While walking the streets of the Gaslamp District in San Diego, the district that hosts San Diego Comic-Con, I heard someone ask about “Paramount+ The Lodge,” “Is that about the series? Wasn’t it cancelled?” The Paramount+ The Lodge has nothing to do with the similarly named TV series or the 2019 horror flick. It isn’t even an activation limited to San Diego Comic-Con.
If you’re wondering: What series?! There was a British musical drama/mystery series that premiered on the Disney Channel in 2016, but the show only ran until 2017. According to a Fandom entry, the show was based on a series from Israel: “North Star.” The show revolves around a 15-year-old girl, Skye (Sophie Simnett), who moves with her father Ed (Marcus Garvey) to Northern Ireland to take over the ownership and management of the hotel North Star. The hotel had previously been owned by Ed’s father, Patrick (Geoffrey McGivern). Some of the stars from “The Lodge” have found roles in other series. Sophie Signet starred in the 2019 “Daybreak” on Netflix. Luke Newton is now on “Bridgerton.” Thomas Doherty went on to the Disney movie “Descendants” as the son of Captain Hook, Harry Hook. Doherty was also on the reboot of “Gossip Girl.”
The Paramount+ The Lodge is a traveling fan activation that began in 2023. The SDCC version of The Lodge is the end of the 2024 tour. According to EventMarketer.com:
Paramount+ first locked down 2023 tour locations for The Lodge at tentpole events, including SXSW and SDCC, but quickly realized that mountaintops were also ideal locations to activate the chalet experience. So the brand teamed up with hospitality organization Alterra Mountain Company to bring The Lodge, and the brand love, to Mammoth Mountain Resort in California and Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado. Fans at each site were invited to engage with an array of Paramount+ IPs through a self-guided journey that gave them the freedom to explore the content they enjoy most.
In year two:
With plenty of on-site attendee sentiments captured and social listening data compiled from 2023, Paramount+ headed into year two of The Lodge with a heavier focus on providing family-friendly touchpoints, particularly at the four Alterra ski resorts the tour took over during the winter: Winter Park, CO; Stratton, VT; Steamboat, CO; and Palisades Tahoe, CA. To ensure the activation captured plenty of eyeballs, Paramount+ worked with Alterra to select higher-traffic on-mountain locations this year.
At SDCC 2024, The Lodge was at Happy Does Bar (340 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, 92101) from Wednesday night to Sunday.
The best plan for this activation was to decide what took the most time and get in line for it. So while waiting in line to create a custom Star Trek t-shirt using a touch-screen tablet, we used the line-buddy system. I picked also picked up a slice at the Turtle Power Pizza: cheese or pepperoni. Themed drinks were also available.
You also could drop by the Ink Master Tattoo Parlor which was next to the t-shirt order place. There’s a whole folder of choices, but, true to my spirit, it had to be an animal and not Sponge Bob. I wanted to put one on my cheek, but I’m too small! So on it went to my arm. It lasted most of the weekend.
Two youth sizes were included in the t-shirt possibilities, just the thing for us short girls because there are only so many XL t-shirts once can use for nightgowns.
For kids, there was the “IF” Cozy Ferris Wheel Photo Op which goes by pretty fast. We loved it so much we did it three times! I haven’t seen the movie yet, but now I can’t wait until I can stream it.
Another kid option was the Jellyspotting in Bikini Bottom for Sponge Bob fans. I did get photos with Sponge Bob last year though.
The Olfactory Atelier had perfumes based on the characters from the CBS series “Ghosts” and you could possibly pass on this or have a sniff. This was also a quick line. When you’re hot and sweaty from the 80-degree weather at SDCC and waiting in line under the sun, you might need a little free perfume sample.
We tried our luck at the slot machines, but neither of us had Lady Luck on our shoulders.
We did miss out solving a case from “Criminal Minds” though but we had to get over to another appointment at the Bayfront Hilton for a Thursday panel in Hall H. Next time, I’ll try to do it all.
If The Lodge and it’s A Mountain of Entertainment™ comes back for a third year, I’d definitely go. It is a free event that doesn’t require an SDCC pass and the line management is good even as the weekend wore on.
Age of the Geek 