Review: 41684 Heartlake City Grand Hotel
Posted by MeganL,
It's been six years since the excellent 41101 Heartlake Grand Hotel, and the Friends world is adding a second hotel with this year's 41684 Heartlake City Grand Hotel. This is one of the largest sets this year, though not as large as the original (41101 is tied for the record as the most expensive Friends set to date).
There are some similarities and some notable differences to the original Grand Hotel. There are some great building techniques included as well as the option to modify the model for the different seasons, which is a nice touch.
Inside the box there are 11 numbered bags, six 8x16 plates, a hefty instruction book for the main model, a smaller instruction booklet for the auxiliary builds, and a moderately sized sticker sheet, especially for the size of the set. As this was built near the end of my move I didn't get chance to take a picture of the sticker sheet.
Minidolls and animals
There are four minidolls in this set - two of the Friends, and two characters we've seen before. Emma is decked out in an aqua and lilac evening gown, the first time we’ve seen Emma in such formal wear - the dress is new to this set. I like the swirling pattern on the bodice and the slashes of lilac colour on the pale blue skirt. The other Friend included is Stephanie, who is clearly moonlighting at one of her jobs as a hotel employee. She has a rather smart burgundy bellhop uniform with black buttons and gold trim. Her long blonde hair has been swept up into a ponytail.
We’ve seen Amelia the movie star before in 41448 Heartlake City Movie Theater. Clearly, she’s coming back to rest at the hotel after her movie premiere at the theatre, as she’s wearing the same dress. River completes the quartet. River makes an appearance with Stephanie in 41689 Magical Ferris Wheel and Slide, though in a decidedly more casual way. His outfit here looks as formal as Amelia’s and Emma’s, with a dark grey suit with pale grey vest, a white shirt and gold bow tie. He would be a very handsome escort for Amelia on her big night!
All minidolls have some printing on the back, but not much. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the featured cute Friends animal, Zoe the poodle. We’ve seen Zoe before, and I’m assuming Amelia is Zoe’s person.
As befitting Stephanie’s job as a hotel employee, she has a luggage trolley complete with two pieces of luggage.
Auxiliary builds
There’s a fountain and an outdoor dining area included with this set, and I really like that the designers have provided parts to reflect the changing seasons. The plants, flowers and other accessories can be changed on the main building, but considering we’re in the Halloween season, I’ve put the fall accessories on the building and will cover the different seasons here.
The first, built with the main model, shows a summertime scene. A lounge chair with a table and drink is provided. The fountain has water in it, and flowers at the base. The outdoor dining area shows the trees in full leaf complete with a resident bird. An outdoor meal of rather enormous sandwiches, fruit, and cupcakes is laid out on the tables.
As summer turns to autumn, so does the dining area. The leaves have turned, the bird has flown, there are now apples in the tree along with a resident squirrel. Pumpkins are the main decoration, and the fountain has cider in it, as do the glasses on the table. The food choices are decidedly more autumn-like with apples and brats. Condiments are provided for the brats (though who puts ketchup on a brat?)
Of course, where there’s food, it’s guaranteed you’ll get some unexpected guests.
They thought they’d fit right in with the autumn colours. Note: sloths are not included in this set.
Finally, there’s the winter accessories. The fountain has gone quite a transformation and is now a chocolate fountain! Accordingly, there are cups of hot chocolate on the table. Food offered are pretzels and chocolate chip cookies. The leaves are covered in snow and have blue and white icicles. The squirrel has departed and we now have a bunny residing in the area. There’s a sled for the Friends as well as a couple of pairs of ice skates (not pictured).
The main model
The entrance to the hotel is suitably, well, grand, with a red carpet lining the steps to a revolving door. I love seeing the gold architectural details featured throughout the build and adds to the grandeur of the hotel. While all the details are great, are particular note are the windows. The building technique for the windows reminded me very much of more advanced modulars, and I really appreciate these kinds of techniques being included in the Friends line.
Inside the revolving door the red carpet continues.
