After opening it’s doors in October 2011, LEGOLAND Florida continues to grow at a rapid pace. The Winter Haven theme park, which wowed guests for nearly 75 years as Cypress Gardens, broke ground on their new onsite LEGOLAND Florida Hotel in a special ceremony today.

The hotel, which will be the fifth LEGOLAND Hotel–California, Windsor (United Kingdom), Billund (Germany), and Malaysia are the other four–will be located directly to the left of LEGOLAND Florida’s entrance, just steps from Lake Eloise.

“The opening of a LEGOLAND Hotel will transition LEGOLAND Florida from a single-day visit theme park to a multi-day resort destination,” said LEGOLAND® Florida General Manager Adrian Jones. “This will serve as a catalyst for future economic development in Polk County.”

Featuring 152 brightly colored and highly themed rooms and suites, the hotel will feature LEGO décor; interactive play areas; a pool and a restaurant. It is designed to be an extension of the vibrant and interactive theme park experience.

LEGOLAND Florida Hotel will add 250 construction-related jobs during the construction, and another 250 jobs to its employee base to staff the new hotel upon completion.