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The Hotels: A Journey

How is that spa redevelopment going?
I know they removed the signage and themed carpet but if you were to peek through the windows from the ath garden .. I’m guessing it looks exactly the same, I doubt they even drained the pool. Just switched the lights off and that’s it.
 
It wasn’t cost saving in the traditional sense. Rumour is the plant works were condemned and the cost of replacing it wasn’t approved by the accountants. So more a lack of capex expenditure.
Its plausible that the plant for the pool dates back to the hotel opening as it was originally just a swimming pool and then got converted to the spa once the waterpark opened.
 
We actually have got a good deal ( via holiday club ) for a sleep the night before the first firework display, worked out at just over £50 each to sleep, with the delicious (!) breakfast, half the golf and fireworks included.

Very good.

Even non pass holders the rate for 2 adults for the Thursday eve is £138 main hotel, £100 for a pod.

The Friday night the prices are £238 and £155 !!!
 
Sorry to drag the bar topic back up (I didn't get time to reply yesterday). I think 12am would be reasonable for at least one resort bar to stay open until (or until 1am when the hotels are busy/at capacity). Even better, adapt it to how busy it is each night. I don't think anyone would expect them to stay open until 2am. It's also not unusual for a bar to have very few customers late at night. They've made their profit by then. What we're seeing at Towers is cost-cutting without considering guest experience.

The resort side of things needs a fresh pair of eyes to overhaul the whole experience. That's before you even get to things like ATH rooms that last had a refurb 20+ years ago and a now SBNO Spa that has likely been left to rot away.

I like the idea of an entertainment ‘hub’ with an arcade, soft play, bowling, bar/additional entertainment space as mentioned on the previous page.
 
They can’t run a bar properly. There’s absolutely no chance they’d be able to run a hotel entertainment complex.

I basically mean sack off the entertainment in Splash and ATH, move it all into one central location that even has an external exit to avoid waking guests in ATH. Put some nice relaxed music in ATH and do something else with that small corner of Splash.
 
11:30pm! Does this count as an "extension" then? Like when the park is rammed and we're all expected to be grateful that they "extend" until 5pm rather than 4?

Its plausible that the plant for the pool dates back to the hotel opening as it was originally just a swimming pool and then got converted to the spa once the waterpark opened.
I know someone who maintains these things, and apparently most of the plant will need replacing every 15 years. He asked me what I meant by "plant", and assumed I meant various pumps, filtration systems, and compressors (apparently much more complex than I understand). So it may be the second plant that's now packed in.

Either way, they would have fully known it was knackered a very long time ago. Completely unacceptable, like with the rest of the place, that they've just ignored it. And when I look at the Monorail, the removal of Enterprise recently, and the last minute closure of the Skyride, they're still doing it.
 
Update: by the time I left at 10.55pm, the bar was still open (albeit just one shutter open). I didn’t fancy staying any later to find out if the opening time provided was true!
 
Update: by the time I left at 10.55pm, the bar was still open (albeit just one shutter open). I didn’t fancy staying any later to find out if the opening time provided was true!
Pfft. No dedication to the cause my friend. I would have drank until I dropped, and then still stumbled up to the bar at last orders and ordered a round of multiple drinks for myself.

Mind you, last time they shut early, they did actually let me do that to be fair. I ordered 3 pints at last orders, and they said as long as they could shut the bar on time I could stay and drink at my leisure, or take them back to my room. So I stayed and drank one, went for a leisurely stroll around the ATH garden and the car parks with another, and necked the third when I got back to my room.
 
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