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The Hotels: A Journey

I stayed in the Chessington Hotel a few weeks back and the entertainment was in a separate area from the main bar, it also had a bar so parents could get drinks and stuff without having to traipse across the hotel. The main bar wasn’t adults only but it was much quieter with a more chilled out atmosphere, we sat outside to watch the animals and let the kids play on the grass. Why on earth don’t Towers have a set up like this for their hotels? (Not the animals obviously). The price you pay to stay on site at AT is ridiculous for what you get it seems. One of my kids really wants to stay onsite for their birthday in a few months time and I’m not sure if I can justify the expense even with Holiday Club ‘discount’, I also hate it when entertainment is overly loud to the point you can’t hear yourself think.
 
Would it be possible to have the building with the mothballed F&B unit outside Splash Landings to be converted into an alternative bar area for adults?

It's in quite a central location for the hotels so would attract a lot of traffic from all the hotels and some park guests also because of the proximity to the monorail station.
 
Rob said:
Another major issue for my now with the hotels is how both bars have become kids clubs. I know families with young children is a large target market for the hotels at Alton Towers but management seem to forget that there are other groups of people who stay over and want to have a more relaxed evening with some drinks and a chat. There absolutely should be kids entertainment, and I am sure that the kids love it. But it is forced upon every single person sitting in either bar, and it is so damn loud. When walked in to Margs at 10pm the place was still a kids disco.

I would personally like to see them introduce an adults only cocktail bar where you can go for a nice quiet evening with a few drinks like you would in pretty much any other hotel bar in the world. This would also help with the more general bar capacity issue; they've added so much accommodation across the resort in recent years but no new bars. More people, same space, it does not work.
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Is there any theme park hotel that operates an adults only bar where kids are refused entry? I know things are different in the US as bars are generally more child-free due to their alcohol laws, but do Europa, Phantasialand or any other similar resorts have adults only bars?
Or is it just another weird British thing that parents think nothing of dragging kids into a bar and leaving all their rubbish everywhere?

It used to be that Ma Garritas had the more kids disco entertainment but the ATH atrium had the live singers/band which was a more older family vibe, but sounds like the ATH entertainment is too kid focussed too now?
I doubt they would run a completely separate kids club with no parents in attendance as that needs plenty of trained staff. But it does sound like the ATH entertainment in particular needs rethinking.
 
Bert2theSpark said:
Would it be possible to have the building with the mothballed F&B unit outside Splash Landings to be converted into an alternative bar area for adults?

It's in quite a central location for the hotels so would attract a lot of traffic from all the hotels and some park guests also because of the proximity to the monorail station.
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The coffee kiosk? That is just a kiosk, its not big enough to allow guests inside!
 
I don't actually think you need a specific adults only bar where kids are "banned" as such. You just tailor the music/ambience to encourage a more grown up atmosphere. The current setup of blaring music, kids songs and audience participation things such as magic shows encourage kids to be loud - you only have to see how the atmosphere switches during breaks between performances to see this can be the case. But chuck some chilled music on, or have said bar away from the loud speakers of the entertainment, and the kids will go and burn off their energy where the action is.

As long as there are options for both, that's absolutely fine. But as @jon81uk said, the two options currently available currently essentially offer the same thing. There was a time where Dragon Bar itself was quiet enough to be able to hold a conversation when the entertainment was on, but the volume from the atrium really has increased to the point where that's impossible. I find it really bizarre that the hotels are going the complete opposite of what many companies are doing these days, where others right through to retail stores are actually creating quiet areas/times due to the focus on supporting those with sensory issues.

Have to agree with @AstroDan that they really need a play area somewhere near to the hotels. Yes we have the one over at Stargazing Pods, but there needs to be something closer. At present, kids are climbing on the airship constantly between performances. During one evening in there, the announcement for them to stop climbing on it were constant. Give them something they're actually allowed to climb on, and that should help to calm things down and reduce the risk of kids hurting themselves on there too.
 
