Being reintroduced to the World of LEGO only a few years ago, I’ve missed out on quite a lot, and nothing hits me more in the brick-feels than the amazing Modulars that came before LEGO Assembly Square (10255). I am extremely happy to say that I do have Assembly Square and all that have been released since, and out of the buildings I have the new Boutique Hotel set ranks very highly indeed. You’ll have to read through the review to know why though, so let’s get into it.

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The Box & Contents:

As always its the box that grabs your attention, and this certainly does that. It is another addition to the 18+ Adults Welcome range and continues the black background design we have mostly come to love.

Having the darker plain background enhances the image of the Boutique Hotel and does a cracking job as showing it off, in all its colourful and detailed glory.

Carefully slicing along the tabs to open the box followed by spilling the 14 numbered bags and the instruction manual on the floor officially marks the start of the build for me, usually followed by a few snaps for the review of course.

The manual is chunky and rightfully so, as the set contains a whopping 3066 pieces. Time to get stuck into the build!

The Build:

As a tradition me and Mrs Brick Post like to sit down together and build these LEGO Modular sets every year, which I’m totally fine with and in fact relish that my other half wants to build LEGO in general. It is only these modulars that she gets involved with, talk about having expensive taste.

Reading through the first couple of pages from the manual is also a must as finding out what went into the design and build of this particular set straight from the LEGO Designers mouths is always fascinating.

Tackling each bag as it comes, keeping the smaller inner bags separated from the bigger pieces is the way we do things, with thanks to a perfectly sized segmented tray, which I think we bought from Hobby Craft.

As always with these Modular builds you get a 32×32 stud baseplate, with the first and second bags usually laying down the floor tiles and getting the gist of the buildings layout.

Placing each tile inside the ground floor of the Hotel itself you start to recognise the pattern and it suits the style of the building extremely well. The start of the grand staircase is also nice with the larger, rounded, bottom step, very reminiscent of older and grandeur Hotels.

Corner buildings are my favourite as they introduce a while be angle on things and are often more intricate, calling for new techniques to be used. The LEGO Corner Garage from a couple of years ago was the last corner modular to be released, making it every 3rd set in the theme I believe.

Move forwards a couple of steps now and to when the first pieces of LEGO furniture get build and popped into place. I’ve always been a big fan of their furniture and especially how they change the design just a little to create something new and fun. As we’re in the Hotel lobby we’ve added the front desk and the key cabinet, which I feel, again, suits the traditional look of the place down to the ground, the Hotel only has three rooms after all. It does beg the question though as to why a forth key is hanging up, maybe one the LEGO Designer Video will answer?

I’ve zoomed in on the guest book as it has a list of names you may recognise, especially if you have past LEGO Modulars. The names are of Minifigures that have been included over the last 15 years and that have stay in this very Hotel, its such a sweet little detail to include and makes this place feel instantly apart of the family!

Head outside and around the corner you’ll see we’ve also started building the Fine Art Gallery which holds some of the Cities most valuable pieces.

There are only a handful of items in the Gallery, but what it does hold looks very well done and the LEGO Designers have done an amazing job recreating some of the real Worlds’ masterpieces, such as the geometric abstract based on Piet Mondrian‘s later work (pictured above).

What I particularly like is that the Hotel itself has acquired Art from the Gallery next door and hung it pride of place in the lobby, it’s an abstract depicting a sun set/rise made-up of 1×1 coloured tiles. It would have been so cool if LEGO left these areas blank in the instructions for you to create your own art. There is of course nothing stopping from doing so, so watch this space for our own take on the Art included.

Building up the walls and the many details that they themselves hold is a great way to learn new techniques and what bricks to order from the Pick a Brick wall etc, if you’re a MOC (my own creation) builder. The ground floor of the Hotel uses a lot of the dark flesh/orange tone of masonry brick, which is perfect for creating buildings, with a darker coloured element popped in between them for added detail.

The sign above the Hotel door looks great and is a printed 2×2 circular tile, basically has an ‘H‘ on it which obviously stands for ‘Hotel‘. You again could easily MOC or design & order a custom tile with a name of your choice on it which it what I’m intending to do with the Art Gallery, as I’m a professional Picture Framer during the day, this would make perfect sense to me.

After finishing the ground floor we start work on the first floor and where we build two of the guest rooms and a staircase to the top floor, also adding the outside bar area above the Art Gallery.

As you build you’ll see the layout for each of the guest rooms take shape, with the inclusion of furniture you’ll also see which one is the economy room, as the bed and accompanying wardrobe and desk is bland beige, almost pine, colour, and not to mention the bed doesn’t look as comfortable.

You’ll agree that even the furniture looks better in the slightly grandeur room, with the darker coloured desk and matching bedside cabinet, there’s even a swivel chair in the bay window, perfect for a view of the City

LEGO do love their furniture and with each new set they get better and better, although the messy beds in the LEGO Ideas Home Alone (21330) set were outstanding. Here in the Hotel they’re freshly made ready for the next guest and again LEGO have done a wonderful job in their creation. I love the tiny details of the handles and just how something so simple can look so good.

Heading up to the top floor and the premium suite, where the double bed looks extra bouncy and the furniture looks far to expensive, there’s even a complimentary chocolate on the pillows, now that’s posh!

The fully fledged wardrobe matches the Hotels more traditional look and is most likely meant to resemble dark mahogany wood, the TV is done in the same style and is based on an extremely old television. Thankfully there are no stickers in sight in these premium LEGO Modular sets, as the small TV screen is a very nice piece to have.

