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Merlin Entertainments: General Discussion

BarryZola said:
Scenes when people book a hotel stay and then can't access the theme park because the day is greyed out on their pass.
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The offer is until June, so it looks possible to book a stay at May or Easter bank holidays when the pass isn't valid anyway.
Offer valid for new short break bookings made between 10:00 3rd February 2026 and 23:59 on 1st March 2026, for the following stay dates: 20 March – 26 June 2026.
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But overall the essential pass has very few restricted days anyway, they have massively cut the prices of the annual passes, this is basically the old silver pass.
 
I can do a midweek stop at Chessington (for 3) to get the passess for 270 while my childs school is still off (admittedly when most are back).

That would be a bargain, if we hadn't already got passes.
 
To play devil’s advocate, though; how is it any different to Paultons Park advertising “free parking” while charging a fair amount more per ticket than the Merlin properties?

In a similar way, it is technically “free” at the point of use, but the price overall works out the same because the point of cost has shifted. Offering something for “free” drives good sentiment and people feeling positive about the product, even if the overall cost is the same or more as if it were charged separately. Whereas when things are charged separately, you get the negative sentiment of feeling swindled at every turn. Psychology is a funny thing!

I also don’t think they have significantly raised prices, depending on the day. The quoted prices for 2 nights in a hotel room do not sound that out of whack compared to usual for a peak day at the resort. What day(s) did you check @PhalanaxOperativeA1127?
 
Matt N said:
To play devil’s advocate, though; how is it any different to Paultons Park advertising “free parking” while charging a fair amount more per ticket than the Merlin properties?

In a similar way, it is technically “free” at the point of use, but the price overall works out the same because the point of cost has shifted. Offering something for “free” drives good sentiment and people feeling positive about the product, even if the overall cost is the same or more as if it were charged separately. Whereas when things are charged separately, you get the negative sentiment of feeling swindled at every turn. Psychology is a funny thing!

I also don’t think they have significantly raised prices, depending on the day. The quoted prices for 2 nights in a hotel room do not sound that out of whack compared to usual for a peak day at the resort. What day(s) did you check @PhalanaxOperativeA1127?
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It's very different. The difference with parking is that (almost) all guests need parking for the day, so it makes sense to bundle it into the ticket price.

Justifying an increase in hotel prices because you are bundling in a basic annual pass is a lot harder. The only people that actually benefit are those that would have chosen to buy an Essential pass anyway - and haven't yet done so. As a Platinum passholder making a hotel booking, it's an utterly useless perk.
 
Ash said:
£400 a night for a terrible breakfast, sub par surroundings doesn’t seem that tempting to me.

Go and stop in the Tawny hotel 20 mins away. Genuine luxury. Stunning setting and incredible food
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Weirdly some friends of friends were waxing lyrical about how great their stay was at Towers over Christmas and how reasonable the price was.

I don’t do a lot of UK hotel breaks outside of the odd cheap travel lodge city break thing so makes me think the whole UK family hotel break industry is high price, low quality….
 
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I read today how Europa Parks annual pass allocation has already sold out.

Obviously we don't have access to Merlin's financials but i find it staggering how they seem to justify devaluing their own product. Is there any evidence that attendance and/or income would plummet if they made annual passes a premium product and increased overall entry price? I just don't understand the desire to be the Ryanair of theme parks but perhaps that's what the numbers favour.
 
Bowser said:
I just don't understand the desire to be the Ryanair of theme parks but perhaps that's what the numbers favour.
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It's worth remembering that Ryanair is consistently one of the most profitable airlines in the world. In the eyes of a private equity firm, being the "Ryanair of theme parks" becomes the ultimate aspiration.

The model relies on high volume and low yields at the gate, offset by aggressive secondary spend (speedy boarding, food, retail, upcharges) once the guest is captive.

There is a fundamental difference between the product Europa-Park offers and the product Merlin offers. Europa-Park is a high quality, high capacity, resort style destination which operates efficiently. It justifies a premium price point, and scarcity creates demand.

Merlin's UK parks, particularly in their current state, do not offer a premium product. If they attempted to charge a flat £60 entry fee (no 2 for 1s) and scrapped the cheap passes, attendance would fall off a cliff. The UK consumer has been conditioned over two decades to believe that a theme park ticket is worthless unless it is bought with a voucher.
Bowser said:
Obviously we don't have access to Merlin's financials but i find it staggering how they seem to justify devaluing their own product. Is there any evidence that attendance and/or income would plummet if they made annual passes a premium product and increased overall entry price?
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The evidence is in the price elasticity of the UK leisure market. We're a nation of bargain hunters. When the cost of living is high, the first thing to go is the expensive day out. Keeping the barrier to entry low, via passes and vouchers, allows Merlin to ensure the parks remain busy enough to sell merch and Fastrack.

Annual Passes act as a weather hedge. UK weather is miserable. If Merlin relied solely on day tickets, a wet August could wipe out their profits. Passholders travel regardless of the weather, because it's "free", keeping the park populated and the secondary spend ticking over even when the sun isn't shining.
 
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