PeteB wrote:
No budget hotels please, keep that in the surrounding areas.
I don't oppose the hotels having different quality levels though (I suppose star rating would be the appropriate term), a bit like what Disney do.
Already the AT Hotel is consistently more expensive than Splash although I think this happened by mistake as it wasn't that way when Splash first opened, they were more or less equal. People seem to prefer the AT one because it feels a little more grown up and has a bit more class.
But, I do think they should either build a mega expensive flashy 5 star one, or something just a little lower ranking than Splash but certainly not budget by any means. Still need to keep "the alton towers experience".
You also have the problem of riff raff. Splash just manages to keep them out and I've already had a few stays there before where there's been people who I'd rather not be around at such expense.
Maybe I should have been clearer; I didn't mean build a travelodge on site, I meant I think it would be a good idea for them to build a value resort hotel like, as you said, how Disney do with hotels like the All Star Resorts, which are pretty cheap (alot cheaper than AT Hotel and Splash Landings) and in no way detract from the "disney experience". A value hotel would offer the same experience and level of service but have fewer amenities (no swimming pool/spa/waterpark, basic dining, standard rooms). Of course they could also build a luxury 5 star hotel too for those who can afford it, which would further alleviate the demand for the current hotels.
CoasterCrazyChris wrote:
What you have to remember is when you stay at one of the park's hotels you are not paying for the quality of the hotel - but the location.
Therefore, a budget hotel would not work.
As I mentioned above, if places like Disney can have more affordable accomodation then I don't see why Alton Towers can't. The cost of the hotels at the minute is high because as you say they are well located, and there is only limited availability. I'm assuming theres alot of demand to stay at the resort, otherwise the hotels wouldn't be so pricey; increase supply to meet demand and the cost of a room will come down, then leaving the hotels to be priced according to quality (like what happens at Disney) as the location will no longer be so exclusive.
ImURNemesis wrote:
No budget hotels please! The park would only be stealing business from local B&Bs, Pubs and campsites. Not to mention it will took tacky and out of place. If they want a hotel, go down the four to five star road and make a highly themed, unique experience.
I don't think it would have too much of a negative impact on the local area as I think B&Bs, pubs and campsites all have a unique experience to offer that can't be found at the resort. The main businesses i suspect would suffer would be the likes of travelodge, but travelodge don't contribute to the park so I don't see why they should be taking it's custom. Also I imagine it would have to be quite a large hotel to accomodate the demand which would mean a lot of new jobs for the area. Not only this but having more affordable hotels on site instead of in the local area will ease traffic on local routes by reducing the number of people travelling in and out of the resort each day from wherever they're staying instead of driving into the resort once at the beginning of their stay and out again at the end.
I'm aware this is quite a large scale investment I'm talking about and I think there are various other things the park would need to do before expanding the resort so much (like offering more entertainment after park hours) but I think it is the most obvious route to take if the resort is to grow anymore.