Mt. Olympus buys up and improves hotels on Dells strip

Really? I don't look at anything through an "Enthusiast Lens". I gave up the "enthusiast" thing years ago. Sure, I'm still around and ride coasters some times, but I'm just a casual traveler, and Disney-hound.

Convenience is the name of the game for me when I vacation.

So you spend your time vacationing at amusement parks but you're not an enthusiast.

Great Adventure has been there 30 years, why hasn't a hotel ever materialized... hmmmm?

billb7581 said:
Right beside a park that does, what, 3mill a year?

.....And 2.99 million of them live within a short drive.

But thats subjective. Just because you don't stay doesn't mean that 30,000 families wouldn't. And really, that's all it would take to likely make bank during a limited opening season

- it could be the other 215 days that the hotel would be empty

.....Ya think?

Or it could be like I pointed out, that they're planning on it and just haven't yet. Ya think?

that thing would run a high occupancy and be entirely profitable during their season.

.......Profitable enough to run 7 months of the year empty?

Seems to work well enough for the park...

Cedar Point seems to have a hundred hotels near it, and they make out pretty well. I don't see much of a difference.

MagnumsRevenge said:
There must be some zoning or access reason that there is nothing more then a Wawa and a McDonalds there.

Hey now, don't be dissin' Long John Silver's! And it's closer to the gate than Mickey D's!

I love Wawas....

billb7581 said:

- it could be the other 215 days that the hotel would be empty

.....Ya think?

Actually I don't. I just added that to be diplomatic and toss you a bone so maybe we'd have some reasonable constructive discussion.

It didn't work.

that thing would run a high occupancy and be entirely profitable during their season.

.......Profitable enough to run 7 months of the year empty?

Probably. Works for the park.

No need to be diplomatic. Great Adventure has been there for nearly 40 years, like I said, if it were such a great idea to build one there, one would have been built by now. The comspicuous absence of a hotel bares out what I am saying.

LostKause said:
Cedar Point seems to have a hundred hotels near it, and they make out pretty well. I don't see much of a difference.

Huge differene, they HAVE to accomodate people because the population isn't even close to the Northeast. With 30-40 million people within an easy car drive of GA, the marginal benefit of having a hotel there just isnt there.

billb7581 said:
The comspicuous absence of a hotel bares out what I am saying.

In a circular sort of way, sure.

Still doesn't mean someone hasn't wanted to put one there. The thing is, no one seems to have a reason why other than your "there isn't one there so there never will be" bit.

The reason I don't entirely buy your logic is the very reason you believe - because there isn't anything there. Why hasn't anything been built in that area? Shopping, houses, restaurants, multi-use, whatever - it's all conspicuously absent from the immediate area.

And your reasoning that no one would want to stay because of the proximity seems to be the worst of all. You've really never just had fun and 'made a night' of something cool and fun that's relatively close? You've never stayed at a hotel within 3 hours of your home?

Of all the reasons possible I'd put the viability of the business in dead last.

billb7581 said:

LostKause said:
Cedar Point seems to have a hundred hotels near it, and they make out pretty well. I don't see much of a difference.

Huge differene, they HAVE to accomodate people because the population isn't even close to the Northeast. With 30-40 million people within an easy car drive of GA, the marginal benefit of having a hotel there just isnt there.

...And no one from three, four, five, or six hours away ever goes to Six Flags Great Adventure? Riiight. ;)

Just because there are a lot of customers who live near the park doesn't mean that there are not also a lot of customers who live far away from the park. They still get families who travel more than an "easy car drive" to get there. Where are they going to stay? Somewhere else, that's where.

What about people who live one or two hours away, and want to take advantage of a few days at GA plus a day or so at Hurricane Harbor? Are they going to drive home between visits, or are they going to find a crappy hotel in Trenton?

Which leads me to ask the rest of us, why on earth do they not sell a combo ticket good for all three attractions for two or more days? They would do even better if they would imply or suggest that visiting more than one day is what families do.

