LEGO® Icons review: 10297 Boutique Hotel

Ben Davies (@ProfBrickkeeper) examines the upcoming 2022 modular building: 10297 Boutique Hotel. Buying this set, priced €199.99 / US$199.99 / £179.99? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

Despite frequent rebranding, 2022 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the LEGO® modular building series. To mark this milestone, the LEGO Group has unveiled 10297 Boutique Hotel, which will be available starting on 1 January 2022. Ahead of the launch, New Elementary had an opportunity to take a look at this latest modular building, and the new elements it contains.

New Moulds

A little surprisingly, only a single new 2022 mould appears in 10297 Boutique Hotel. That distinction belongs to, of all things, a Cupcake with Hollow Stud (Element ID 6361352 | Design ID 79743) which appears in Aqua/ Light Aqua.

The building instructions erroneously state that the element has previously appeared in the LEGO Friends line. This is likely a result of confusion between the new design, which comes as a standalone part, and an earlier Cupcake Holder (97784) which appeared in a parts Kitchen Multipack (93082) and lacked a stud. This new design is much more similar to the Cupcake Holder (1006320) which previously appeared in the Trolls World Tour Multipack (95468), but with a full hollow stud and filled-in rim.

Recolours

Light Nougat has traditionally been a color reserved for minifigure elements, but this has gradually changed over the past few years. Appearing as one of the primary colors used for the Boutique Hotel, ten elements appear in Light Nougat for the first time, including several basic bricks and plates:

• 4x Brick Round Corner 4 x 4 Macaroni Wide with 3 Studs (6369192 | 48092)
• 38x Brick 1 x 1 (6369191 | 3005)
• 43x Brick 1 x 2 (6369189 | 3004)
• 35x Brick 1 x 4 (6378419 | 3010)
• 1x Brick 2 x 2 (6297283 | 3003)
• 9x Wheel Arch, Mudguard, 1 1/2 x 6 x 1 [Arch Extended] (6369187 | 62361)
• 2x Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] (6357796 | 11477)
• 1x Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter (6275872 | 25269)
• 57x Plate 1 x 2 (6369188 | 3023)
• 14x Brick Curved 3 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout (6369190 | 70681)

Several other designs have also received recolours for their appearance in the Boutique Hotel:

• 6x Tile 4 x 4 Curved, Macaroni (6177823 | 27507) in Sand Green
• 20x Brick Curved 3 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout (6369375 | 70681) in Sand Green
• 17x Plate Special 1 x 2 Rounded with 2 Open Studs (6369194 | 35480) in Dark Orange
• 15x Animal, Snake Head with Open Mouth, Fangs and Curved Neck with Bar (6380639 | 28588) in Black
• 12x Bar 2L with Stop in Center (6371584 | 78258) in Black

Prints

Those who decry stickers will be pleased to know that all decorated elements in the Boutique Hotel come printed. Accordingly, several new printed elements have been introduced:

• 2x Torso Bellhop with Utility Belt, Sand Green Arms, White Hands (6385228 | 76382) in Sand Green
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove and Visitor Book Print (6366172 | 3068) in Brick Yellow/ Tan
• 1x Tile 2 x 3 and Mirror Print (6366169 | 26603) in Sand Blue
• 1x Tile Round 2 x 2 with 'H' Print (6366174 | 14769) in Black
• 1x Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat and Television Print (6366171 | 35316) in White
• 1x Plates Special 4 x 4 with Studs on One Edge and Billboard Print (6366170 | 6179) in White
• 1x Tile 2 x 4 and Art Print (6366173 | 26603) in White
• 1x Tile 2 x 4 with 'El Cubo Fine Art' Print (6366175 | 87079) in Bright Blue/ Blue

Rare Elements

A defining trait of the modular building series is the presence of rare or sought after parts. The Boutique Hotel does not disappoint, including a myriad of hard-to-find elements.

Several parts return after only a single other set appearance, including the printed typewriter and rotary phone elements that first appeared in 2021’s 10278 Police Station:

• 1x Plate Round Corner 4 x 8 Double (6353796 | 22888) in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray
• 14x Brick Special 1 x 2 with Studs on 1 Side (6325881 | 11211) in Light Nougat
• 5x Brick 1 x 3 (6357794 | 3622) in Light Nougat
• 2x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Clip Horizontal on Side (6343511 | 65458) in Light Nougat
• 2x Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Curved Top - Corner (6359685 | 67810) in Dark Red
• 1x Minifig Hair with Large High Bun (6357937 | 27186) in Dark Orange
• 1x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Typewriter Print (6323421 | 72188) in Black
• 1x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Rotary Phone Print (6323420 | 72187) in Black
• 2x Tile 4 x 4 Curved, Macaroni (6387478 | 27507) in Medium Nougat (Previously 6227044)

A number of parts make their third appearance in the Boutique Hotel, including some ornamental elements:

• 2x Window 1 x 4 x 3 without Shutter Tabs (6328181 | 60594) in Dark Brown
• 1x Brick Round 4 x 4 with Recessed Center (6313597 | 68325) in Bright Red/ Red
• 3x Brick Round, Half 1 x 2 (6351413 | 68013) in Brick Yellow/ Tan
• 1x Minifig Head Shirley Keeper, Dark Orange Eyebrows, Red Glasses, Red Lips, Beauty Mark Print (6329613 | 73965) in Bright Yellow/ Yellow
• 1x Brick Round 2 x 2 Dome Top - Hollow Stud with Bottom Axle Holder x Shape + Orientation (6278544 | 30367) in Sand Green
• 6x Tile 2 x 2 Curved, Macaroni (6299637 | 27925) in Sand Green
• 1x Wedge Plate 6 x 2 Left (6344427 | 78443) in Black
• 1x Plate Round 6 x 6 with Hole (6345302 | 11213) in Medium Nougat
• 2x Ornament with Bar (6286835 | 28870) in Black
• 1x Brick Curved 1 x 1 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs (6312450 | 49307) in Earth Green/ Dark Green
• 31x Plate 1 x 1 (6357797 | 3024) in Light Nougat

