Posted October 18, 201212 yr comment_142854 Awesome news coming out of AT today! From Towersstreet news: Quote Alton Towers have today revealed they plan to construct 'themed lodges' as part of a major expansion of the resort hotels, for the 2014 season. With the news coming as a surprise to many, they will be built on the meadow adjacent to the Alton Towers Hotel, land which has been previously used for scare mazes and overflow car parking. The news, which broke from the staff newsletter 'The Pulse', has come at a time when interest in theme park developments is already sky high, with Scarefest underway, Fireworks coming soon and the £18million investment in 2013 rollercoaster, Secret Weapon Seven. With this combined investment, it would seem that Alton Towers' position as the UK's most popular theme park resort is assured for years to come, and we look forward to bringing you more news on this exciting development very soon! You can read more on our forums here. http://www.towersstreet.com/news/view/?article=1350588946
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142856 Fantastic news! I'm so glad the resort side of Alton Towers is finally getting touched up! I look forward to seeing how this project progresses on!
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142857 Interesting to see how this develops... Will there be new entertainment options? Will it be reasonably priced? Will it be popular? Will it help or hinder the park's resort image? And more importantly, will it be made out of shipping containers?
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142859 And more importantly, will it be made out of shipping containers? DING DING DING. And the award for most obvious joke goes to Benin.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142860 Warning: This post contains memes. Q) What prompted the decision to halt the progress of the 250-room hotel construction outlined on the 2010-2016 MTDP? A) The permanent hotel is an ongoing project and we are working with the local authorities to ensure it is moving along as quick as possible. We're still very excited about this project. Q) Why have you chosen to install these facilities as opposed to say, leaving the area unused until such time sufficient funds/interest are available to build the previously planned hotel? A)There is a demand from our guests for on-site accommodation and the Snoozebox will meet this demand whilst also allowing the Park to compete with other theme parks to ensure a sustainable economic future by testing the market prior to a substantial permanent investment. Q) Why do you believe these Snooze Boxes to be a valid measure of interest in a permanent hotel, when they don't appear to fit the same criteria nor appeal to the same clientele who might require a larger, fully-equipped hotel facility? A) While a higher number of the Snoozebox guests will no doubt be teenagers, we are still targeting the accommodation at the same guests as we would a permanent hotel (outlined above). The only additional people we would be targeting with a permanent hotel would be local residents who could use the hotel facilities (which the Snoozebox understandably won't have) and companies who would use conference facilities. So Alton gets this with their £20M coaster...: And Forp get this:
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142863 So Alton gets this with their £20M coaster...: And Thorpe get this: Completely different target markets and customer demands though.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142865 Alton towers get a Gerstlauer coaster Thorpe get a B&M... I know what I'd rather Back on topic though looks like a nice development for the park which should complement the existing resort well, I think id rather this than them just build another hotel.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142866 Completely different target markets and customer demands though.Just because they have different target markets doesn't mean Thorpe should make a hotel out of shipping containers, its would be like sleeping in a tiny, cramped, warehouse!
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142867 An excellent point, but as stated in the question above, Thorpe also aim for families and business visits with regards to the demographics the Snoozeboxes are aimed at. And not to mention, Thorpe state that the Snoozebox is a sustainable alternative to test the market for the demand for the hotel before they build the thing, meaning that they went for this option because it was cheaper. I'm either too tired to think or just being plain ass dumb but why not invest more in Thorpe seeing as Alton already have a hotel?
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142868 Just because they have different target markets doesn't mean Thorpe should make a hotel out of shipping containers, its would be like sleeping in a tiny, cramped, warehouse! They're obviously aiming the Snoozebox at teenagers to crash in after the many nightclub events they will be hosting next year. The Snoozebox and this new Alton Towers accommodation have two completely different uses and I think it's unfair to compare them. On the other hand, back on topic, these lodges do look very nice! Exciting times
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142869 An excellent point, but as stated in the question above, Thorpe also aim for families and business visits with regards to the demographics the Snoozeboxes are aimed at. And not to mention, Thorpe state that the Snoozebox is a sustainable alternative to test the market for the demand for the hotel before they build the thing, meaning that they went for this option because it was cheaper. I'm either too tired to think or just being plain ass dumb but why not invest more in Thorpe seeing as Alton already have a hotel? Whilst I think they are to test the market, they will also help thorpe in the short term with the Club nights, opening a full scale hotel next year would be impossible, Snoozebox means they can provide accommodation for the club nights (which sell out each and every time) from next year and rake in 3 years or what ever of that whilst going ahead and building the full hotel if they feel its needed.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142870 The thing with the Snoozebox is this is not the Thorpe Park Hotel. It is a temporary installation until the proper hotel is built. If of course the proper hotel was going to be a mess of shipping containers and half arsed effort then I could understand the hate, but it isn't. The log cabins are lovely, as they should be for something that is permanant and staying around for a very long time. They just need to bolster the resorts entertainment options to go along with it.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142871 Concept Image: Very Hobbit! Very Center Parcs, in concept if not style. Fantastic idea - the sort of thing I can see myself using, unlike a container for four. I hope it does come with some new entertainment / eating / drinking options, again in a Center Pars way, making it like a little village and worthy of a good few days rather than the single night I'll currently consider. I hope they use it as an excuse to upgrade the pool too, which has always felt like a massive missed opportunity to me.
October 18, 201212 yr comment_142873 This is another example of where the Towers seems to get solid investment and Thorpe doesn't. I'm all for this investment, as long as the pricing is good, I'd love to stay in one of these, but you wouldn't catch me in a snoozebox even if they were £50 a night.
October 18, 201212 yr Author comment_142874 I think it all seems a little Efteling Bosrijk! Which is no bad thing:
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142889 Bit skeptical to be honest with this...for them to build an appropriate amount of "hobbit houses" they would need to use alot of space which could be used better.
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142894 They're building on the grounds rarely used, extending their onsite overnight capacity which is regularly at 100%, and going towards their long term aim at longer stays, and capturing the guests who like to visit the Peak district (of which towers is literally on the border of) as well. Sensible, and glad that they've secured funding even after this tough year!
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142900 Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Alton struggling to fill their current hotels?
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142901 With the £99 for a room and 2 theme park tickets included, I would guess yes, there pretty much giving them away! But all the parks have been hit this year, I guess there thinking more long term
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142902 Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Alton struggling to fill their current hotels? I thought they were struggling too...dont get me wrong...these Hobbit huts are different to the usual hotels and will attract a different visitor...but they will be extortionate.
October 19, 201212 yr comment_142929 Luckily, and rarely it seems, merlin/towers are actually looking long term investment, rather than letting this year affect anything.
October 20, 201212 yr comment_142932 IF Alton are struggling to fill their current hotels, this it is simply down to price. I have wanted to stay so many times, but it is 2-4 times more expensive that a Premier in down the road. So to fill the rooms, they only need to adjust the price. I'm all for this extra development, anything which adds to the resort, gives more variety and makes Merlin more money can only be a good thing.
October 20, 201212 yr comment_142936 They also have extremes of demands as school holidays come and go, the extra capacity is very much needed at peak times and probably worth building just for then even, if they stand empty some of the time.
October 20, 201212 yr comment_142939 Thing is with the cheap nights, they were done on off peak nights, and were certainly successful to some degree, as the night I was there Splash Landings was very busy (which is where the deal was)...
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