The new 250-room Legoland Hotel in Carlsbad, Calif., which was completed last week, wasnt just a matter of snapping the pieces together. (It was also a matter of making sure your brother didn't steal your pieces.) But it did involve putting fabricated custom-scaled replica Lego bricks on the hotels exterior facade and more than 3,500 Lego models throughout the property, including a smoke-breathing dragon in the clock tower at the entrance (pictured). R.D. Olson EVP Ian Gardiner, who oversaw construction for UK-based Merlin Entertainments Group, notes that every aspect of the hotel features Lego custom millwork, lighting, artwork, and standard Lego paint colors, which include more variety than you might think--among others, official Lego colors include Nougat, Transparent Florescent Green, and Medium Lilac.

Irvine-based R.D. Olson broke ground on a different sort of hotel last week, the 210-room Countyard by Marriott Irvine Spectrum. It represents the SoCal debut of Marriotts Gen Next design, with Welcome Pedestals instead of a traditional front desk and Media Pods that offer a place to work or meet. The interior of the hotel celebrates the history of the Irvine Ranch-- which used to sprawl across the area--through art, photography and the use of recycled woods intermixed with high-tech finishes and material.