A view I'll never get bored off

These are the old plans aren't they?

Though I can't be sure of the dates, these are definitely old plans - you can see that from Stealth's planned application on the same MTDP draw-up. These plans are clearly from the 2003-2006 MTDP because Stealth's layout is a mock of Xcelerator's at Knott's Berry Farm, suggesting it hadn't even been built when these plans materialised. Indeed, the planning of the much-anticipated Thorpe Hotel have been in the pipeline for years.Here you can see that Stealth's layout is a mock-up Xcelerator, similar to when Saw's eventual layout was pre-proposed as Air's layout, purely to give a guideline of the space they were planning to use. Of course, that was back when Saw was going to be a B&M Flyer... But that's off topic. There may have been a renewed plan recently released but as far as I know the plan above is eight years old now.EDIT: It's rather strange that, if this is the 2003-2006 MTDP, that Island A, C, E and even F (Saw's island) also appear, though no such islands were planned to be created during this period (except maybe the commencement of Island F's infilling?). But even so, you can see Air's layout where Saw should be, making this ever more confusing.

I believe that the plans submitted to the council said that it was just amendments to the previous application, which had already been approved, hence why a lot of the 'old' plans are present.I'd assume that, subject to planning permission, the hotel could open in 2013 (as previously planned?) or 2014.About the above plan, it looks more like an LTDP than a MTDP in honesty, showing the MTDP up to 2010, and then the newer islands which would come afterwards.. :S

Well old or new, this was on Merlin Mania last night and I thought it would be worth sharing. Hopefully we actually will see a hotel being built, but for now we may be best off just keeping this topic for speculation

http://planning.runnymede.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=175527&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Runnymede_AA/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Runnymede_AA/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING theres the application, I hear phase one is due to start being built in February

This looks like it's going to be a very grand build. Very surprised to see it going ahead so early after confirmation too!Oh pleeeeeeease let there be a Nemesis Inferno room with ferns and palm trees and rocks and- stop it Sidders.

Considering all the talk of it being a heavily themed 'thrill' hotel, I'm suprised that they've kept the older plain exterior then.

Regarding Alton hotels pricing.Well a room next Friday, with my Annual Pass, is coming in at £68. So it's not so bad. That's for 4 too!(Just don't mention Saturday nights during the theme park season!)

^ Just a shame that's during closed season

The link to plans gives me an error message, do they show down to the internal layout detail?Just wondering, considering their target market, who are Thorpe aiming this at? Most (all?) AT rooms are family size with an adult bed and two bunks. Are Thorpe going for more twin / double rooms which would better fit their target? This could hopefully mean they could fit in a greater number of smaller rooms which should be a lower price. I always feel at AT I'm paying for the extra beds I'm not using as I don't have kids.

I'm really excited about Thorpe Park getting a hotel, this could be a huge success and make them alot of money. The location looks really nice overlooking the lake and it'll increase visitor numbers to the park, I think Thorpe Park needs 1 now cause the park is expanding quickly in size and it's becomming harder and harder to get all the rides done in 1 day what with some of the queue's being really long!

I feel the hotel would have to be a 'Rock and Roll' type of hotel to fit in with Thorpe's main target audience or it would have to be gadget infested! Considering there are plenty of hotels nearby Thorpe need a catch! However I would love to see Thorpe Park get a hotel and then in the future create a hopper shuttle bus between Thorpe and Chessington, then of course create a hopper ticket! (Don't slate me off for saying that, it’s just the fact Disney do it easily and therefore Chessington and Thorpe could, because it would coincide with the hotels)

Well first of all I'll start with your Hopper Shuttle Bus idea, will never happen. Essentially that would be Thorpe sending its customers to its sister park, which is for a completely different audience. While both parks are owned under the same name, they are still in a slight competition as individual parks. The shuttle bus between Thorpe & Staines, will serve perfectly.The theme for the hotel at Thorpe would be Generic I would say. The target audience for Thorpe are nothing close to Rock & Roll, more your R'n'B, Funky House, Grime etc. It would be a very basic hotel in my eyes.

I imagine the hotel will look and feel more like Chessingtons holiday inn than the Towers/lego variety of hotels.As for hopper shuttle bus... I doubt it, but only for lack of demand. The parks do still do hopper tickets I believe between the three parks, and its always been part of merlins strategy to sell other attractions at their locations (moreso in midway at the moment)

I think it will need to be a more towers / lego type thing personally.Theres a travelodge planned to open up the road in chertsey, so thorpe need to do somthing special to make it attract to people over that.

I think we can expect something really unique to fit the parks brand and operated by Merlin too as Marc has said, much more inline with the Towers and Lego and certainlly not generic.Slightly off topic, but doesn't Chessington's hotel become fully under Merlin's wing next year? I wonder if that will bring many changes?

Sorry if it sounded like a silly idea, it’s just as everything ideas need trial ideas! I really do not see Thorpe Hotel looking like a Travelodge in any sense, because simply it cannot! Guests at Thorpe tend to be young adults with little money, therefore they want a cheap hotel, and therefore they will go to a local Travelodge or B&B therefore Thorpe's hotel will have to be dirt cheap or will have to appeal to a different market/unique experience! Then again it’s cheap to make a Travelodge or Holiday Inn! However we will see, hopefully in the very near future!One other thing Never say Never! You don't know what these parks will do next!

Well the Legoland/Alton Towers idea of themed rooms would certainly give them reason to blow their trumpet over the new Travelodge, but the prices will be sky high, just as they are for Merlin's other themed hotels. That said... Nemesis Inferno room... Oh hello.

It'd be interesting if they do make it more in line with towers... but I've always considered it to appeal primarily more to business market than leisure, and therefore ending up more chessie "stylish" than themed. Maybe with drayton manor style pictures or something related to the park. Concept art seems to go that way, but who knows!Didn't know chessie may be removing their holiday inn association next year. It's all run by them anyway, and they can do practically anything they want (as long as service standards are kept to IHG procedures). So, I doubt we'll see anything different to what has already happened to it.

This would be a brilliant idea for Birthdays, good lord YES! But I don't want it "stylish" themed as said above, I really the idea of the fishing theme though! And themed rooms could be great,X: No Way Out Room!

I don't know if this has been mentioned anywhere or whether it is a supported rumor or not but I heard somewhere that SAW alive (Thorpe Belle) may be converted into one of the river ferries that will take people from the park to the hotel once the contract with Lionsgate ends. I don't even know if its possible to restore the ferry back to what it was but I would not put it past them. After all, the SAW alive experience has got to wear off sometime and when the contract expires I can't see them continuing the horror maze under a different theme. Once SAW leave Thorpe will have a nice empty ferry/building to toy with.Anyway, I am looking forward to the proposed hotel and I hope it all goes ahead! Themed rooms like Alton once had would be good but I imagine it will be very unlikely for Thorpe to get them

Surely the Thorpe Belle would be to high to fit underneath the entrance bridge, so couldn't be used as transport?

Of course, the Belle, from what I've heard is unlikely to be used as a transportation facility due to issues with being able to use it reliably, safely and practically for guests. It's a nice idea, although does Thorpe even need to have a facility like that?

If only they had a reliable, high capacity form of transport to get round to that side of the park already in place. Like a train.Stupid short sighted Thorpe.

I have heard there will be a water bus service from the hotel to around where Vortex is, cant see it being Saw Alive though, its not even a proper boat anymore and sits on stilts.