Park Hotels
www.parkworld-online.com
Tivoli Hotel in Copenhagen
locations, meaning they must stimulate additional hotel business out of season. At Phantasialand, “The events run by our conference department ‘Business to Pleasure’ are very important,” according to Euler. “As well as the high number of meeting facilities, our business guests enjoy the combination of food, beverage and the best in entertainment. At Christmas we host a lot of events, from small family celebrations up to large company events with up to 1,000 guests. This also gives us a great opportunity to showcase the offering of Phantasialand.”
Just Add Water
In North America, operators such as Great Wolf Resorts encourage year-round business by combining hotels with indoor waterparks. “These properties continue to perform better than those without waterparks – especially in a tough economy,” notes waterpark expert Jeff Coy of JLC Hospitality Consulting. “Many new projects are designed as mixed-use resort destinations that include hotels, conference centres, family entertainment centres, sports facilities, shopping facilities and residential development. All these components clustered together act as a strong magnet that draws more families from a wider region.”
While some operators seem to a think a single hotel suddenly transforms a humble park into a “resort,” arguably you need some of the above components too. Merlin Entertainments, which already boasts on- site hotels and waterpark developments at Gardaland in Italy, Alton Towers in England and Legoland California, has a ready-made portfolio of “midway”
attraction brands to parachute into its resort properties. All three of these locations, for example, now also feature a Sea Life aquarium, and there are plans for more hotels and second gate development at other Legoland outlets around the world, including the upcoming Legoland Malaysia, which opens in 2012. While in Europe and North America hotels are typically built as an add-on to an established park, in Asia the resort model is very much becoming the norm, according to Aaen: “Many operators and developers have built or are planning to add standalone and integrated hotels as part of the anchor park/attraction, for example Everland in South Korea, Ocean Park in Hong Kong (three hotels under planning as part of expansion plans), Chimelong in China’s Guangdong Province and Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The mixed-use model of entertainment and real estate is a key development strategy in China, while in Singapore, the ‘integrated resorts’ model with Resorts World Sentosa/Universal Studios and Marina Bay Sands are setting a new standard in terms of hotel and entertainment offering.”
High Standards
At developments such as these, accommodation standards are high, something Aaen attributes to the typical guest profile, or at least those that can afford to stay overnight: “This generally fits with the target family segment and price/value proposition (3-4 stars),” he says. “Some parks have 5-star hotel properties on-site depending on location, local income levels and adjacent convention/commercial facilities.” Yet in the current climate, “Not all attraction visitors can afford higher end stays,” warns Speigel. “People are looking for the best deal and making their reservations later than in previous years. Even at Disney, the world’s number one resort hotel operator, discounts abound. Disney is trying to reduce discounting but finding it necessary to fill the properties. This trend will continue in 2011.” While there has been significant new hotel development over the last five to 10 years, we mustn’t forget the humble campsite or RV/caravan park, which for several parks remain an important provider of both revenue and guests. Such facilities also require far less capital expenditure than building a major hotel from scratch. Yet for the time being, the hotel trend shows no signs of slowing.
Drayton Manor Park Hotel, opening this summer in the UK
Safari Sleepovers
Visitors to England's West Midland Safari Park (WMSP) were offered a unique overnight experience last summer as part of the park's Summer Nights event. Over selected weekends in August, guests could enjoy a “Safari Camp Over” by bringing their own tent and camping equipment, while WMSP provided the entertainment.
"In 2009 we offered just one Camp Over and it was so successful that we have introduced two additional dates in 2010,” explains WMSP's Wendy Jackson. “It was a great opportunity for visitors to extend their day trip, sleep under the stars and hear the roar of lions" During Summer Nights, visitors could enjoy a four-mile-long evening safari and then enjoy the park's rides and attractions, which stayed open each night until 9pm. A repeat event, including sleepovers, is planned for 2011.
www.wmsp.co.uk
Hotel Legoland (Windsor), opening 2012
FEBRUARY 2011 37
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