New Infrastructure Layout => New Huge Area for Hotel / Entertainment Complex

[AdamPanic]

My idea based off a Blizzards idea of [url=http://'http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/alton-towers-future/towers-view-hotel/']Topic of a Towers Views Hotel[/url]

The potential is there if Alton Tower thought radically and long term about changing the locations of the existing infrastructure.
As doing so could open up large and new areas of the park for redevelopment and attractions.

Infrastructure

• Modify SkyRide, so storage is at a Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

Still staff accessible via internal road.

• Alter existing road layouts
• Build a new training Magic HQ, storage warehouse with multistory (staff) carpark behind Dual and MonoRail sheds.

It's still reasonable central. ([url=http://'http://binged.it/14BrZ9n']Location[/url])

Now with those moved and relocated, this leaves with a huge site to play with.
In terms of area it looks close to  the size of X-Sector! or even bigger if the monorail goes through the centre of it!

Towers View Hotel
Build a new hotel

• with a basement area(s) for usage as
  • Storage for Tower Street.
  • Tunnel route access to Staff and Security access road on other side of Tower Street
  • Underground Staff Car Parking.
  • Potential to resurface near Katanga Canyon
  • Build New internal access route to new Magic HQ, by taking some of Coach Parking Space.
  This opens up the option of expanding Storybook Land. By utilising the existing staff carpark.[/li]
• Utilise the already restaurant (at the bottom of Towers St) they could pull into the design.
• Guest Entrance (Priority) into could be through Tower Street Trading, or in between it and restaurant

Hotel & Entertainment Complex

You've and area the you can potential separate off and utilise in the evening

• Mutiny Bay + Courtyard Tavern
• Adventure Land
• Towers Street
• SeaLife Centre

Build a World Class theatre show venue, like some of the Las Vegas ones.
Could you imagine tempting some of the following shows across to the UK.

• [url=http://'']Ka Cirque du Soleil
• The House Of Dancing Waters

Especially if the Laws on Gambling and Casinos changed.
With the Sky-Ride build not being there (see Transportation section) any more you can potential make the stage face out towards the Towers.

Transportation

With new hotel we could also create new replacement mono rail station.

• Maybe also upgrade monorail to make it run in some modified form of shuttle mode.

If they think keep track but modify it to take driverless pods. ( [url=http://'http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/heathrow-airport-replaces-diesel-buses-with-driver-less-electric-pods/']Link[/url]. )

• Could add extensions routes to:-
  • new Magic HQ
  • hotels
  • Security Entrance
  • Studios
  
  
  Thinking about it further you could replace SkyRide with this system.
  Use guided tracks and route it via woodland paths like the Cross Valley Route and internal roads, so it has less impact on the environment.
  
  Another Idea is that you could have mini stations in each area of the park.
  • XSector
  • Forbidden Valley
  • Gloomy Wood
  • Gardens[/il]
    This one would have to a good looking station (model on the Conservatries, which could be Aunt Betty's Tea-Rooms / Harry Ramsdens)
    Which wouldl give improved access to the gardens for disabled and wheelchair users.
  
  Option to redistribute the pay booths across the external areas of the park. Car Parks + Hotel
  You could Pay at a Pod Station (even maybe via mobile) and be a granted access straight into any area of park.
  
  If the Churnet Valley Steam Rail get to Alton Station, it wouldn't take much to add a pod station at the Gateway House. Routing the pods up the existing internal road, and connect it to existing pod network.
  
  Potential to have a bit of fun in terms of the style and design of the pods.
  • The Glass Elevator
  • TheTardis
  • Hot Air Balloon
  (Which is already part of the existing branding.)
  
  
  
  
  Rides
  
  With the sky-ride also out of the way, that leave a clearing through the trees and woods (no cutting down of trees). I think, wouldn't that route be just about perfect for a giant Wooden Coaster?
  Maybe incorporate idea of the cross valley drops, by turning left. It would make quite a surprise.
  Theming could be integrated into an combined Katanga Canyon vs Mutiny Bay theme.
  (Imagine  Pirates vs Natives.)
  Construct a couple Pirate Ships on the Rapids and Log Flume lakes, plus add a little sand to make look like a beach.
  They could also then be utilised as stages for shows. Or lit up at night.
  By also rerouting some of the paths, you can revamp Katanga Canyon, into a more Native Theme (think Aztec like Chessington) . Add some attractions:- Rameses Revenge, Topple Tower (Totem Pole). etc

[/list][/list]

[iBacon]

The only thing I picked upon on was that you said the about the monorail extending to go to each land however that would mean having ticket stalls, scanners, extra staff etc.. as people could go straight from the car park to a land.. also the Skyride does a perfect job for me.

