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Warwick castle

Joeythorpe said:
Sorry to bump the topic, but I have just seen that they are building a hotel, was this know about? just seen a post on the MMM insta
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A quick google finds this
www.bbc.co.uk

Warwick Castle's hotel and restaurant plans to be discussed

Warwick Castle says the 60-room hotel will bring more visitors into the town.
www.bbc.co.uk
www.thecaterer.com

Warwick Castle hotel secures planning permission

A new 60-bedroom hotel is to open at Warwick Castle after councillors approved plans this week.
www.thecaterer.com www.thecaterer.com
www.warwickshireworld.com

Plans for 60-bed hotel at Warwick Castle officially submitted

The plans also include an extension to the current Knight’s Village restaurant so that it would also provide food for the hotel
www.warwickshireworld.com www.warwickshireworld.com

Planning permission is here https://planningdocuments.warwickdc...activeTab=documents&keyVal=_WARWI_DCAPR_90585
 
Warwick is also a year round attraction. I think one of the issues stopping them spending on a full hotel at Thorpe is they haven’t worked out how to create demand for stays in the off season for the teen thrill market.
 
The only issue I can see with the plans is if there will be enough on-site restaurant capacity, they are doing a small extension for a bar to the existing Knights Village restaurant but that will now serve the existing lodges and tents and the new hotel. For dinner many people might choose to walk into the town and use an independent restaurant, but for breakfast they do need to make sure there is capacity to offer it to everyone within a few hours.

Also as a more general feeling (and this potentially applies to all the Merlin group attractions) but Warwick Castle 20-30 years ago felt like it used the best of the Tussauds group talent to make attractions, but many of those waxwork based attractions haven't changed in 25 years. I guess the story they tell is still valid is it happened so long ago, so why change something that isn't broke. But it feels like many the additions since Merlin bought Tussauds either use an IP or copy something from the theme parks, such as replacing the excellent undercroft restaurant with pizza buffet. Yes they still do the jousting and falconry shows but the whole offering feels a bit more "theme park" than it did even under Tussauds ownership.
 
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AT86 said:
Warwick is also a year round attraction. I think one of the issues stopping them spending on a full hotel at Thorpe is they haven’t worked out how to create demand for stays in the off season for the teen thrill market
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Where as Chessington has its zoo and Sealife to generate a bit of off season visitation. A thrill level water park at Thorpe would resolve that problem. They are building the water park at the wrong site!

I can imagine a hotel at Warwick Castle working well with the location and visitor profile.
 
Home from a stay at Warwick Castle Lodges and in brief: I think this is a shining jewel in Merlins crown. Such a high quality & enjoyable experience across the board - trip report pending.

Additionally, the new Hotel allegedly opens in March (it was reported Dec 23) according to a staff member who asked if we'd be returning next year to try it out - no work was being carried out on the days we were there but all the concrete foundations are in! If their existing accommodation offering is anything to go by, it should be worth a stay!
 
Great review of Warwick Castle here

www.facebook.com

723.636 Aufrufe · 5.395 Reaktionen | A man is never a tourist in his own ridiculously expensive country #ripoffbritain #ripoff #comedytourist #touristuk #CostOfLivingCrisis #costoflivingcrisisuk #warwickshire #warwickcastle | Dom Joly | Dom Joly · Or

A man is never a tourist in his own ridiculously expensive country #ripoffbritain #ripoff #comedytourist #touristuk #CostOfLivingCrisis #costoflivingcrisisuk #warwickshire #warwickcastle. Dom Joly ·...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
Dom Joly is a real hero of mine and I found that very amusing.

However… wait till he finds out how much Merlin charge for the parks. I’ve clearly been desensitised to Merlin’s outrageous prices since my initial thought was that £39 isn’t too bad!
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Dom Joly is a real hero of mine and I found that very amusing.

However… wait till he finds out how much Merlin charge for the parks. I’ve clearly been desensitised to Merlin’s outrageous prices since my initial thought was that £39 isn’t too bad!
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£39 is peanuts. The entry price in 2014 was £29, adjusted for inflation that's £38.95, which is the walk-up price today. Pre-booked entry can be as low as £22.
  • The Tower of London is £38.30.
  • Windsor Castle is £33.00.
  • A ticket to the BFI IMAX to watch Joker: Folie a Deux, will set you back £27.00 this evening.
  • Two games of at Hollywood Bowl in Birmingham will set you back £26 today.
  • A concert at any area venue starts at £60 and just goes up, not including fees.
  • A return train ticket from London to Warwick, for tomorrow, will cost you £38.20.
The guy is a moron, creating clickbaity reactionary videos for that sweet, sweet and revenue.

One things the Merlin attractions are, if anything, is incredibly competitively and under priced for entry; especially when compared with similar attractions and leisure past times, here or abroad.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
£39 is peanuts. The entry price in 2014 was £29, adjusted for inflation that's £38.95, which is the walk-up price today. Pre-booked entry can be as low as £22.
  • The Tower of London is £38.30.
  • Windsor Castle is £33.00.
  • A ticket to the BFI IMAX to watch Joker: Folie a Deux, will set you back £27.00 this evening.
  • Two games of at Hollywood Bowl in Birmingham will set you back £26 today.
  • A concert at any area venue starts at £60 and just goes up, not including fees.
  • A return train ticket from London to Warwick, for tomorrow, will cost you £38.20.
The guy is a moron, creating clickbaity reactionary videos for that sweet, sweet and revenue.

One things the Merlin attractions are, if anything, is incredibly competitively and under priced for entry; especially when compared with similar attractions and leisure past times, here or abroad.
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Pardon? I’m not sure if you’re being ironic here. The vast majority of theme parks in mainland Europe (obviously not all) are cheaper than the UK Merlin ones, and the quality of the larger parks on the continent is vastly superior.

Also, you’ve used the examples of The Tower of London and Windsor Castle, both of which you cited as being cheaper than Warwick Castle to make your point, which does anything but suggest that Merlin price their attractions well. Tower of London and Windsor Castle are both far more famous, world renowned tourist attractions than the more expensive Warwick Castle, and both are either in or close to London which is known for being one of the world’s most expensive cities.

You also use the example of the 2014 price. In 2014, Merlin were operating the Castle and even back then people on this, and many other forums, were criticising Merlin for over pricing their attractions.

If you’re being serious, which I’m really not entirely sure you are, I’m baffled that you consider Merlin to be under priced and I’m even more puzzled that you used examples of far more famous London based attractions which are cheaper, to highlight your opinion that Merlin are under priced.

Please can you explain more? Maybe I’m being a “moron” as you claim Joly is, but you’re really not making any sense to me right now.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Pardon? I’m not sure if you’re being ironic here. The vast majority of theme parks in mainland Europe (obviously not all) are cheaper than the UK Merlin ones, and the quality of the larger parks on the continent is vastly superior.

Also, you’ve used the examples of The Tower of London and Windsor Castle, both of which you cited as being cheaper than Warwick Castle to make your point, which does anything but suggest that Merlin price their attractions well. Tower of London and Windsor Castle are both far more famous, world renowned tourist attractions than the more expensive Warwick Castle, and both are either in or close to London which is known for being one of the world’s most expensive cities.

You also use the example of the 2014 price. In 2014, Merlin were operating the Castle and even back then people on this, and many other forums, were criticising Merlin for over pricing their attractions.

If you’re being serious, which I’m really not entirely sure you are, I’m baffled that you consider Merlin to be under priced and I’m even more puzzled that you used examples of far more famous London based attractions which are cheaper, to highlight your opinion that Merlin are under priced.

Please can you explain more? Maybe I’m being a “moron” as you claim Joly is, but you’re really not making any sense to me right now.
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I'm not using a pound for pound analysis of what is actually more, but instead I'm using comparable attractions and the value you get out of it.

The Tower of London and Windsor Castle do not add any additional value, I included them because they are castles of similar note and similar price points. We're talking a few pounds in sterling eitherway here. You've got to consider what is actually on offer at these attractions. In the form of The Tower and Windsor, you pay admission to walk around and that's about it. There aren't any shows, seeing anything of any interesting note is an additional upcharge. Take a look at what Warwick Castle actually offers, you have three live unique shows, in addition to the play areas, Kingmaker and other attractions. You don't get those at the other castles I've mentioned.

£39, for an on the day walk-up ticket for Warwick (really it's £22 if you book a few days in advance) is extremely good value in comparison. It's open for a total of 7 hours most days, costing roughly £5.50 per hour, if you're paying the walk up price. By comparison, an average game of bowling takes 10 minutes per person, if we extrapolate this to one hour, you're paying £78 per hour (at Hollywood Bowl rates) per person.

