3rd Hotel For Alton

[The Grape Wizard]

Alton Towers plans third hotel in expansion bid
Wednesday, May 06, 2009, .


ALTON Towers is considering building a third hotel as part of a multi-million pound, 10-year plan to consolidate the resort's position as the country's number one theme park.
Parent company Merlin Entertainments is to outline the proposals to the district council within the next two months.
The blueprint will include a substantial investment in new rides, infrastructure and heritage features, as well as the provision of further on-site accommodation.
The resort is currently responsible for 2,900 jobs – and £38 million of income – in the local economy.
A third hotel would provide a major jobs boost for the area.
Alton Towers took on 240 staff to run Splash Landings when that hotel opened in 2003.
At present, a total of 1,594 guests can be accommodated on-site every night, in the 13-year-old 175-room Alton Towers Hotel and at Splash Landings itself, which has 216-rooms and also features an indoor water park.
Alton Towers' corporate communications manager Liz Greenwood said: "We have conducted a very detailed economic impact survey which looks at how our business affects those around us and the wider district and county.
"Over the next 10 years, many millions of pounds will be invested in the resort – on its infrastructure, rides, attractions, heritage, the house and peripheral activities, as well as further accommodation."
Ms Greenwood added: "Ten per cent of our total guests spend the night with us, which means there is a huge marketing opportunity for local accommodation providers to tap into.
"During the winter months we deal with conference and trade bookings, meaning both hotels are currently fully booked all year round, not only when the resort is open.
"We are trying to reposition ourselves from a teenage market to cater for families.
"In trying to encourage families to stay for longer, there is a need to provide further accommodation of some kind."
Ms Greenwood said the resort would seek to do more than just erect "world class" roller-coasters – such as the Corkscrew's replacement for 2010, "Secret Weapon Six" – to entice thrill-seekers from all over the UK.
She said: "In 2008, we worked extremely hard to attract families and we were very successful – growing in this sector from 35 per cent to 50 per cent of our total volume.
"Now, 75 per cent of our rides and attractions are suitable for children under 10."
Alton Towers attracted around 2.5 million visitors last year – accounting for approximately half of all visitor trips to the Moorlands – and it is hoped that it will be able to repeat its success this season.
Ms Greenwood said: "It is quite difficult to make a judgement yet but early indications are good and we are cautiously optimistic.
"With the credit crunch, we believe more British people are staying in the UK and visiting attractions which offer value for money, for which Alton Towers has a very good reputation and also offers a fantastic experience.
"And even though we don't pro-actively market ourselves abroad, the relative strength of the euro against the pound may mean more European visitors are coming to the area as a whole."
Liz Bradley, owner of Chained Oak bed and breakfast, in Farley Lane, Alton, reckoned that her appeal to a different clientele would mean an additional hotel would not cause too much disruption.
She said: "We get a lot of passing trade and if Alton Towers can keep encouraging customers to the Staffordshire Moorlands, we should be OK.
"But I'm afraid a further hotel could really have an impact on bed and breakfasts further outside the village."
The chairman of Alton Parish Council, Tony Moult, said he remained cautious on how any future development would effect smaller businesses.
He said: "I don't think those running bed and breakfasts would be too happy with the idea of competition from a third hotel.
"There is a lot of room for investment Alton Towers could make in the village, such as pedestrian crossings, which I hope can be included in their 10-year plan."

From The Sentinel

What d'ya think?

 

[Ollie]

Towerstimes said Alton would be getting a 3rd hotel as an April fools joke.
I don't see why they need a 3rd one. They're doing fine with just two.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

I can see a lot of people going 'This could be money better spent on the actual rides themselves'...

Either way however they spend it would produce an increase in profits... But Alton right now need to focus on community relationships, and as is covered in the article, I doubt a 3rd hotel would be welcomed by the B&Bs...

 

[Tomatron]

I thought this might happen sooner or later. There's more money to be made out of the resort and conference facilities they offer for the top end of the market, and more room to expand on the experience they offer for families.

