The original hotel opened on July 7, 1999,and was branded the "Holiday Inn Family Suites". At an October 9, 2003 press conference in New York City,Holiday Inn and Nickelodeon announced a partnership and renovation of the hotel, which would transform it into the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn. The announcement followed a two-year deal in which Holiday Inn promoted SpongeBob SquarePants at its locations.
The resort features one-to-three bedroom suites and two waterparks, the Lagoon Pool and Oasis Pool. A "4-D" film theater using SimEx-Iwerks technology, 3,000-square-foot arcade, golf course, multi-level basketball court and family game shows are held at the hotel, and "Nick After Dark" event locations were also previously held at the hotel. The resort formerly contained a shopping area with a Nickelodeon-brand retail shop and a buffet known as the "Nicktoons Café",among other restaurants. Near the entrance of the resort was a time capsule formerly buried outside the former Nickelodeon Studios complex at nearby Universal Studios Florida.
On January 18, 2021, the debranded Holiday Inn Resort filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy