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Hotels General Discussion
I usually stay in the enchanted village on the very rare occasion I now visit (prob last stay was 4 years ago). The rooms are bigger for a start and I think the bed is king size whereas the hotels are a double. With kids the Lee is the separate sleeping area which is great. In the summer the outside seating area is great.
But the main reason I stay in EV is because of how noisy the hotel rooms are. Not sure why but AT and Splash really suffer from room noise particularly if you have kids running up and down the corridors. With EV you only have 1 lodge next to you, and usually it’s very quiet as a result.
But the main reason I stay in EV is because of how noisy the hotel rooms are. Not sure why but AT and Splash really suffer from room noise particularly if you have kids running up and down the corridors. With EV you only have 1 lodge next to you, and usually it’s very quiet as a result.
Rob
TS Team
Was that with or without MAP discount? Seems to be roughly the price I've paid for the hotels at Towers for many years now to be fair.
Think you've answered why the Premier Inns are so expensive that weekend, it will be the LIV Golf event.
Matt N
TS Member
I stayed in the Alton Towers Hotel for the first time in 3 years over the weekend. We went in with low expectations, and to give credit where credit is due, it was actually really nice to stay on resort again, and I think expectations were generally exceeded for all of us!
One key area of positive surprise I would offer up is the breakfast. Last time we went, the breakfast was quite poor, but for all of the drama around Aramark, I thought the breakfast was absolutely fine and tasted nice, and my parents seemed to agree. Our group agreed that it was a vast improvement on 2022’s breakfast. I had a sausage, some beans, a hash brown and a pancake, and all of this tasted perfectly nice, and my parents said the same about their cooked breakfasts. I also noticed that we’re back to fresh pastries and such, unlike the pre-packaged fare that was on offer on my last stay; this is good to see! My pancake tasted nice and fresh, anyway. I’m not a big foodie or food connoisseur, but my parents have somewhat higher standards than I do and they seemed perfectly pleased with what they had. I will say that the range could maybe be wider (for instance, I found the fruit selection quite narrow), but what they did offer tasted perfectly nice. When it comes free with the room and tastes nice, I don’t think you can really complain about that!
The other thing that I thought was really cool was Early Ride Time. It’s years since I’ve had this on resort, particularly the full hour, and it was great to see it back! I thoroughly enjoyed doing some Nemesis and Runaway Mine Train rides before the day began, and it reminded me very much of some fond memories of visits from my childhood; my sister and I used to love ERT as kids! If I’m being really picky, it might be nice to have a second thrill coaster in the mix for ERT, as the lineup is quite limited if you’re not a CBeebies guest (I seem to remember it being a bit wider in the past?). Maybe Galactica would be a nice addition to the ERT lineup? Nonetheless, it was really nice to see ERT back; it’s a great hotel guest perk to have!
Room-wise; the room was perfectly clean, and the bed was perfectly comfortable. I slept well, anyway, and I would have no complaints in terms of the general upkeep of the room, the facilities, or the comfort of the bed for sleeping. It was all really nice!
However, one minor complaint I would have is that the bunk beds are hard to get in and out of if you’re an adult; I think 4 adults in a standard room would be a tight squeeze. I did have to do a bit of a Cirque du Soleil manoeuvre to get into and out of the bottom bunk each time I wanted to enter or leave my bed, and I’m not exactly towering at 5’10”. I do think some bunk beds with a higher bottom bunk would not go amiss; I seem to remember the ones in the Enchanted Village being a bit bigger. I guess I’m not a child, but I’ve been to other places with bigger bunk beds; if it’s feasible, I do wonder if an upgrade for the bunk beds might be nice to make them a bit more adult-friendly.
This isn’t a complaint as such, but I also think it’s unusual for a hotel room not to have aircon in 2025. The temperature in the room was fine for us with the fan on, even with my mum being a relatively hot sleeper, but it was a relatively cool night. I do think we might have struggled had it been hotter.
The other minor thing I would say, at risk of potentially sounding miserable, is that I think the entertainment in the atrium is maybe a bit loud if you’re wanting to sit in the bar and have a quiet drink. I’m not sure the main area of the Alton Towers Hotel is really big enough to accommodate both the kids’ entertainment and the bar; it would be nice if these were maybe separated a bit more. Perhaps the kids’ entertainment could go in the Conference Centre or something? As things stand, it made it quite difficult for me and my parents to sit and have a quiet drink together in the Dragon’s Bar when you had the loud singing and games on the ship. This is probably just me and my group not being the core target audience of the hotel, though; I guess it is aimed at families, after all.
For our evening meal, we actually didn’t stay on site, instead going to The Bull’s Head in Alton. TripAdvisor reviews seemed very mixed, but I have to say that this was absolutely lovely! Parking is a bit of a faff, but we all thoroughly enjoyed our food, and it was a lot cheaper than any of the Alton Towers restaurants. I would definitely recommend it if you’re wanting to eat somewhere that isn’t on resort in the evening!
All in all, though, I have to say that it was really nice to stay on site at Alton Towers again, and I think all of us found the stay to be pleasantly surprising overall! I know it sounds like I’ve raised a fair few complaints in this post, but I think there is still something special about a stay on site at Alton Towers, and we were all pleasantly surprised with our overall experience in the hotel this time! For all the drama around Aramark food quality, I have to say that the breakfast was a particular pleasant surprise given that it seemed markedly improved on the 2022 product!
One key area of positive surprise I would offer up is the breakfast. Last time we went, the breakfast was quite poor, but for all of the drama around Aramark, I thought the breakfast was absolutely fine and tasted nice, and my parents seemed to agree. Our group agreed that it was a vast improvement on 2022’s breakfast. I had a sausage, some beans, a hash brown and a pancake, and all of this tasted perfectly nice, and my parents said the same about their cooked breakfasts. I also noticed that we’re back to fresh pastries and such, unlike the pre-packaged fare that was on offer on my last stay; this is good to see! My pancake tasted nice and fresh, anyway. I’m not a big foodie or food connoisseur, but my parents have somewhat higher standards than I do and they seemed perfectly pleased with what they had. I will say that the range could maybe be wider (for instance, I found the fruit selection quite narrow), but what they did offer tasted perfectly nice. When it comes free with the room and tastes nice, I don’t think you can really complain about that!
The other thing that I thought was really cool was Early Ride Time. It’s years since I’ve had this on resort, particularly the full hour, and it was great to see it back! I thoroughly enjoyed doing some Nemesis and Runaway Mine Train rides before the day began, and it reminded me very much of some fond memories of visits from my childhood; my sister and I used to love ERT as kids! If I’m being really picky, it might be nice to have a second thrill coaster in the mix for ERT, as the lineup is quite limited if you’re not a CBeebies guest (I seem to remember it being a bit wider in the past?). Maybe Galactica would be a nice addition to the ERT lineup? Nonetheless, it was really nice to see ERT back; it’s a great hotel guest perk to have!
Room-wise; the room was perfectly clean, and the bed was perfectly comfortable. I slept well, anyway, and I would have no complaints in terms of the general upkeep of the room, the facilities, or the comfort of the bed for sleeping. It was all really nice!
However, one minor complaint I would have is that the bunk beds are hard to get in and out of if you’re an adult; I think 4 adults in a standard room would be a tight squeeze. I did have to do a bit of a Cirque du Soleil manoeuvre to get into and out of the bottom bunk each time I wanted to enter or leave my bed, and I’m not exactly towering at 5’10”. I do think some bunk beds with a higher bottom bunk would not go amiss; I seem to remember the ones in the Enchanted Village being a bit bigger. I guess I’m not a child, but I’ve been to other places with bigger bunk beds; if it’s feasible, I do wonder if an upgrade for the bunk beds might be nice to make them a bit more adult-friendly.
This isn’t a complaint as such, but I also think it’s unusual for a hotel room not to have aircon in 2025. The temperature in the room was fine for us with the fan on, even with my mum being a relatively hot sleeper, but it was a relatively cool night. I do think we might have struggled had it been hotter.
The other minor thing I would say, at risk of potentially sounding miserable, is that I think the entertainment in the atrium is maybe a bit loud if you’re wanting to sit in the bar and have a quiet drink. I’m not sure the main area of the Alton Towers Hotel is really big enough to accommodate both the kids’ entertainment and the bar; it would be nice if these were maybe separated a bit more. Perhaps the kids’ entertainment could go in the Conference Centre or something? As things stand, it made it quite difficult for me and my parents to sit and have a quiet drink together in the Dragon’s Bar when you had the loud singing and games on the ship. This is probably just me and my group not being the core target audience of the hotel, though; I guess it is aimed at families, after all.
For our evening meal, we actually didn’t stay on site, instead going to The Bull’s Head in Alton. TripAdvisor reviews seemed very mixed, but I have to say that this was absolutely lovely! Parking is a bit of a faff, but we all thoroughly enjoyed our food, and it was a lot cheaper than any of the Alton Towers restaurants. I would definitely recommend it if you’re wanting to eat somewhere that isn’t on resort in the evening!
All in all, though, I have to say that it was really nice to stay on site at Alton Towers again, and I think all of us found the stay to be pleasantly surprising overall! I know it sounds like I’ve raised a fair few complaints in this post, but I think there is still something special about a stay on site at Alton Towers, and we were all pleasantly surprised with our overall experience in the hotel this time! For all the drama around Aramark food quality, I have to say that the breakfast was a particular pleasant surprise given that it seemed markedly improved on the 2022 product!
Good review there @Matt N and interesting to read. Thanks for sharing.
With regards the entertainment being too loud for the bar and atrium - was it too loud or just not very good? In previous years the Dragon Bar was separated from the atrium but it’s been opened up now. Pity as it did give the bar a nicer feel I think.