Off to one side there's a reception desk. There's some nice parts usage for an old style telephone, along with a computer monitor to allow for check-in. The old world details continue with two keys that are hung on the wall behind the reception desk. Providing a nod to more current times in the recycling bin also behind the desk, complete with a soda can.
The other side of the lobby features another staple of grand hotels - a piano bar! Well, minus the bar part…..there's an impressive piano that takes up a large portion of the lobby, I particularly like the use of a 1x2 plate with teeth to represent foot pedals on the piano. There's a cozy fireplace with flame decorated with a gold frog. Music is at the ready for any Friend who desires to sit down and play.
One of the charming features of the last Grand Hotel was the elevator. Unfortunately there is no elevator in this model, or really, any means for the Friends to get from one floor to another. In any event, the next floor features two hotel rooms, labelled (by stickers) as rooms 101 and 102, keeping with European convention for hotel room numbers (in the US, rooms 101 and 102 would be on the ground floor).
There's a wide hallway between the rooms that features more of the red carpet. At the end of the hallway is a set of double doors that lead to a balcony that oversees the front of the hotel.
The hotel rooms are not large, but have plenty of both brick built and stickered details. Room 101 has a yellow motif with yellow bedspread and matching nightstand drawer. Sticker details show bathroom accessories. In keeping with the rest of the building, gold bathroom fixtures are featured.
Room 102 is almost identical to room 101, but with a purple bedspread, and some of the stickers are different.
On the top floor - room 201 - is the penthouse suite, for those wanting the "A-list life", according to the set description at lego.com. The A-list life in the Friends world includes many more amenities than those relegated the floor below. There's a nice outdoor eating area on one side of the room, while another private outdoor area has a hot tub. The room itself is much more spacious with what looks to be a king-sized bed and a dressing area. While the bathroom looks nice, apparently the A-listers in Heartlake City don't get the benefit of a shower, or a roof!
The building is very attractive on display. The hotel facade is impressive.
Similarly, from the back it's clear there's plenty going on with this set.
Overall thoughts
This is a very attractive set, though those who are not fans of typical Friends colours may not be thrilled with the choice of pink and purple for this structure. However, there are several prestigious hotels who feature pink prominently in their colours (The Don CeSar in St. Petersburg, Florida, comes to mind), so the colouring is not quite as unrealistic as some might think. I really like the option of keeping the build fresh with all the seasonal accessories.
Those looking for something similar to 41101 with the modular ability will be disappointed, as this is very much a dollhouse design. I typically display recent LEGO builds in the shelves in my home office where I work my day job, so it's been in my Zoom background recently. More than one coworker has commented that they thought this build was a dollhouse.
If you're interested in some direct comparisons with 41101, here are a few numbers. 41684 is not as large as 41101 (41684 is 1308 pieces, $99.99, 99.99€, £89.99, while 41101 had 1552 pieces but was $30 more). Both have two hotel rooms, though 41101 did not have a penthouse suite, opting instead for a rooftop pool and bar. 41101 had a more expansive lobby area with a higher ceiling. Other features available in 41101 are one extra minidoll (five vs. four in 41684), a vehicle, and of course, the elevator. I don't know that I can say I like one set more than another; there are features in both that I like. I'd love some of the features of 41684 along with the higher lobby ceiling and elevator of 41101. Of course, that's what MOCs are for!
For younger LEGO fans who are looking for a pretty advanced building experience and visually appealing display set (for multiple seasons), 41684 is a worthy choice.
Many thanks to LEGO for providing a copy of this set for review. All opinions expressed are mine.
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17 comments on this article
An interesting set, and it’s good to see the sloths back! For me, this review really cements the idea that TLG need to make a special “double door element” that means you don’t have to have half the frame in the middle.
@Goujon said:
"An interesting set, and it’s good to see the sloths back! For me, this review really cements the idea that TLG need to make a special “double door element” that means you don’t have to have half the frame in the middle."
Lego used to do left-hand and right-hand glass doors without frame - used in several 80's Town sets. Part numbers 73436c01 and 73435c01. They were used as double doors in 1490 Bank, 6597 Century Skyway and 6373 Motorcycle Shop, amongst others. No sloths in those sets, though!!
