our guests would be interested in staying overnight near our park. The Pop-Up Summer Camp turned out to be a great success, which is why it’s returning for the sixth time in 2025 during our summer event, Summer Feelings,” says Tessa de Zeeuw-Maessen, Toverland’s communications specialist.

Guests can choose a fully furnished ToverTent or bring their own tent, camper, or caravan. “We offer 15 pitches and 65 ToverTents for two, four, or six people. Our maximum capacity is 362 guests per night,” she says.

Guests have the benefit of unlimited access to Toverland during their stay, a dedicated entrance to the park, morning meet-and-greets with Toverland characters, and entry to the Tovertuin (Magic Garden) playground before the park opens. The Summer Feelings event features extra shows, performances, and musical entertainment until the park closes at 9 p.m. Campers can also book extras such as breakfast boxes delivered to their tents.

Toverland aims to grow into a full-fledged destination resort by adding permanent accommodation to the park. “We have already submitted the zoning permit for our resort to the local municipality, marking an important step in realizing this goal. One thing is certain: a magical future awaits!” De Zeeuw-Maessen says.

A neighboring hotel is slated to open in 2026 next to the Liseberg amusement park and the forthcoming Oceana water park. Liseberg plans to work together with the hotel’s owner and operator, Strawberry. The 217-room, 16-story property occupies a former print works. “This is good for the visitors, for Liseberg, and for Gothenburg,” says Liseberg CEO Andreas Andersen.

This development follows the opening of Liseberg’s own Grand Curiosa Hotel in 2023. At the imaginative family theme park hotel, guests find a fantastical treasure house filled with curiosities collected by fictional Swedish adventurer Agnes Daler. Whimsical nods to Liseberg add to the hotel’s charm. Guests can ride the spiral slide into the lobby and climb aboard a 1923 carousel in the restaurant.

The nine-story hotel has 457 rooms (many with five beds each, including bunk beds for children). Guests can dine at the Saluhallen restaurant, Café Agnes, and the Mei Rose Rooftop Bar & Bistro, which offers stunning views. “On a summer night, it’s magical,” Andersen says. The hotel’s speakeasy, Compagniet, serves up cocktails.

“It’s a theme park hotel with a strong storyline, but it’s also a boutique hotel. It’s appreciated by adults and children,” Andersen says.

Liseberg was one of the first European parks to enter the hotel business, when it operated an off-site hotel a few blocks away and within walking distance from the park. Yet, the Liseberg Grand Curiosa Hotel is its first themed accommodation offering. “We wanted to build a next-level hotel more linked to the Liseberg brand and experience. And we wanted to cater to the short-break market that was growing rapidly,” Andersen explains.

Liseberg’s approach was data-driven. “We did very thorough market and feasibility studies,” he says. Liseberg’s new hotel has already proven an asset to the brand and the business. With occupancy rates reaching 100%, high guest satisfaction ratings, and average daily rates surpassing competitors in Gothenburg, the hotel is outperforming expectations, even before Oceana opens. While theme park hotels can experience fluctuating demand, Andersen expects the upcoming water park to stabilize occupancy year-round.

“We haven’t operated the hotel with the water park yet. That will add another dimension and layer of complexity,” he says. But his outlook is positive: “It’s a good, sound business and a high-quality experience.”

And the experience will only continue. Liseberg has planning permission to add at least three more hotels in the future.