[schmatt]

I like the idea of replacing the monorail with the pods, with the park wanting to expand its resort complex there could be many stops including extraordinary golf, park entrance, Cariba Creek and the two hotels could have a station. It could then be upgraded as the resort expands to add new stations without a complete overhaul as they are trackless.

They could either simply travel along the ground or on raised road type tracks but obviously this will cost more. As they are driverless and electric and bragging about minimal maintenance they sound like they would be a much cheaper system to run than the current monorail, meaning they could run much later in the evenings allowing the entertainment complex to be more spread out perhaps with different areas. It also means the giant monorail storage and maintenance building could be removed to free up masses of space behind duel.

Ideally I would like a hybrid of raised roads and paths along the ground. Have raised roads over the park following the same path the current monorail travels but around the entertainment complex have mainly on ground routes but with the occasional bridge over paths. Although the system sounds great and innovative I'm just worried about capacity of it being a problem.

[AdamPanic]

Use the monorail track as a base for pod system.
Have some longer pods (or conveys) doing the mass people moving between car-park and entrance only.
Where you can use the traditional pay stalls at the entrance.

Ramps take the track down to ground level route to a use a simple ground embedded guidance system.
That extends to route to hotels.

Pods Points:-
potential for selling addition items like Cans, Food, Rain Macs, Promotional Items.
external are Pay Point points, they can be distributed around the car parks.
internal are Request a Pod.
Use a pod point to pay entrance, fee, grants you access to being dropped at any internal pod point.
Imagine a drop off point in Forbidden Valley or Katanga Canyon.

The Pods will be able to adapt and pre-empt the usage patterns, by requesting additional Pods for other areas or storage. So could increase the capacity.

You can even do a route the does a bit of tour of the gardens (and potentially the towers themselves) giving guided tour tell you some of the history. Imagine some of augmented reality potential if the glass acted like a heads-up display. Could brings back the views of old rides (or future rides), which could help convince the board by a changing peoples opinions, on board surveys and games.

Evacuations would be a lot easier at ground level, rather than in the air suspended on a cable over the gardens.

As Alton Towers considered installing solar panels on the roof duel? That's a huge collection area.

[bensaund]

This all sounds great and from what you are describing means, but you will need a budget the size of Walt Disney World and how long will it take for the park to get a return on this massive investment would be.....?

An additional hotel will happen, but this will more than likely be next to the existing hotels on the grass car parks. Or they will go for lodges or even both depending on the demand at the time.

With the talk of underground car parks and tunnels, this is very expensive and all doable, but you need planning permission (Will they grant it?) and bags of cash to pull this off and I seriously doubt it would be economical for this level of engineering. For example they could have a multi story car park for the main guests and very easily build another hotel on the existing car park and a few very large rides, but the cost of a multi story car park and the fact they would have to dig down rather than build up would be too expensive.

My view on the current monorail is that is still has plenty of life left in it and as long as they maintain it, then it can keep on going, driverless pods sound very expensive and I would be interested to see what the PPH is on a system like this against the current monorail.

Another thing which is a big factor is if the main entrance moves or not.

I can't see any changes to the Sky ride as it is really the only option to get over the gardens and makes for a great view/ride.

But who knows Merlin could cut funding and let the park rot or really add money and we could see major investment year on year to expand the resort. I guess if the Smiler has attracted lots of guests and the farm re-theme next year is successfully we could well see additional cash being spent on the resort.

[Henry]

I really like the Skyride as it gives a beautiful view of the gardens, and i feel that a new hotel nearer the park would leave the other two redundant, as currently they dont always get filled and everyone would opt to go for the close one and not the other two.

I do agree that they need to update the monorail, and pods could be good, but i'm not sure.

[jmed]

I think the entertainment complex will be the only realistic big spend in the near future. The potential income benefits are massive! If the average spend of a visitor staying overnight is much higher than day trips, which it obviously is, then that's where the best investments will be.

Also due to guests who visit one day will probably eat breakfast at home, or on the way, and the same with evening food. People don't drink alcohol due to driving home. So basically AT get ticket fee and lunch per person.

So based on that, what would be a realistic set up for the entertainment complex. Not dream ideas, realistic.

I think a complex along the lines of Star City in Birmingham, which if you don't know it, incorporates a cinema, bowling alleys, bars, arcades, restraunts, laser quest, mini golf, rock climbing, aswell as an atrium area which has temporary attractions such as trampolines, dry ski slopes, etc. Even some shops. This could work well for AT either as a solely AT owned and operated site or even some Sub-letting. Also a show, like the ice shows at BPB or something similar. There is also potential for a casino too.

The build cost wouldn't be huge, not cheap but still less than a hotel I imagine, and could bring big income.

Any thoughts?