SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS - A FELLOW GUEST AT YOUR HOTEL: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

A FELLOW GUEST AT YOUR HOTEL: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

Viacom's Nickelodeon channel is getting into the hotel business with Marriott to provide kid-friendly atmosphere at 20 resorts featuring water parks and interactive entertainment provided by the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, the two companies said at a New York news conference Thursday. The first resort is expected to open at the former site of the San Diego Naval Training Center in 2010 -- an expanded version of Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn that opened in 2005 in Orlando, FL, which Nickelodeon has been using for customer testing. The new hotels will feature numerous in-room technology features, including high-definition TV sets, and children's rooms decorated with Nickelodeon characters in suites. The hotels, costing $200-300 million, are expected to be completed by 2020 and will be owned by Miller Global Properties.

01/06/2007