The running time of Joker: Folie a Deux is 2 hours and 18 minutes. You're paying £12.44 per hour of entertainment there. The value is also less than Warwick Castle.

My argument isn't on the pound sterling amount, but what you're actually getting from that. It should also be noted that I'm being generous in most of these scenarios. I'm comparing the walk up Warwick Castle cost, of £39, with "early booking" fees for most of the other examples I've given.

One day entry at Europa Park is £51ish, Parc Asterix is £42, Cedar Point entry is £39. One day entry at Alton Towers is £29. I'm using off peak prices for everything here. Warwick Castle's, book online price, is £22.

It costs more to go out for lunch in a pub, which is not a JD Wetherspoon, than it does to get into a Merlin attraction. Arguably there is just about more value there.

It's also far less then it costs to go to a Premier League, or Championship, football game.

Also, side note, Windsor Castle is not in London. It's in Windsor.
 
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GooseOnTheLoose said:
I'm not using a pound for pound analysis of what is actually more, but instead I'm using comparable attractions and the value you get out of it.

The Tower of London and Windsor Castle do not add any additional value, I included them because they are castles of similar note and similar price points. We're talking a few pounds in sterling eitherway here. You've got to consider what is actually on offer at these attractions. In the form of The Tower and Windsor, you pay admission to walk around and that's about it. There aren't any shows, seeing anything of any interesting note is an additional upcharge. Take a look at what Warwick Castle actually offers, you have three live unique shows, in addition to the play areas, Kingmaker and other attractions. You don't get those at the other castles I've mentioned.

£39, for an on the day walk-up ticket for Warwick (really it's £22 if you book a few days in advance) is extremely good value in comparison. It's open for a total of 7 hours most days, costing roughly £5.50 per hour, if you're paying the walk up price. By comparison, an average game of bowling takes 10 minutes per person, if we extrapolate this to one hour, you're paying £78 per hour (at Hollywood Bowl rates) per person.

The running time of Joker: Folie a Deux is 2 hours and 18 minutes. You're paying £12.44 per hour of entertainment there. The value is also less than Warwick Castle.

My argument isn't on the pound sterling amount, but what you're actually getting from that. It should also be noted that I'm being generous in most of these scenarios. I'm comparing the walk up Warwick Castle cost, of £39, with "early booking" fees for most of the other examples I've given.

One day entry at Europa Park is £51ish, Parc Asterix is £42, Cedar Point entry is £39. One day entry at Alton Towers is £29. I'm using off peak prices for everything here. Warwick Castle's, book online price, is £22.

It costs more to go out for lunch in a pub, which is not a JD Wetherspoon, than it does to get into a Merlin attraction. Arguably there is just about more value there.

Also, side note, Windsor Castle is not in London. It's in Windsor.
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Having visited Warwick Castle myself, I highly doubt anyone would find enough to do there to fill a full day, so to say a price per hour and then compare it to cinemas is an irrelevant comparison.

As for the parks you mentioned, I’ve not even looked it up, but I know for a fact, having visited Parc Asterix earlier this year, that the pre-book price is not £42. You’re also, I assume, taking the cheapest possible online pre-book price for Alton Towers when you quote £29 and comparing that with a more expensive Parc Asterix ticket option, again not comparing like for like.

In regards to your side note, I refer you to where I stated that Tower of London and Windsor Castle are “in or close to London” I didn’t say Windsor Castle is in London. Both are on the London tourist trail, so it is reasonable that you’d expect to pay London prices at both (fun fact: the police officers who work at Windsor Castle are London Met Police whilst the police outside of the castle are the local Thames Valley Police). Warwick Castle is way out of London, not even close. It’s closer to the Midlands which is known for being cheaper than London, Surrey and Berkshire.

Despite there being less to do at Tower of London and Windsor Castle, there is far more demand from tourists to visit these attractions than there is for Warwick Castle, which most people have never heard of, so I would expect the pricing to reflect this.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
As for the parks you mentioned, I’ve not even looked it up, but I know for a fact, having visited Parc Asterix earlier this year, that the pre-book price is not £42.
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Little bit of rounding up on my part, but I was including transaction fees, and also looking at the cheapest possible Parc Asterix ticket.
Enter Valhalla said:
Having visited Warwick Castle myself, I highly doubt anyone would find enough to do there to fill a full day, so to say a price per hour and then compare it to cinemas is an irrelevant comparison.
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Even taking the full run time of Warwick Castle's shows into account, and combining them, you still get more value per hour than compared to the cinema, bowling or a football game.