Yes, when I say adults only bar I mean a bar that is tailored more to adults than one the completely bans kids. If you create a more adult atmosphere in the bar then you are not going to have kids running around the place. Both bars on Saturday night were more like kids clubs than bars at times. I can't think of another bar I have ever been in where this is the case.
 
Problem with a play area is where to put it. While we have some nice summer weather we also get some horrible weather too so it needs to be somewhere easily accessible from all hotels without getting affected by the weather.

It also needs to be in a neutral location - if it’s in ATH for example it will encourage even more guests to use the hotel and there are just not enough seats.

A big indoor ball pit with slides etc would work well but I don’t know where there could put it.

Also with enchanted village yes there are Small play areas by the lodges but crooked spoon is quite boring and many guests will venture over to the main hotels searching for entertainment.

Actually - perhaps what Alton needs is a dedicated entertainment venue with performances, shows and singers, and move the entertainment out of the main bars. Have ATH as the upmarket bar with relaxing music, piano bar etc, and have splash with more lively music but keep the main stuff out of both of them.

Of course the ATH ball room would be ideal but this is often used for events. It would benefit from some walkway or shuttle service from the sheds and EV lodges to the main hotel particularly in the event of bad weather.
 
jon81uk said:
Is there any theme park hotel that operates an adults only bar where kids are refused entry? I know things are different in the US as bars are generally more child-free due to their alcohol laws, but do Europa, Phantasialand or any other similar resorts have adults only bars?
Or is it just another weird British thing that parents think nothing of dragging kids into a bar and leaving all their rubbish everywhere?
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It's basically just not the done thing in the likes of Europa-Park and Phantasialand. You can walk past the play areas they have in EP and there's often kids in there, then there's the pools as well of course. But come later in the evening the bars are very much an adult only affair. The culture is completely different to the UK, which is why a rethink is really needed in how the bars and entertainment are ran. It's the only way you'll be able to get an atmosphere that's suited for everyone and avoid this situation occurring.
 
GaryH said:
Problem with a play area is where to put it. While we have some nice summer weather we also get some horrible weather too so it needs to be somewhere easily accessible from all hotels without getting affected by the weather.

It also needs to be in a neutral location - if it’s in ATH for example it will encourage even more guests to use the hotel and there are just not enough seats.

A big indoor ball pit with slides etc would work well but I don’t know where there could put it.

Also with enchanted village yes there are Small play areas by the lodges but crooked spoon is quite boring and many guests will venture over to the main hotels searching for entertainment.

Actually - perhaps what Alton needs is a dedicated entertainment venue with performances, shows and singers, and move the entertainment out of the main bars. Have ATH as the upmarket bar with relaxing music, piano bar etc, and have splash with more lively music but keep the main stuff out of both of them.

Of course the ATH ball room would be ideal but this is often used for events. It would benefit from some walkway or shuttle service from the sheds and EV lodges to the main hotel particularly in the event of bad weather.
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The ATH ball room (Emporers room) did have some soft play equipment in there last time I visited, but it was a small amount of stuff for under-4s really I think.

An outdoor play area would be better for older kids to use up energy!

They need more to do in the evenings, thats the big issue I think, whether it is family entertainment, bingo, keeping the mini golf open late, exclusive ride time for hotel guests, but just more stuff to fill the evenings when the park shuts before 6pm.
 
Wonder if they could do something in the evenings in the water park, do a Caribbean dinner buffet and swim sorta thing with steel drums band. I know you shouldn’t mix the two but it would definitely keep the kids happy!
 
The most frustrating thing about the hotels is they have all the ingredients to deliver a fantastic experience. Some little basic tweaks could make all the difference.

They just aren’t running them near enough to their full potential.
 
I feel so sad looking at this. The hotels have been on a steady decline for a while, but this is a new low. I know its not the staffs fault, but it puts you off booking a stop.

Is there space within the park to build a new conference centre with staff accommodation in it? Solve two problems with one stone. This would allow the existing conference centre to be repurposed in to additional general entertainment space, restaurant, bar and children's indoor play area.

