The York Hotel Royale mega-structure from Menards!

The York Hotel Royale is no roadside rest! It will attract 1:48 scale travelers from far and wide and will dominate the downtown of any O gauge layout!

A few issues back I wrote a review called “Rise of the Mega Structures.” Little did I know that the product designers at Menards were just getting warmed up!

I have got to say that it is thrilling to be surprised, seemingly every few weeks, by receiving a box from Menards with something in it that falls into the “Nobody will ever do that in O,” category. This is another one of those times. Not just a hotel, but a giant structure.

The no. 279-3973 York Hotel Royale has a footprint of approximately 11x11-inches and it measures just under 23-inches tall. I count seven floors of rooms and the first floor/lobby looks to be about two floors tall.

 With a little warning (and very subtle hints from the crew at Menards), the building arrived in a box not that much smaller than the last carpet cleaner I bought! It was a two-person job, getting it out of the box! Yes, it was fun!

 As the building was rising out of the box, I immediately latched on to the name “York.”  The street address was also strangely familiar – it is the address of the fairgrounds at York. Was this to be a portent that the Menards flag would be flown at the Fall TCA Eastern Division meet at York, Penn.? Someday, perhaps!

 What you have is a posh-looking entryway with a doorman. There are pedestrians walking past (including Jack the German Shepherd), and seven floors of hotel rooms. The windows have window treatments. When the adapter (sold separately) is plugged in you can see that they have blocked out some windows to show rooms that are still empty.

This is an amazing structure and I'm certain there are crafty hobbyists who will use it as the basis for their re-creating their own favorite hotel!

This majestic structure costs $119.99 plus shipping. Order online at www.Menards.com/trains and select free shipment to your local Menards store.

Wow. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Fire this bad boy up with your no. 279-4050 power adapter (not included) and you'll see a unique display of lighting the shows that there are still a few rooms that are vacant.

The hotel has a red carpet out front and even a doorman.

The roof has rotating vent turbines and flashing aircraft safety lights,

Windows are positioned on all four sides. The 'entry' for the parking garage can be removed and you can run trans through the rear of the structure. This is ideal for placement on the back of a layout!

Another view, with the rear of the hotel visible.

The LED lighting will illuminate the surrounding area for a safer downtown experience.

The York Hotel Royale will be a four-star accommodation on any O gauge layout.

Pop out the underground parking insert section and you can have your local rapid transit system make stops at The York!

The no. 279-4050 4.5 volt, 5,000 mA power adapter costs $19.99.