I used to go to the Bulls Head quite often on the village but it got taken over about two years ago and yeah the reviews got very mixed since then. I haven’t eaten there since which is a shame as it’s nice inside but like you say a faff to park. Might give it another go. The Star at Cotton is also nice.
Know what you mean about the bunks being too short for adults - when I stayed in a moon voyager room about two years ago the bunk was uncomfortable. Definitely not for adults.
Glad you had a good stay though and it was mostly positive!
With regards the entertainment being too loud for the bar and atrium - was it too loud or just not very good? In previous years the Dragon Bar was separated from the atrium but it’s been opened up now. Pity as it did give the bar a nicer feel I think.
I used to go to the Bulls Head quite often on the village but it got taken over about two years ago and yeah the reviews got very mixed since then. I haven’t eaten there since which is a shame as it’s nice inside but like you say a faff to park. Might give it another go. The Star at Cotton is also nice.
Know what you mean about the bunks being too short for adults - when I stayed in a moon voyager room about two years ago the bunk was uncomfortable. Definitely not for adults.
Glad you had a good stay though and it was mostly positive!
Mattie boy
TS Member
Great review.
we had a breakfast back in mid may and it was actually not too bad at all, other than the vile coffee and no option to have a "latte" style. I took my own sachet in . Safest option is tea at a merlin breakfast now
we had a breakfast back in mid may and it was actually not too bad at all, other than the vile coffee and no option to have a "latte" style. I took my own sachet in . Safest option is tea at a merlin breakfast now
Matt N
TS Member
I’m not sure it was the quality as such. It was more the lack of space away from the entertainment; you could hardly hear yourself think when sat in the bar. The entertainment on offer seemed to vary between the kids’ games (things like quizzes and such; one game involved taking someone’s shoes from in the bar, for some reason?) and singing renditions of things like Shania Twain.
As a comparison, I went to Hotel Gold River at PortAventura last year. When sat in the outdoor terrace there having a drink, you could hear the kids’ entertainment in the background, but it was at a manageable background volume because it was off in a separate space. I didn’t massively care that I could hear kids doing the Macarena in the background because it was in a separate space and at a manageable enough volume that you could still hold a conversation and have a quiet drink.
In Alton Towers, it just feels like there isn’t enough space in the atrium for the quiet drinking environment to have breathing space away from the louder kids’ entertainment. I don’t know if that makes me sound like a misery guts, but it was a thought that me and my parents all expressed!
jon81uk
TS Member
Last few times I've been to ATH the Emperor function room had kids soft play equipment in the section nearest Dragon Bar.
Don't think this was ever the case? Its always been just a simple wooden oriental lattice style wall between the Dragon Bar and the atrium so the noise freely travels anyway. Like this
Unfortuantly the original design of the hotel didn't really consider having a seperate bar and entertainment venue really, so there isn't a great solution other than sit outside if you want quiet.
AT86
TS Member
I think it was JW who mentioned that was a mistake they made with designing ATH - they didn’t anticipate needing evening entertainment - they thought folks would be tired from their day in the park, so it was retrospectively shoehorned into the boat in the atrium.
With the Spa sat empty it’s an ideal space for revamping so there are two spaces - one for the entertainment and the other for a quiet drink.
Access via the lake to keep it self contained and avoid guests needing to walk through corridors/past rooms to get there.
With the Spa sat empty it’s an ideal space for revamping so there are two spaces - one for the entertainment and the other for a quiet drink.
Access via the lake to keep it self contained and avoid guests needing to walk through corridors/past rooms to get there.
jon81uk
TS Member
While this is broadly a good idea, I really don't see them spending the money to rip out the spa and turn it into an entertainment venue. Given the spa was a reuse of the swimming pool that was there before anyway. More chance of a slight refresh of the spa and it getting re-opened.
I agree it would be nice to have maybe a kids club on one floor of that space and noisier entertainment on the other. Could still then have entertainment in the atrium or Dragon Bar but keep it more chilled out like acoustic guitar or similar.
jon81uk
TS Member
At least with Splash Landings they built the bar a long way from the rooms. They designed entertainment to be part of the bar and seperate to the rooms, but didn't consider having a second quieter bar! Whereas the atrium at ATH has the expensive suite rooms right above it and has always suffered with noise issues.
Slugjc
TS Member
There is enough room on their land to build a small boozer of some kind. Doesn't need to be fancy, drink only. No music, just a place to chill and unwind. You fill it with images of towers past. Have it decorated like an old boozer from the area.
Just a place away from the kids.
Properly policed. It should not, I repeat, should not turn Into an all night rave.
Just a place away from the kids.
Properly policed. It should not, I repeat, should not turn Into an all night rave.
AT86
TS Member
There is a great candidate building for this already, probably cost a fair amount to turn it into a pub though:
https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/abandoned-church-near-stargazing-pods.5261/post-442624
jon81uk
TS Member
Unfortunately a lot of parents don’t want to parent any more and any space will just fill with screaming brats anyway as the parents just yell “shut it, can’t you see I’m trying to drink” at their offspring, instead of actually trying to engage and entertain them.