Having accommodation which does not require staff to travel to could help attract staff who are otherwise put off by the poor transport connections. Having more staff working could support opening additional bars and a later closing time. Move the kids entertainment out of ATH, and you would probably get most families moving to the bar with the kids entertainment, so that solves the issue of a more relaxing space.

I can not remember any entertainment at the Disney Hotels, but when the park closes late in the evening, this is not an issue.

At Europa Park, all the hotels have a child friendly space within walking distance, and then evening entertainment for hotel guests takes place in the Spanish Area. They also have the Pirate Hunt at Bell Rock and Museum Treasure Hunt at Krønasår which take place in the hotel lobbies. The Pirate hunt finished at 9ish, and we headed back to the room after that, so not sure how many kids were still in the bars after that but people were sitting outside enjoying the live music, fountain shows and table service. Alton Towers could do something similar, as long as it finished by 9pm to avoid disturbing guests sleeping.

What I did enjoy about Harbourside is that it looked like all the families eating inside, were getting seated near the play area. This meant that when the kids had finished their food, me and Lisa could go back and get some more food, and did not feel rushed, so I totally get why people would like a adult only area :)

The enchanted village and stargazing pods increased the amount of people stopping over, but nothing was done to increase the amount of evening entertainment options.
 
LordOfDarkness said:
The most frustrating thing about the hotels is they have all the ingredients to deliver a fantastic experience. Some little basic tweaks could make all the difference.

They just aren’t running them near enough to their full potential.
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I don't think they do have all the ingrediants though and they failed to learn from what was missing in the previous hotels when building the Enchanted Lodges. Splash at least opened with a larger bar, larger arcade and shops compared to ATH, so it is able to cope better. Whereas the Enchanted Village doesn't have any bar or entertainment venue and a restaurant too small to cope with all the guests. Enchanted Village in particular doesn't have the ingrediants to make a good stay as the bar/restaurant capacity was underbuilt.
Then came the Stargazing huts and although Rollercoaster Restaurant has been added, no new restaurant was added closer to the site just a tent that isn't open. Also not enough toilet/shower facilities.
 
jon81uk said:
Does feel like the ATH garden should have some kind of playground.

Also Extraordinary Golf really should be open late (last entry 9pm) on these longer summer days. That way people can go play golf after dinner.
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There is a playground already in the ATH Garden 👀 just over side of the lake to right side
 
jon81uk said:
I don't think they do have all the ingrediants though and they failed to learn from what was missing in the previous hotels when building the Enchanted Lodges. Splash at least opened with a larger bar, larger arcade and shops compared to ATH, so it is able to cope better. Whereas the Enchanted Village doesn't have any bar or entertainment venue and a restaurant too small to cope with all the guests. Enchanted Village in particular doesn't have the ingrediants to make a good stay as the bar/restaurant capacity was underbuilt.
Then came the Stargazing huts and although Rollercoaster Restaurant has been added, no new restaurant was added closer to the site just a tent that isn't open. Also not enough toilet/shower facilities.
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Yup, completely and utterly this. When I did the preview for the Stargazing Pods walking around the site before it opened, the lack of expanded F+B options and play areas was mentioned to the team by a few of us. The tipi was being constructed at the time, but it's not something that's open anywhere near enough, and unless you're staying in that area of the resort (it's even fairly anonymous to those staying in the lodges!) it's not actively pushed as an option anyway. Thankfully we do have the play area there now too, however at the time we just had the lowly three telescopes chucked in the middle!
Rob F said:
There is a playground already in the ATH Garden 👀 just over side of the lake to right side
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Which is nice to have, however what happens when the weather turns? Saturday's problems were exacerbated by it absolutely throwing it down come 5pm, so everyone wanted to be indoors. Marg's has those awnings and heaters outside now which increase capacity a little, but ATH's garden only have the parasols and the odd working heater which aren't really much use if it's remotely windy.

Considering many don't even realise there's a play area there (I'd completely forgotten about it!) I'm not sure if that's really all that suitable with how far away it is. As @IanB demonstrated with the likes of EP, it's better to have the ability for parents to relax nearby while the kids are playing. Chucked in the corner across a body of water really isn't ideal.
 
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