Not forgetting the Art Gallery, which we’ve since added a roof to, the outside space is somewhat detached from the Hotel but would make total sense to be apart of as it features a small but very trendy bar area, although there’s no sign of a waiter or bar tender the guests are happy to help themselves with the bottle and two wine glasses provided.

The Palm Tree is a great addition in my honest opinion, although it is a tad on the big size for where it’s located. The red plant pot is cumbersome and limits the space the Minifigures have to stand, along with the bar and stills it’s rather crampt up there.

Heading up to the roof you’ll see a skylight which isn’t necessarily new to the world of LEGO as a few other Modular buildings have them, but again this is LEGO and they will try to out do themselves and not repeat any old techniques. The four transparent clear parts used for the skylight itself are really nice piece and one of my favourites, they can be used for other things too in MOCs, I once created a futuristic battle scene and used these as forcefields.

LEGO love to use unusual parts for everyday items and the best example of this is the Snake heads used as wrought iron fencing, primarily used along the top of the roof, other wrought iron can be spotted around the set in the form of the archway at the top of the stairs, the balcony railings, and the Hotel sign.

Including this sort of detail and highlighting it in the instruction manual as a ‘tooltip‘ is a very nice touch and seems to be done more often now. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then in last years LEGO Santa’s Visit (10293) set there were short paragraphs found within the instruction manual that let on a fun fact or explanation to a particular part or technique.

The wrought Iron found on the Hotel again features some nice part usage including black handcuffs used as chain railings that give that unique curved look to it.

Having gone through the whole Hotel and Art Gallery keeping up on unique parts, building techniques and more, it’s now time to introduce the Minifigures, which there are seven of, in all their glory.

The Minifigures:

The Minifigures are usually the main attraction to most sets but here they are on equal footing with the set itself, as both accompany each other extremely well, and of course the Hotel couldn’t run without its staff and Guests, and the Gallery would close down without the Onwer.

Here’s a list of characters included, can you guess whose who?

• Bellhop
• Hotel receptionist
• Coffee vendor
• Art Gallery owner
• Backpacker
• Globe trotter
• Accountant 

Each one has their role to play in the set but none more so than the Hotel staff, making sure your stay runs smoothly and you’re well looked after. Both the male and female Minifigures share the same design and print and I must say it is spot on and looks well executed, you’ll instantly recognise that they work for Hotel in their matching uniforms.

The luggage trolley is a very simple build but ahaon looks the part and suite the Hotel well, it actually fits baggage between the compartments, including the Accountants briefcase.

Another fun fact centred around the Barista that runs the mobile Coffee Cart, it’s the same colour scheme as a Coffee Shop from a previous LEGO Modular. It’s the last thing you build in the manual but that doesn’t make it any less and it a welcomed side build to the set. The Minifigures torso and legs have been used many times before but the head and hair combination is new, classing this as a set exclusive Minifigure.

Hotel guests are a sight to see and come from completely different backgrounds. The Backpacker is free and likes to explore the big outdoors, funds are a little tight and so the economy room is prefect.

The Globe trotter knows what she wants and always gets it, of course she has the premium suite, located on the top floor of the Hotel. She comes with a rather fetching green wheeled suitcase and an umbrella.

I see the Accountant as a modest Man, is great with money and knows what he can afford, resulting in a night in the standard room, which has every thing he needs, from the desk and typewriter to the comfortable swivel chair that looks out into the City, a perfect getaway to relax and take his mind off doing the books.

Pop into the Art Gallery and you’ll meet the owner, who seems very down to Earth and very happy and eager to help everyone that comes through the door. Don’t let her clothes confuse you, she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to Art and what it takes to make and sell a masterpiece.

Each design and print of the Minifigures is done to LEGO‘s high standards and are a joy to look at, the highlights of the set are for me the Hotel staff and the Accountant. I do feel that maybe a Hotel owner could have been included, someone older and experienced would suit the role well, maybe I’ll add a character myself!

The Conclusion:

Overall LEGO have produced another smash hit and one you need to add to your City, shelf, display cabinet, or collection.

The build techniques used throughout are new and varied resulting in a truly entertaining experience. From start to finish it’s a joy to behold, taking a step back every now and then is a must to really appreciate this amazing feat of LEGO engineering.

The angle of the Hotel itself sends my brain into confusion as it always astounds me how they come up with unique ways to introduce another perspective into the mix.

As always I’m drawn to the Minifigures, being an avid collector of them. The variety of characters on offer here is nice to see and their backgrounds are all different and each one has a story to tell either about their life or the travelling they’ve done.

We highly recommend this set for everyone and anyone to pickup, if you’re a Modular fan or new to theme, there’s something here that’ll intrigue any fan of LEGO!

We truly appreciate the time you’ve taken to read our review and we hope you’ve enjoyed it. Please let us know if you have via the comments section below. Also why not tell us if you have purchased this set or planning to, we love hearing from you.

Until next time, keep on bricking!

Gallery:

There have been a few rumours recently floating around of what the next Modular building might be and they all point to a Hotel, which will feature an Art Gallery.

10182 Café Corner

The building is speculated to have three floors with an Art Gallery located on the ground floor. There is also six Minifigures rumoured to appear, that will hopefully include a female and a male bellhop, a coffee seller, an older couple (guests), and a dapper looking male.

The retail price is likely to be around the €199.99 mark and similar to that of LEGO Assembly Square.

If that’s not enough there is also meant to be a GWP (gift with purchase) tied to the set, which is most likely going to be similar the the micro-scale modular set from 2012.

Please comment below with your thoughts regarding the rumoured details and whether you’d like a Hotel to be the next modular or something else.