 

[spicy]

I think a 3rd hotel is a great idea. The hotels are always fully booked when I go so they have the demand for a 3rd so why not build one?

The waterpark will need expanding though to accomodate a whole hotel load of guests.

I also hope they build a kind of 'Downtown Disney' area somewhere. I know there was plans for this at some point I remember reading about it. They really need one in my opinion as there just isn't much to do in the evening.

 

[Martyn B]

^ Yeah I remember that. I would be alot more inclined to stay in a Hotel if there was a 'Disney Village' at the resort.

 

[Anonymous]

Alton need to improve better transport links to the existing hotels first. It can be a logistical nightmare getting to the park and Hotels if you don't drive. More families could visit and stay over in the hotel if it was easier to get there.

 

[marc]

Alton needs a lot more before another hotel, but if they build one I hope they build a budget one like Disney do. The prices they charge are just stupid.

 

[aly]

Alton need to improve better transport links to the existing hotels first. It can be a logistical nightmare getting to the park and Hotels if you don't drive. More families could visit and stay over in the hotel if it was easier to get there.

To be fair though; almost all of the target audience for the hotel will drive. Virtually every family has a car; which they will use to travel both themselves and their luggage to the resort.

To be honest I don't think we will ever see better transport links to the towers as even local people would rather take a car; as the but simply takes too long.

I honestly don't think we will see budget accomodation at the Towers. Afterall their current hotel rooms are selling out; so therefore there is demand for more.

I think we could see rooms in the Alton Towers Hotel becoming cheaper or we could see more offers appear however; if there is money to be made Alton Towers will make it. Like has been mentioned though; we need to see some sort of resort constructed around the hotels with more things for guests to do once the park closes it doors.

 

[Anonymous]

To be fair though; almost all of the target audience for the hotel will drive. Virtually every family has a car; which they will use to travel both themselves and their luggage to the resort.

I don't. A lot of my family and friends don't either. If we did, and could get to the hotel easier then I'm sure AT would get more of our cash instead of Disney.

 

[marc]

I was thinking about this the other day.

If Alton had good public transport and a good road network that could affect the number of people that use the hotels.

So its sort of in their best interest not to improve anything that way more people use the the hotels.

This also does have a down side as some people dont go simply as they can not get there.

Thats my way of looking at it anyway

 

[HarryBoyy]

I think alton have enough hotels already it just is taking up space they could build a very good ride in the park theree.

 

[gavin]

^Look at the date of the last time anybody posted in this topic. Two and a half months ago.

Look at how much you've added to the topic. Nothing.

Repeat with your other recent posts.

Sorry to be a dick about it, but you've been around long enough now to know about bad posting. Unless you've got something useful to add, then please don't drag up old topics.

 

[davidm]

Re:

Unless you've got something useful to add, then please don't drag up old topics.

:lol:

Alton Towers announce new Hotel;

[tweet]https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/758215010434691072[/tweet]

https://www.altontowers.com/2017

 

[owentaylor121]

Actually sounds really good and the reception it's received on facebook looks like it's going to do well for the park!

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Ian]

As somebody without kids and who rarely stays in UK park hotels....meh.

 

[Robbie]

The number of special offers for Alton Towers holidays I've been sent this year makes me surprised they actually want to increase capacity. They obviously see the family market as the growth area - which doesn't bode well for the rest of us.

 

[spicy]

You can view the plans here:

https://towersstreet.com/future/alton-t ... expansion/

It's more of an extension to the Alton Towers hotel than a brand new stand alone hotel like Splash Landings was.

Also meh, another use of an IP, and a really underwhelming one unless you have really young children. At least Splash landings was original and a fun theme for both adults and children.

This also does nothing to improve the night entertainment for guests, they could really do with something substantial seeing as they have the Enchanted Village and 3 hotels now.

 

[Pink Cadillac]

I hate children

 

[Ben]

This is literally the last thing that park needs.

So, another year without a new ride - they won't have opened a new ride from 2013 - 2018, closed loads, and just shoved accommodation in.

Like, why. If the park isn't offering anything why would people stay over.