A singular ride on Munich Looping, at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland (without the entry fee), will cost you £11 alone. You can easily spend more on rides at this event than you would for the walk up daily price at a Merlin attraction (which almost no one ever pays).

Merlin's entry prices have matched inflation, they've stayed the same. Everything else has risen above inflation, making a Merlin entry ticket far more valuable today than it was 10 years ago, when compared to similar attractions of similar note.
 
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When Mr Varney was running Merlin, he kept making the same argument you are making regarding his attractions being better value hour by hour than the cinema, football matches etc, but again I really don’t think it’s comparing like for like. As I’ve already pointed out, very few people stay in Warwick Castle for the entirety of its opening hours. The theme parks are even less like for like. When you see a film, the film is continually showing for the full duration. When you go to a theme park, the vast majority of the time you are queuing. If you take the actual time you spend on rides or watching shows, I imagine this is far less time than the time you’d be spending watching a film. Again making the comparison an irrelevant one. Unless of course you consider standing around in a queue to be a superior experience to watching a film.

You made quite a sweeping statement that “Alton Towers is £29” but having just looked on their booking site, there’s only three days for the rest of the season where you can get tickets this cheap. The vast majority of days the ticket prices range from £35-£44. And I assume that the £29 you quoted is only if you pre-book 7 days in advance, something which I hate doing as for all I know, I could have flu, covid or be otherwise unable to attend in 7 days time.

Merlin may have only risen in line with inflation, I’m not disputing that, but Merlin has always been overpriced. When they took over from Tussauds in 2007, they made big above inflation price increases to their tickets.

We’ve drifted somewhat away from the topic here but to bring it back to your point that Merlin are underpriced, I’m still struggling to see how you think this can be the case since most of the examples you’ve given have not been like-for-like comparisons. If Merlin claimed they’re a premium product with premium pricing, which I think they do, then I’d say this is a much fairer way to justify their prices than to claim they’re underpriced.
 
I know humour is very subjective, but that video's clearly not meant to be a serious critique of Merlin's pricing structure. It's one of those things where either you'll find it funny, or you won't. I do agree that Warwick Castle is more than just a castle, and has quite a bit to it with the wax works, shows etc. But I don't think that's the point of this video.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Having visited Warwick Castle myself, I highly doubt anyone would find enough to do there to fill a full day, so to say a price per hour and then compare it to cinemas is an irrelevant comparison.

As for the parks you mentioned, I’ve not even looked it up, but I know for a fact, having visited Parc Asterix earlier this year, that the pre-book price is not £42. You’re also, I assume, taking the cheapest possible online pre-book price for Alton Towers when you quote £29 and comparing that with a more expensive Parc Asterix ticket option, again not comparing like for like.

In regards to your side note, I refer you to where I stated that Tower of London and Windsor Castle are “in or close to London” I didn’t say Windsor Castle is in London. Both are on the London tourist trail, so it is reasonable that you’d expect to pay London prices at both (fun fact: the police officers who work at Windsor Castle are London Met Police whilst the police outside of the castle are the local Thames Valley Police). Warwick Castle is way out of London, not even close. It’s closer to the Midlands which is known for being cheaper than London, Surrey and Berkshire.

Despite there being less to do at Tower of London and Windsor Castle, there is far more demand from tourists to visit these attractions than there is for Warwick Castle, which most people have never heard of, so I would expect the pricing to reflect this.
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I've been to Warwick Castle about 10 times as it's close to where I grew up and have never found it hard at all to spend a full day there.

Also, completely agree with everything that Goose has said about Merlin attractions in the UK being cheap comparative to elsewhere and it only gets more ludicrously cheap when you consider passes and discounts that a lot of people rely on.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
Having visited Warwick Castle myself, I highly doubt anyone would find enough to do there to fill a full day,
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We really enjoy Warwick Castle as a family with 2 young children; the last time we went, we found it really easy to fill a whole day, be entertained through the evening in the Knights Village, then spend another half day before we had to leave. There's actually quite a large amount to do in comparison to other castles, it's of high quality and in our opinion, great vfm for our family; I guess something is only worth what people are willing to pay!
 
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