Yet more elements have appeared in three sets previously, and appear again in the Boutique Hotel. In this category are several recently introduced wedge plates:

• 6x Window Round 3 x 3 x 2 (6343651 | 73878) in Reddish Brown
• 1x Torso Jacket Over Light Blue Undershirt Print, Bright Light Orange Arms, Yellow Hands (6335285 | 76382) in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange
• 2x Panel 1 x 2 x 1 [Rounded Corners] (6274681 | 26169) in Dark Red
• 4x Wedge Curved 4 x 3 No Studs [Plain] (6284414 | 64225) in Sand Green
• 4x Door 1 x 2 x 3 with Vertical Handle, New Mold for Tabless Frames (6334209 | 60614) in Sand Yellow
• 2x Tile 45° Cut 2 x 2 (6314477 | 35787) in Brick Yellow/ Tan
• 2x Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter (6311890 | 25269) in Dark Red
• 2x Plate 1 x 10 (6232137 | 4477) in Sand Yellow/ Dark Tan
• 1x Wedge Plate 6 x 4 Left (6262083 | 48208) in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray
• 1x Wedge Plate 2 x 4 27° Right (6306728 | 65426) in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray
• 1x Wedge Plate 2 x 4 27° Left (6306729 | 65429) in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray
• 1x Plate Special 2 x 2 with Bar Frame Octagonal, Reinforced, Completely Round Studs (6223219 | 75937) in Sand Green
• 2x Plate Special 1 x 4 with 2 Studs with Groove [New Underside] (6257603 | 41740) in Dark Orange
• 4x Equipment Handcuffs (6252201 | 97927) in Black

Building Process

The Boutique Hotel is assembled in three stages, with elements distributed across fourteen bags.

The first seven bags of parts are used for assembling the ground floor of the hotel and adjacent art gallery.

The unique triangular shape of the hotel is established early on. To achieve this, Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Swivel Top / Base (73983) are used for shaping the exterior angles of the building, while Plate Special 1 x 2 Rounded with 2 Open Studs (35480) are used for the interior angles where multiple walls intersect.

The hotel lobby features a large vase with flowers, front desk with telephone and guest book, key rack, and a couch along the windows. 

An elaborate staircase is situated in the corner of the lobby, and features an ornate banister. The handrail is created using a combination of Candle Sticks (37762) and a Whip (61875) for the volute, while several Bar, Thick with Hole and Bar Handle (23443) are used to create the balusters. An alcove below the staircase provides a spot for housing a luggage cart.

A modern art gallery is located adjacent to the lobby. The artworks in the gallery include references to the works of Piet Modrian and Pablo Picasso. A cubic sculpture constructed from six 1 x 1 Headlight/‘Erling’ bricks in Transparent (4070) is an homage to the logo of the LEGO Creator Expert line between 2015 and 2020.

The next three bags of parts are devoted to building the first floor of the building, which features two economy rooms. A terrace is also constructed during this stage.

To continue the angling from the ground level, the hotel is built as two angled sections, which are then connected with hinges. This same technique is later used for construction of the second floor and roof.

The floor is separated into two economy rooms, plus a staircase. The smaller of the two rooms features a single bed, nightstand, cabinet with attached desk, and a balcony. 

The larger room includes a single bed, nightstand, chair, armoire, and desk with typewriter and lamp.

In order for the removable terrace to fit with the hotel, reflected triangle geometry is used. Also built as angled sections joined by hinges, when the terrace is combined with the hotel, Pythagorean triangles are created which align with the LEGO stud grid.

The terrace itself features a small bar and palm tree. To create the texture of the palm truck, several Minifig Crown / Egg Shell Half (39262) are stacked.

The second floor and roof are constructed from the last four bags of elements, and feature a penthouse suite.

The penthouse suite is broken into a fully-furnished bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom features a double bed, nightstands, an armoire, chair, table, lamp, television, and corner balcony.

Despite its small footprint, the bathroom features a bathtub, toilet, sink, and mirror.

The roof is fairly plain, but features an ornate railing created using a combination of Bar 2L with Stop in Center (78258) and Animal, Snake Head with Open Mouth, Fangs and Curved Neck with Bar (28588).

Final Thoughts

The finished Boutique Hotel immediately stands out among previous modular buildings because of its unorthodox shape. The building eschews the right angles of past corner buildings, in favor of an acute angle.

The advanced techniques used to achieve such shaping results in a more interesting building experience, and allows for additional detail along the left side of the building.

While I was initially disappointed by the lack of new 2022 moulds found in the set, upon further examination I have come to appreciate its parts selection. This is largely thanks to the numerous Light Nougat recolours it introduces in quantity.

Ultimately, 10297 Boutique Hotel has something to offer, whether you’re seeking out an engaging building experience, or looking to grow your collection of rare elements. The set releases on 1 January 2022, and is priced at €199.99 / US$199.99 / £179.99.

READ MORE: Another 2022 set reviewed: LEGO® Iconic 40524 Sunflowers has 191 pieces

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