From reading the source, it would appear that 'whoever' buys Kingsmill won't be able to do anything with it. It doesn't say for how long though. If they did buy it, and had to leave it 'as is' for X amount of time, a fun question would be 'what would they do with it once allowed to make significant changes?'
On-Site Resort Hotel for Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
- Thread starter mc14
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That thought had also occurred to me. However, with what MAZ said, I don't see the point.
Back when they wanted to build a resort for BGW, they had goals that would be impossible with restrictions. If they bought it, and could utilize the land, they could slowly buy back the land that they used to own. Maybe that could lead to a new expansion. As of now, they might be land locked to what they currently own.
Back when they wanted to build a resort for BGW, they had goals that would be impossible with restrictions. If they bought it, and could utilize the land, they could slowly buy back the land that they used to own. Maybe that could lead to a new expansion. As of now, they might be land locked to what they currently own.
If a Resort comes to BGW I think it would be on existing BGW property not in any Kinsmill property.
Another thing to consider I would think is the abundance of hotels less than 2 miles from the park entrance. I know they could package tickets and stays with a resort, but that area may not support such a venture with the local competition. Granted a resort on property would allow access without driving and parking, the park itself is rather small to make it such a destination.
The resort in Williamsburg was dependent on the plan to move the park to year-round ops. The dark ride push, year-round ops, and resort were all shoved off the planning table at the same time. Unless the park starts pushing in that direction again (something I don't see happening for a long time), I'm doubtful that any resort aspirations are present in the company for Williamsburg.
Spending $54M on a coaster that doesn't shatter headlines and then not marketing it very well isn't going to achieve a desirable result.
jonfin826 said:
That and the fact it was made in Germany then shipped here to the US so its a combination of shipping and manufacturing costs as well as the rate of exchange between the dollar and the Euro.
Stumbled upon this Article from Motley Fool from January 27, 2016. 2,500 is a huge number of new hotel rooms for Orlando alone to absorb. If I were a tourist to the area, a SeaWorld hotel would be far more interesting than what else is out there.
SeaWorld Has a Long Way to Go to Be the Next Disney World
The marine life park operator is reportedly eyeing resort hotels in Orlando.
Rick Munarriz (TMFBreakerRick) Jan 27, 2016 at 9:25AM
Disney (NYSEIS) has done a great job of building out Disney World into a self-contained resort. Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSK) (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Universal Orlando is gearing up to open its fifth on-site hotel this summer.
Then we have SeaWorld Entertainment's (NYSE:SEAS) SeaWorld Orlando. It's the most visited attraction in the park operator's chain, but its attendance has fallen sharply in recent years.
That isn't the case at its larger peers in Central Florida. Attendance at Disney World's parks are inching higher with every passing year and Comcast's Universal Orlando attractions are growing even faster than Disney World since the arrival of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
This leaves Disney and Comcast widening the gap between them and SeaWorld, and the operator of marine life theme parks is reportedly gearing up to make a bigger splash than Shamu at one of its controversial killer whale shows.
Sources are telling the Orlando Business Journal that the industry rumor is that SeaWorld has hired a hotel development consultant, ultimately seeking to build 2,500 hotel rooms across its theme parks. A SeaWorld hotel wouldn't be a surprise. CEO Joel Manby revealed two months ago that SeaWorld had entered a deal with Evans Hotel Group to explore the development of a hotel at its original SeaWorld park in San Diego. It also provided slides of where it could build out resort hotels near its other gated attractions.
If the rumor is true, obviously 2,500 rooms implies that it's considering several hotels across several of its properties. Universal Orlando's first three massive hotels only had a combined capacity for 2,400 rooms.
SeaWorld Orlando is a logical target. It may seem to be a safer bet to break ground near Busch Gardens Tampa and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, two of its popular theme parks that don't carry the Blackfish-bashed stigma. However, SeaWorld Orlando is home to the chain's busiest theme park and two distinct water parks. It's more of a self-contained resort, and having on-site accommodations would be the first step to taking on Comcast and Disney.
It's a huge gamble, of course. It could partner with a seasoned hotelier to make it work, shouldering some of the burden in the process. That's what Comcast did at Universal Orlando. Even Mickey Mouse went this route with a pair of its on-site Disney World hotels -- the Swan and Dolphin -- at a vulnerable point in its history. It's still a major undertaking in the highly competitive tourist market, one that could result in painful deep discounting if occupancy levels don't hold up.
It's still the right call. Attendance at SeaWorld stabilized in 2015 after dipping in each of the two previous years. If some regional amusement park operators with limited operating calendars have gone this route, why not SeaWorld? It checks out -- as long as it ultimately gets people to check in.
If you read the article, it says that SWO is the most likely, despite the argument that BGW and BGT aren't tainted by Blackfish. So, it makes sense in this thread. I just don't understand why people think Williamsburg would logically get a resort now, especially since the article is clearly talking about Orlando. It seems as if huge logical leaps are bring made.
I wonder how the Legoland Hotel is doing. I wonder if it would be a good indicator for how a Busch Gardens Tampa resort would go.
Zachary said:
Isn't LEGOLAND kind of in the middle between Orlando and Tampa? Which, to me, puts the LEGOLAND hotel in a bad spot. It's close enough to Orlando for people to stay there and visit LEGOLAND for a day, and given there is so much more in Orlando, makes it unlikely people would stay at LEGOLAND and visit Orlando a bunch of days.
However, Tampa is quite a trip from Orlando, and you could easily spend a week in Tampa and not visit Orlando, including Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, the two aquariums (the Florida Aquarium, and also the one that is the home of the dolphins Winter and Hope), and the beach.
Personally, I would love a BGW resort, but I see how it may not be feasible. Williamsburg seems already saturated with all levels of hotels and resorts that always has availability (even last minute July 4th weekend).
However, Williamsburg does have a ton to offer. Even during BGW's off season, there still is CW, Jamestown, Yorktown, and that wonderful park (that I forget the name of) that has kayaking. I don't think BGW can be a year long park without building a bunch of indoor/dark rides. But, they certainly can build a resort that has it's own activities to supplement Williamsburg's other winter offerings. Great Wolf lodge immediately comes to mind as an example (though BG wouldn't build a water themed resort that competes with WCUSA).
The linked article I posted is all-over the place. It is an investor trying to analyze the potential so maybe that explains why the article is a little schizo. I do agree with the author's thinking that 2,500 rooms is too much for just Orlando and is enough for several SeaWorld parks. Would a SeaWorld hotel really have to be attached to either BGW or WCUSA? I have to say as a parent or a kid planning a vacation to Virginia a SeaWorld hotel sounds much more exciting than the dozens of hotel chains currently available. There is so much land available in JCC and a short shuttle ride to one or both parks would be a breeze while helping reduce the traffic and parking headaches for guests and the parks.