Six flags is changing direction

I just read my Amusement Business Magazine and they have an article in there about Six Flags, Inc. introducing a chain wide initiative for the care and comfort of their guests. They are spending $43 Million in guest amenities for 2004, with $15 Million of that that money going to bathroom improvements.

Six Flags is getting smart. It appears they are starting to understand that coasters is not the only thing that makes up a theme park and that the entire theme park experience makes people come into the park and spend money.

I think Six Flags is making the right move. What do you guys think?

Carlo

*** Edited 1/10/2004 5:04:36 AM UTC by carlo18***

I agree. Lets hope that some of that 43 million goes to adding skilled staff.

I'll agree that Six Flags is making the right move. The last thing you'd want are guests who have a bad experience and will never return.

But I'll believe it when I see it next season.

I think effort and results are two different things. We'll see how 2004 goes.

I wonder if SF bigwigs check internet message boards? If so, they couldn't miss the complaints!

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Lets hope that some of that 43 million goes to adding skilled staff.

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*Clears throat*

Improving on a park is always good, its better then adding new things and let the old items rot. I have always thought that your not really paying for the rides and but the experience.

We must all have waffles, forthwith!

-Danny

It'll benefit in the long term... but don't think everyone is gonna flock to the parks next season just because they see commercials for new bathrooms....

-- alan "invented the flying bathrooms" jacyszyn

Six Flags is going to have a hard time getting back guests. Even with new bathrooms and improvements in the guest experience, Six Flags is going to have to do a lot to get back some of the guests who have had bad experiences recently.

You have to start somewhere Matthew.

Make the necessary changes in your parks. After that, go on an advertising blitz trying to convince unpleased customers that times have changed. Also, for the guests that continue to visit every year, its a good way to get word of mouth out to their friends and family that the park has changed for the better.

I am sure this news of improvements will be a good move to their shareholders.

Lets hope they keep to their word and improvements in ALL their parks.

Right on Chitown.

Advertising excellent customer service, I think, is a fantastic idea. Although many park regulars or enthusiasts would care less about the advertisements the others seeing the ads may be influenced.

If a customer is told that they'll receive great service and the intent of the ads is to tell them that they'll receive great service they'll be more tempted to visit the park. But, if the target audience of the ads do spend the cash and go to the park that park better hold up their end of the bargain! If not, they'll get a whole heap of complaints and make things much worse.

A park in WOA's situation shoud never advertise best guest service. Some people are already expecting the worst, an advertising sceme such as that would only encourage people to try harder to find problems.

With new spending on guest ammenities this year might we finally be getting a B:TR (Bathroom:The Ride) down there by Batwing?

Lord knows the park could really use it because I hate having to walk(or in some cases run) all the way back over to where JJ is whenever the urge to go strikes.

If they were smart they'd use some of that money to find, and pay, for the correct employees. If an employee has direct contact with guests they need to understand the rules and understand their job description.

Working in retail for MANY years, I know that the right people are out there. If you get the right people with the right attitude and pay them what they are worth, they'll be happy and go the extra mile. They need to recruit and find the right people. If SF puts the work (and $) into the project they can make a huge turnaround. They just have to get the right people and hold them accountable. *** Edited 1/10/2004 6:44:30 PM UTC by FScottS***

Hopefully some of that 15mil for bathrooms will go to putting in a new restroom(or two) somewhere along the path between RWB and Happy Harbor at SFWoA.

Besides another bathroom in Gotham City at SFA (which I heard would cost $100,000 to put in because there's no sewer lines down there), they need to put another bathroom in Southwest Territory, or expand the one across from the basketball game. There's only one stall in the men's room which is supposed to support all the people in S.T., plus the Hollywood Cafe. One only has to look to Kennywood, who last year built a new bathroom facility, and has plenty of urinals and stalls. And, would it hurt them to add a few more drinking fountains? There's only two in the main park (excluding Gotham City, which has one), and one of them is hidden amongst a bunch of lockers near the theatre. In contrast, the water park actually has a bank of four drinking fountains in one area, plus several others spread throughout Paradise Island. Signing off-Intamin Fan, who could be a walking commercial for that product for people with overactive bladder:)

I've never had a real problem with the restrooms near SWT at all(although another one would always be appreciated) it's down in GC that it begins to become a real "pain in the butt"so to speak.

Didn't they put new lines in that area back in 02? I thought that's what all those concrete pipes sitting behind Batwing late in 01 were gonna be used for.

I guess they were used for PBR then...too bad they can't just run a line from those pipes & into the sewer system,especially if the water flowing through those pipes is circulated back & forth through PBR.

My god we are bored! We actually have bathroom discussions going on!

Maybe we should start a top ten bathroom list!