People visit many other comparable amusement parks, like Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, ect. for more than one day, weather they have a separate gated water park or included with admission. They are leaving money at the door.

Maybe Bill is right, and they already tried that, and no one bought it, so they quit offering it? Probably not. :)

:

The reason I don't entirely buy your logic is the very reason you believe - because there isn't anything there. Why hasn't anything been built in that area? Shopping, houses, restaurants, multi-use, whatever - it's all conspicuously absent from the immediate area.

Shopping isn't absent there is a large outlet mall on 537

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=54

Housing is going to be a reflection of people wanting to live there. Being in the middle of nowhere isn't going to necessiatate much housing being built.

:

LostKause said:
...And no one from three, four, five, or six hours away ever goes to Six Flags Great Adventure? Riiight. ;)

I wouldn't say noone, but not enough to make an on site hotel necessary. Like I said, "normal" people just want to take their kid to an amusement park and throw their kids on some rides. To them there is no difference between GA and whatever large corporate park is closer to them.

billb7581 said:
So you spend your time vacationing at amusement parks but you're not an enthusiast.

That's correct. I pretty much go once or twice a year, too.

So, now you're suggesting that everyone who takes a vacation to an amusement park, that is a destination, is an enthusiast?

My parents took us once or twice a year when I was growing up. I guess I should buy my dad a satin patch jacket, huh?

edit: What you're saying about certain places being no different to some people is in no way true, either. With things like the Discovery and Travel Channel that showcase these rides on their TV shows, there are people who will travel with their families to see "the place they saw on TV".

Jackson NJ isn't a destination. It's close to several.

You're just not getting it. The fact that it's "close" to several destinations is a good enough argument for a hotel in itself.

I live an hour and a half from Cedar Point, yet if I go up there, sometimes I prefer to stay overnight. It's convenient, more relaxing, and safer if I'm really tired.

Not everyone is "hardcore", and wants to make a 4-6 hour round trip (that's 2-3 hours each way) when they take their family for a day of fun. I don't care how far/close something is to a major area, people always want a clean, warm place to sleep.

My parents took us to Kings Dominion and Bush Gardens growing up also, but it was always in conjunction with something else in the area (Williamsburg/VA beach) or as a stopover on the way to somewhere else like the Outer Banks.

The only time we stayed in close proximity to an amusement park for an entire vacation, was Disney (which you really cant compare to a run of the mill amusement park) and when we went to Wildwood or Ocean City NJ/MD for the week.. and in this case the Ocean was the main draw and the rides just happened to be there.

Ironically my sister and I were talking about this the other day. We had a lot more fun in Wildwood than we did the one time we went to Disney. (I will invoke the late 70's early 80's clause)

I am planning a Disney trip for Jersey week next November and I already fell like I could care less if I ever go there again. It's almost like a crime these days if your friggin kids never go to Disney.

You're not getting it. There are probably 100 thousand hotel rooms that have better acces to Philly, Atlantic City and NYC..You're not going to stay out there and there are enough existing hotel rooms near GA to satisfy the demand that exists.

My family usually went to Kings Dominion and Carowinds each year when I was growing up...and we stayed at a hotel close to the park over nite when we went. And there's about as much or less to do in Doswell as there is in Jackson, but there is a hotel right beside the parking lot.

The arguement that "It hasn't been done in 40 years means it won't be done" makes absolutely no sense. There hasn't been a hotel built on site at Carowinds in about as many years, but they're looking at building one in the near future, and that came directly from the park's PR rep at a recent event.

And the fact that there is already zoning at Great Adventure for one means they've thought about it, they just haven't done it yet, and it could be something very simple.

Thank goodness that's finally been cleared up! ;)

We're both just supplying anectdotal evidence. For me Seaside Heights woud be a 1.5 hour trip. We go there, for the day, all the time and never once has it occured to me to stay over.