@Alsty They just built a multi-million pound roller coaster - it's not all about accommodation, it's a hybrid of both because the model that they are operating requires both.
I hate the word 'neglect' when it comes to theme parks, it's needlessly melodramatic and is better served when referring to situations with cuildren and animals where there is real neglect occuring.
But - if you insist on the terminology, if the park is 'neglected' less people will visit and both the new and existing accommodation will remain empty. That is the
exact opposite of what I have seen this year.
They built Cbeebies Hotel (with a pretty cool restaurant) to cater for a very specific audience. They also opened RCR which provides higher capacity in that space.
Further, it's also about diversifying your accommodation. If you can generate repeat visits by offering different accommodation experiences throughout the year, that has revenue opportunities associated with it too.
I haven't experienced issues getting a beer or food when staying on property - if anything it's actually been pretty quiet, particularly in the evenings. You do have to book Breakfast early if you want specific times but that's no different than the countless hotels I stay in for work. You can't expand your capacity to cater for all your guests to eat at the same time, it just isn't viable.
Merlin have expressed their vision to the financial community and anyone else who will listen. Accommodation is a key part of that and with very few exceptions it seems to be paying dividends.
Accommodation works if you have a product or products that people want to experience over multiple days - it works for us. We've done it at Chessington and Alton multiple times and will continue to do so.