The seasonal auxiliary builds are fantastic and I love the luggage cart and bellhop outfit.
Like with the school I like the large amounts of windows. As is typical of Friends, a better City set than City. Has City ever done a hotel or do we have to step up to Modular?
This is an 'A' grade Friends set.
Imagine if this set came with actual minifigures and with animals that don't wear eyeliner... you could actually call the City theme by its name, not what it is now, a "cops vs. robbers and firefighters rescueing fast-food joints" theme. This set has more play depth and thoughtful design choices than any City set from the past 5 years.
This set is really gorgeous and really shows what friends can achieve! The exterior is very well detailed with the scrolls and touches. Interior is not my favourite but I do think it is sufficient (I would have preferred more variation in the two rooms on the 2nd floor) - One of the best friends sets of the year. Great review Megan
The front looks beautiful. Have some potential to remind me as a modular set. But yeah the old set is better overall imo.
@guachi said:
"As is typical of Friends, a better City set than City. Has City ever done a hotel or do we have to step up to Modular?"
i remember a hotel (under construction!) in 6390 and another in 60200 , too! So we have the same ammount of hotel in Friends than in 40 years of City (+ 1 in Modular/Creator Expert)!
@Goujon said:
"An interesting set, and it’s good to see the sloths back! For me, this review really cements the idea that TLG need to make a special “double door element” that means you don’t have to have half the frame in the middle."
They recently made a 6-wide version of the usual 4-wide door frame, and I wish they'd make some 3-wide doors to go with it for that exact reason.
@guachi said:
"The seasonal auxiliary builds are fantastic and I love the luggage cart and bellhop outfit.
Like with the school I like the large amounts of windows. As is typical of Friends, a better City set than City. Has City ever done a hotel or do we have to step up to Modular?
This is an 'A' grade Friends set."
2018's 60200 Capital City includes a small 16 stud-wide hotel, which I think is quite nice for its size, but nowhere near as grand as this.
The lavender and pink walls with the white and blue accents reminds me of the hotel build in 10703 where the (medium) lavender was below the pink and the roof was black. Beautiful colors as far as I'm concerned.
@guachi said:
"Has City ever done a hotel or do we have to step up to Modular?"
Well, the good news is reportedly the 2022 Modular is a Hotel/Art Gallery.
As nice as the hotel is, the top floor still suffers from that Friends adage that buildings don't have ceilings. I find it kind of silly, as a design philosophy. If kids and their little hands can access the lower two floors easily enough, there's no reason to remove the ceiling on the top floor for play access.
"Music is at the ready for any Friend who desires to sit down and play."
Little surprised you didn't add an (or sloth) in that sentence and then show one sitting at the piano. Considering how they're posed, it would almost look natural!
Once again a much better building than anything in the CITY range. The facade would look respectable alongside the modulars I feel. If the ground floor was mauve too I'd seriously consider getting this, but the combination with pink makes it too Friends-y for my tastes.
It's a shame about the lack of a roof. It bugs me as an adult and I'd have disliked it just as much back when I was a kid. As pointed out, it wouldn't take many extra parts to give some proper shelter to the minidolls.
If it wasn't for the expected hotel modular, I'd probably not be able to resist buying this if it came up on a large discount.
While I prefer the older hotel, which our kids have and which we built together, this one looks quite good for the price. Also the pink and purple colours don't look as garish as one might fear. And even if someone prefers a more toned-down look, exchanging the parts for tan or light bluish gray ones for example shouldn't be too much of a problem.
I prefer the older hotel as the lift added to the fun, roof-top pool for chilling out, plus the foyer extended out given more space to play in, whereas this version all seems a bit functional as if the staff just want the friends to stay in their allocated rooms. If they moved the revolving door more outside and had an internal staircase to the first floor then that could be a bit more grand.
Both hotels have their pros and cons. When it comes to the architecture, the new one is the one I prefer. It really has som great details. And if you change the door, the building can even be used as a manor house.