The best-selling video game in history is finally getting its own physical territory. Merlin Entertainments is investing 50 million pounds in Minecraft World, the first park zone entirely dedicated to Minecraft, opening in 2027 in Chessington, thirty-five minutes by train from London Waterloo. Featuring a roller coaster presented as a world first, block landscapes, themed shops and restaurants. For hospitality, the question lies elsewhere: the resort already operates two hotels and a glamping site, and has not announced any Minecraft rooms. Here is what is confirmed, what is not, and why it matters.
- 🎮 The project · Minecraft World, the world’s first park zone entirely dedicated to the game, the result of a partnership between Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios
- 📍 Where · Chessington World of Adventures, in Greater London, 35 minutes by train from Waterloo station
- 💶 Investment · 50 million pounds
- 🗓️ Opening · 2027, exact date not yet announced
- 🏨 Hotel side · No themed Minecraft rooms have been announced to date. The resort operates the Azteca and Safari hotels, several categories of which are already licensed, as well as Explorer Glamping and its 35 tents opened on 27 May
What Minecraft World contains
The zone is announced as the first in the world to fully transpose the game’s universe into a park. It will feature a roller coaster presented as a world first, interactive trails, play areas built from blocks, as well as shops and restaurants styled after the game, including a setting inspired by the Nether. Merlin is working with Mojang Studios and says it is relying on recognized creators from the community to ensure overall fidelity. « We are thrilled to bring the creativity and adventure of Minecraft to life in a park for the first time », says Angela Jobson, senior vice president of brand at Merlin Entertainments, while Torfi Frans Ólafsson, creative director of entertainment at Minecraft, sees it as « a milestone » in the universe’s expansion.
◆ Minecraft World, project images
What is not announced: the hotel
This is the key takeaway for anyone planning a stay. Merlin has not announced a Minecraft room or a dedicated hotel: the project focuses on a park zone, with dining and shops. We point this out because the announcement widely circulated under the label of a “Minecraft hotel”, which it is not at this stage. However, the group’s logic makes the hypothesis plausible in the long run, as shown by the case of the Harry Potter hotel at German Legoland, another Merlin address built around a franchise, whose announcement was enough to shift hotel demand across an entire region.
The resort’s existing accommodation
Chessington is not starting from scratch, and that is precisely what makes the hypothesis credible. The resort operates two adjoining hotels, the Azteca and the Safari, where themed rooms are already an established practice: categories feature Gruffalo, Oreo, Capri-Sun or PAW Patrol licenses, as well as Jumanji rooms and rooms with windows looking directly into the park’s animal enclosures. This existing stock of licensed rooms provides a natural foundation for a future Minecraft adaptation, as a room is infinitely faster and less expensive to convert than an attraction to build. Furthermore, the resort opened an Explorer Glamping site with thirty-five tents on 27 May, offering park access, dining and evening entertainment.
◆ Licensed rooms already in service at Chessington
Why this project matters for British hospitality
Chessington is thirty-five minutes from Waterloo, making it the most accessible park from central London. A global licensed zone changes the nature of its clientele: it attracts families travelling from afar who stay overnight, whereas the park previously relied mostly on local day-trippers. The shift is measured in overnight stays, not admissions. The UK is also preparing a project on an entirely different scale, the Universal resort in Bedford with its five-hundred-room hotel, expected in 2031, also forty-five minutes from London. Discover hotel news in the UK on La Revue des Hôtels.
Our perspective
Merlin understood before others that a license is now worth more than the attraction itself. A roller coaster can be copied, a gaming universe cannot. The real question is whether the group will pull it off on the accommodation side, because that is where the margin lies and what international guests coming solely for the Minecraft zone will demand. The precedent of the Gruffalo and PAW Patrol rooms shows that the mechanics are well established within the company. While waiting for the announcement, our practical advice is simple: for a stay in 2027, book the Azteca or Safari as soon as bookings open, as demand will surge well before the inauguration.
Practical information
- Address · Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Greater London
- Minecraft World opening · 2027, exact date not yet announced
- Access · 35 minutes from London Waterloo station, or via the M25
- Accommodation · Azteca and Safari hotels, Explorer Glamping
- Official website · chessington.com
