How do you think Alton Towers could be improved?

I have started this topic because I would like to see what you think could be improved about Alton Towers.

Personally I think that the park is very clean and tidy also the layout of the park is very good because it goes not feel like all of the rides are on top of each of even if there is different areas with a lot of rides in.

That's my thoughts I would love to hear yours.

Get the Germans to run it.

Where on earth do you want me to start?

I would need at least 24 hrs to compile a proper list.

Replacing all of the management would be at the top.

More bars.

Cutting out the heaps of pointless middle management would be a good place to start...

It's a hard question to answer really. You could go on for a long while with Towers.

Cattlepens and fences, I think the whole of towers street should be replaced by these.

Or Idk a few more thrilling flats, a flying carpet ride where Submission used to be, a woodie, get rid of the smiler, More theming, less upselling.

aiming at a great customer experience and not at their wallet.

This is not a question that can be answered with a couple of lines, this is the equivalent of an exam.

Bulldozing and starting over.

In all seriousness, it just needs a massive overhaul. Fixing up, repainting and rehauling. That's what it needs!

Some tender loving care!

It won't happen, but they need a year or two where they only invest in what is currently in the park rather than on new attractions. That way the park could be completely done up. Then following this they would need to regularly maintain the whole park to stop it falling back down to a low standard.

This:

From this weekend, opening both bars in ATH when the hotel is busy would be a start!

Simple...As I've said before, get Merlin out, and things will work for themselves

Let's face it, after Merlin, anything seems better.

I'll try to keep these short but just some thoughts... Also correct me if I am wrong on some of these.

Entrance Fee
Admittedly it'll be very hard for them to ditch the BOGOF approach to it all now but charging £48 on the gate is ridiculous. I know all Merlin's UK parks are ridiculously expensive, but £48? Really?

Car Parking
Upon arriving at the park you're informed you have to pay £6 (I assume it's still £6) for it and have to faff about getting a token now, or remembering to at the end of the day when you're tired and want to get back home. Instantly more money being demanded.

ERT
Make it a perk that feels like you're getting something extra. Nemesis is the only real asset to this now, and even then Nemesis' queue never gets that bad. Oblivion's a great ride yes but queues never seem that bad for it and it's on the other side of the park.

Guests & Upselling
Treat guests as customers who are paying for a service and deserve that service, and respect. I actually hated walking down Towers Street last year when you get pestered to buy this and buy that. I've just paid to get into the park and all I'm seeing is upselling. Upselling also constantly throughout the day. It creates a nasty atmosphere.

Ride Maintenance
Simple. Keep the rides and theming maintained. In closed season, fix things that are broken. Paint things which are scuffed. Don't leave the million-pound investments to rot.

Opening Hours
8 hours on a hot day in August? It should be open till at least 7pm in the summer holidays. Just some more flexibility is needed all around.

Waterpark Opening Hours
I'm stopping over for the night and have just finished my day on park and we fancy the waterpark... but it's closed. Have it open at least 3 hours after park close. The same applies for the golf.

The Emporer Grill
Much like the waterpark except I understand that sometimes it doesn't even open? When I stopped over last year it wasn't and we wanted to go. Why have a restaurant if it opens 'when it's busy enough'. You accommodate for guests visiting at quieter times with offers/smaller menu, don't close the whole place!

Do Attractions Properly
I understand that recent attractions (not all) were rushed? Rita was just plonked in UG Land, The Smiler was rushed etc. Do it properly!

Marketing and Guest Interaction
Some of the branding is so boring and recycled now they need a shake up. And stop with the patronising language when interacting with guests. I remember reading the responses to the complaints about the drinks capsule changes and it was just so patronising. Your customers are not peasants! Treat them properly. And just stop making out that every change you make which takes something away from the guest still represents 'fantabulous value' when in fact, it's more of their money for less in return.

Quiet Openings
OK so a few of the rides being closed is not a big issue, but not opening the SkyRide? The SkyRide is NOT an attraction, it is a vital part of the park's infrastructure and should be open while guests are inside the park.

And just (cliché) go that extra mile
The little things that make your day that little bit better. Some of the staff will do this, but it's the little things mainly regarding park operations that could make your day much better and smoother. For example, open the woodland walk at 9am (I'm assuming it's still 10am). Ask guests if they're enjoying their day. Stop the money-grabbing approach and let guests enjoy their day.

I'm sure I'll think of more...

What's the character limit on posts?

The main thing would be to build rides that are good in themselves, rather than that have deteriorating but marketable features. And then theme them to a standard that is above bare minimum.

Do everything they do to the best of their ability. The Smiler clearly was rushed. This year, corner coffee looks like they went and brought some paint, placed a few fireworks inside the tins and then lit them! They have a remotely decent coffee shop, why spoil it?

Take time to make things look fresh and new. Some things will wear out over time, but invest in renewing them, dont just assume no one will notice and then remove them when they become unsafe.

LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Stop wasting money on pointless ventures. Yourday was a fail, the TV screens were a fail... They must invest loads in various things for around the park, but you see it for a few weeks and then it disappears, never to be seen again. I'd much rather they spend a few ££££ on painting worn out areas of the park, instead of buying a new sign, LED screen or some other thing they will only use once!!!!

Start using customer feedback and enjoyment to influence decisions instead of financial information.

Making the Dark Forest somewhat resemble a dark forest.

BigDave said:

Do everything they do to the best of their ability. The Smiler clearly was rushed. This year, corner coffee looks like they went and brought some paint, placed a few fireworks inside the tins and then lit them! They have a remotely decent coffee shop, why spoil it?

Take time to make things look fresh and new. Some things will wear out over time, but invest in renewing them, dont just assume no one will notice and then remove them when they become unsafe.

LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Stop wasting money on pointless ventures. Yourday was a fail, the TV screens were a fail... They must invest loads in various things for around the park, but you see it for a few weeks and then it disappears, never to be seen again. I'd much rather they spend a few ££££ on painting worn out areas of the park, instead of buying a new sign, LED screen or some other thing they will only use once!!!!

Click to expand...

YourDay wasn't run by Alton Towers so I don't think it cost them a huge amount when the company went bust. And that was why YourDay went bust really, the set up cost was huge.

Corner coffee was never a decent coffee shop and won't be unless they gut the whole interior and make improvements. Plus they havent served decent coffee for about 10 years (when they used to have Costa).

The queueline TVs were a great theory, just executed poorly, they weren't designed to last in the weather conditions (the newer technology (such as in the Swarm queue) works better) and the content they showed wasn't updated enough. They could have someone managing it and showing live tweets & comments, Birthday wishes etc but that would have been too much effort I guess.

However despite all the little niggles I think Alton Towers is a good place. They could paint buildings more often and keep things a little nicer but overall I think it is fine.

The entrance price will never get cheaper unless 2for1 is abandoned (as £24 after the voucher is a good deal price) but I wouldn't mind seeing that change.

Same goes for food prices, they know they have a captive market so can charge a little more, but everything was OK with AP discount.

Alton Towers had to pay to install Yourday though and it certainly wasn't cheap. The TV screens also cost a fortune too! Neither of these two projects ever really worked and therefore were a complete waste of money. Alton Towers even had a go at partially buying out Yourday from what I've heard, but it still failed and ended up wasting everyones time and money.

Alton Towers are not the only big company to be sucked in by other companies who promise to make them big bucks in return for a fairly large initial investment. It can also sometimes pay off, but they do need to make sure that they do their own research first and make sure it is something the guests will actually want.