Bon Aire section and other exterior changes to Hotel Breakers

Ummm...just a wild guess here but maybe in the lobby of the hotel....

Hey, I was thinking the same thing!

The Frankenstein's monster that the Breakers had become pretty much had to lead to this. Kinzel threw away the landmark status years ago when he tore down sections and built the tower (w at the start of a period where such hotels were being restored nationally). For me, it begs the question: are they building another tower or restoring the rooms in the rotunda currently in use by employees? Because otherwise, they're downsizing the number of rooms quite a bit.

I wonder if the demolition of the twin section will lead to an expanded lobby that includes the new entrance?

I don't know if the lobby needs to be expanded...but air conditioned would be nice.

Tennessee_CP_Fan said:
Ummm...just a wild guess here but maybe in the lobby of the hotel....

Can someone take a pic of if then?

Please do! I'm excited to see what the plans are for it

After seeing the amount of work done to Breakers thus far and how much they plan to do with the renovation, I'm pretty skeptical that this opens next year with the park. Still surprised by the number of rooms getting flat out removed.

Also, somewhat connected to this - I don't know if this is something that's been the case for a long time, but Challenge Golf has been reduced to a single side. There's clearly holes that have been removed and many holes from the red course just being left to rot. It seems like they're just letting it go. Now, if that was removed along with the Bon Air section getting taken out, it seems to me that you could move parking significantly & expand the water park a great deal. You also need less parking spaces if you have fewer hotel rooms.

I don't have a picture for you but I saw the signs. They say that in addition to the exterior renovations the pools will be updated. The hotel will have a new entrance and the lobby and rotunda will be completely renovated. They promise new dining and retail options in the hotel. All bedding and furniture in the rooms will be replaced. The picture I saw makes it seem like the twin sections will be removed along with Bon Air. The new entrance looks very, very nice. Here's hoping that the pool revisions will perhaps include a place to get something to eat and drink at the pool. Hopefully they will have some nightlife options available also. And I still think a tiki bar and grill along the beach with some entertainment would be awesome.

I do think they will make Breakers first class when all is said and done. Hopefully the hotel will be much more than just a place to sleep after the park, the hotel needs to be reason enough to come to CP because of the fun and amenities that are a part of the resort. I imagine that if that happens they will see the average length of stay increase because there are activities and amenities to make for a fine vacation.

Good points all around. I would rather see them take a more manageable number of rooms and make them better than keep doing what they've been doing.

I'll always wonder what they could've done, if anything, to keep the Landmark status while keeping Breakers up to date, since everything I remember about the wings that were removed has said that they were horribly out of date and not really fit to be restored.

I feel like the problem with Breakers is the same reason why there's nobody clamoring to preserve Cedars... just because it's old doesn't mean it was built solid to begin with. It's not like comparing it to say, the Banff Springs hotel or any of the western railroad hotels.

I don't know any inside information on this but I have to believe that the is a 3-4 year project. Exterior work this year, removal of Bon Air and revamping of the lobby area next year, and then a new addition to come in year's 3 or 4.

I don't remember exactly how many rooms are in Bon Air but it has to be well over 100. That has to be in excess of $20k-$30k per night LOST with the removal of that wing. The demand was still there even if the supply wasn't exactly up to par so I just have to think there are some plans on the horizon for additional rooms.

If it were me I would consider going with more family suites ala Disney's Art of Animation resort. Families are travelling together more and more in larger groups. Giving them an option for accommodations that would keep them together is something people are willing to pay premium for. Breakers is the more family friendly on Point resort so it just makes sense.

Back in the day... okay, way way back in the day, I remember staying at Hotel Breakers in various of the wings. You'd leave your room key (actual key on a plastic tag) with an elderly woman (usually) at the end of the hall, to be retrieved when you were returning to your room.

I'd suspect that those wings, built in a time when staying in a hotel was a far different experience, probably just couldn't be brought up to modern standards in any sort of cost-effective way.

Much as I would have preferred that the Kinzel-era Cedar Fair had found a way to update Breakers while maintaining its landmark status, I know that Cedar Point is an amusement park -- a business, and profit usually takes precedence over history.

Regardless of whether or not they do room interiors next off-season, I can't imagine they would allow another year to go with the soft goods. Those beds border on unsleepable at this point. I can live with dated bathrooms and ancient tube TV's given the location, but I have to imagine the beds will go no matter what. I think someone mentioned they already replaced them in the Lighthouse Point cottages and cabins.

My family used to stay in the old "C section" of Breakers back in the day. Believe me, those old rooms really would not be able to be made acceptable now. They were too small, the bathrooms were tiny, I think they would have needed to rip all the walls out to totally reconfigure the rooms. And then, you would still have an old building with all the problems that comes with that. Better to tear it down and start fresh, which is what they did with Breakers East and Breakers Tower.

Funny story about the old wings. They old wings all had "laundry chutes" in the housekeeping rooms (and in some cases, accessible from the guest hallways). When the staff was bored we (they) would pile up bags of dirty linens at the bottom of the chutes and then go "chute diving". Sort of a water slide without the water.

At the end of the season they could have more fun. Rumor has it that they would stack bags and bags of linen on the floor of the Rotunda. Then, they would start jumping from the upper floors until they were caught. Power Tower indeed.

Pete is right, no amount of interior work would change the fact that the exterior wasn't in great shape. You are talking about a wooden structure on the edge of the water that was over 100 years old. There were times when we would find snow in the old hallways, rooms, etc. Imagine what that moisture did to the structure over time.

I think the sentimental value of the old Breakers, and even the most interesting portion from an architectural point of view, is the lobby and the Rotunda. If they can preserve the lobby with the tin ceiling and the Tiffany stained glass, and preserve the Rotunda (even though it is not ADA acessible) then that would be tremendous. I'd love for them to be able to remove the fire escape on the beach side of the structure so it can be seen in all it's glory.

That Crazy Dan said:
I'll always wonder what they could've done, if anything, to keep the Landmark status while keeping Breakers up to date, since everything I remember about the wings that were removed has said that they were horribly out of date and not really fit to be restored.

The cost would have been enormous. Alternately, they are costs that have been applied to many historic hotel/resorts with incredible results. Breakers has two strikes against it though - seasonal (though this doesn't stop the hotel/resorts on Mackinac Island) and attached to an amusement park, not a casino. I can understand why they didn't do it, but, you know, it isn't anything I'm overjoyed about either.

I'm very overjoyed myself for these renovations. Hotel Breakers is definitely one of the many structures that has potential to be the best, and it definitely isn't living up to those standards now. The lobby carpet and outdated furniture make it look "dusty" to me. I wonder what they plan on doing to the walkway above the lobby that currently leads to the Twins section of the hotel. I strongly believe we see another Towers section replacing Bon Aire.

Also, I love Pete's idea of having the option to eat and drink pool side. Hopefully they replace that old mushroom water fountain also with something that kids can enjoy more. I'm all for new dining options inside the hotel. Perhaps a late night sports bar or something.

Looking at hotel options for closing weekend, the Bon Aire and Main sections disappear as bookable options. It looks like the last time you can book rooms there is Columbus Day weekend.

Last time we saw something like that happen was this past off season right before they removed Camper Village to make way for those new cabins. But maybe they could be starting extensive work on these sections before starting work on other parts of the hotel.

From Saturday the 21st (Ride Anniversary Day). Looking mighty spiffy! (compare with your last year pics):

http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii572/CPpixx/100_3497_zps8e089e2a.jpg