Breakers Hotel Experience...

We stayed in the tower this year at the end of june. Liked the experience. TgiFridays always had a fun atmosphere. Dominics on the other hand was crappy.

Adam_loves_the_roller_coast said:
...TgiFridays always had a fun atmosphere. Dominics on the other hand was crappy.

I got the exact opposite impression! I visited Friday's on a Saturday night, so granted it was probably the busiest time of the week, but Friday's seemed overcrowed and unorganized and slow. Our poor waitress seemed so overworked! I felt sorry for her!

On the other hand, we went to Dominic's on a Monday night. The atmosphere was very nice and the food was great!

It's all about when you go, I think.

I have had a similar experience just this last August 15, 16, and 17th when we stayed in the old section of the Breakers. We stayed in the end suite with a lakeview room that has 3 rooms and a bathroom. The air conditioner leaked all over the floor, that left a soaked carpet. The only solution they had was to extract the water from the carpet and place a huge fan on the floor for it to dry over time. Not only did it start to smell, you can only imagine the mold and mildew that probably was growing. The room is outdated, but decent. It seems that they could at least put some money into those rooms, I am sure it would not cost that much. We attempted to possibly move to a new room, but we would of had to pay the difference. I have stayed at the Breakers for more that 10 years, and I would have to agree that the Breakers Tower is the best. It really ruined the experience, but what can you say when you are spending that type of money.

Are Sandcastle Suites nice??

I like the Breakers Hotel. I know it's much better than the Travelodge I used to stay at nearby.

Sandcastle is pretty nice. We had a pool/lakeview room with a balcony. I prefer LHP, but Sandcastle was nice.

DBCP said:

marvina1216 said:
...or does CP bring in sand to make it bigger?

Somewhere there's almost an entire thread disputing whether it's real or brought in...

Oh Oh! That's my board. :) >_>

Yah. Anyway, we've always stayed at Breakers for both nostalgic reasons and advantages. Since I've stayed there every time I've visited. Anyway, I absolutely love to mess around in sand and having that right out of the door is a wonderful thing. We usually get a suite with real lake view, because we had a terrible tower experience. Having the mushroom pool outside and the bakery place right under your room is a definite plus. Then there is a closeness to both the Wicked Twister entrance and the Magnum entrance. It's just...awesome.

At the same time, this is coming from the person who doesn't have to pay ;)

I'm a hotel snob. When I'm taking a real vacation, I generally will not stay anywhere that's not AAA four diamond rated. That puts you in the $150 to $250 price range in most places. Breakers may cost in that range, but it's not even close to being in the same class. It lacks room service, night life, amenities or style.

I mean, how can I argue though? If the rooms get booked, they can charge whatever the market will bare and deliver the minimum.

I honestly don't think the average guest at CP has huge expectations for a hotel at an amusement park. If they invested a huge amount to bring Hotel Beakers up to par, they'd have to raise the rate to such an exorbitant amount that the typical CP guest couldn't (or wouldn't) pay for it. So, I think we're stuck with what we have.

After spending my honeymoon at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I suppose my expectations for amusement park hotels has risen a bit. Unfortunately, the Breakers is continuously advertised as the crown jewel hotel of all the Cedar Point resorts, and it certainly doesn't live up to that standard. I guess I would have expected Cedar Point to upgrade the hotel to be on par with the Grand Floridian, considering it was built in that romantic victorian era. Today, I'd consider it the "More-On" house of the hotel world. As far as architecture goes, I don't even know where to begin. Looking at the old pics of the hotel back in it's hayday makes me wonder why the hotel looks the way it does now. I mean, Breakers East alone looks nice, and even the rotunda section alone would be nice, but together they look a little odd. Then, Breakers Tower was built and destoyed even the slightest bit of aesthetic quality left. It's obvious this part was built on a budget. From the park side, it looks like a prison. Now, put together all three sections of the Breakers, and add in the old Bon Air section and what do you get? A big More-on Hotel. One only has to walk from one end of the hotel to the other to realize this. You zig zag from one section to the other, going up and down ramps because the floor levels don't line up. I recently stayed in the Bon Air section. This section is very sad considering the price you pay a night. I guess you pay for the location. If I ran the joint, I would retain the rotunda section and start over, building something that reflects the original architecture and grandure it once had.
*** Edited 10/13/2006 1:47:07 AM UTC by CPcyclone***

halltd said:
If they invested a huge amount to bring Hotel Beakers up to par, they'd have to raise the rate to such an exorbitant amount that the typical CP guest couldn't (or wouldn't) pay for it.

That's not true at all. Don't you think that the margin is already ridiculously high?

There are two angles to consider here. The first is that you can offer a whole lot of add-on revenue. I already mentioned room service as an obvious upsell. You can also offer in-room Internet access, spa bath tubs, better beds, etc. Yes, it requires some expense up front, but you make it back relatively quickly. The problem is, as we've mentioned in other threads, that the company seems so reluctant to spend a little to make a lot, unless it's a big shiny roller coaster.

And has anyone ever mentioned the total lack of anything to do for adults after dark?

This isn't a point I'm going to spend hours defending, but I'll put it out there. Does CP need something for adults to do after dark? It's a family park, and that's how they market it. If mom and dad take their kids to the park for a day (or more) of fun they aren't going to go enjoy the nightlife while the kids sleep, they will do that on a trip of their own.

For adults who aren't parents and go to the park with friends, the park is looking to get you in the gates for the day and buy overpriced goods and have good fun at the amusement park. If you're looking for nightlife go somewhere that offers that as it's main attractions. I'm not saying that CP shouldn't develop a nightlife scene, but they are an amusement park. If they keep the rides and attractions up to date and fun for everyone they have done their jobs.

I know my opinion on this is going to be torn apart, but that's how I feel. When travel destinations start to offer attractions that are out of their market that's when it starts to go down. If Casino Windsor built something for kids it would defeat the purpose. Casinos are for adults. Amusement parks are out there for all age groups to enjoy what that park offers, which in this case is world class thrills. Not world class nightlife.

A reliable baby sitting service would go a long way for families that have small kids to enjoy adult night life while the kids sleep.

It doesn't just revolve around the kids, adults should have some adult time also. CP bills itself as a resort, so some night life would complete the picture. Believe it or not, but some people go to the Breakers and never go to the amusement park.

I totally agree that Breakers and Sandcastle should be upgraded with premium beds, better carpet, an extensive room service menu and upscale furniture. The prices they charge demand such amenities and would increase guest satisfaction nicely.

I don't think you can have more of a family-oriented park than Disney, and their Downtown Disney has a lot of night life and does really well for its self. I'm not saying the same thing would work for CP, but being a "family" destination certainly doesn't exclude the possibility of having night life for the adults.

I guarantee you that the professionals that work on the resort side of the business want what all of you are suggesting. But, one man controls the purse strings and...it won't happen...at least for a few more years.

The other thing you have to consider is that just about any other hotel you have ever stayed at; well they are open year round. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has people in it 365 days a year. Hotel Breakers has folks in there about 115 days per year.

During the day, the hotels are virtually empty. Folks are staying there 2 or 3 nights and they are spending all of their waking time...for the most part...in the park, at the beach or at Soak City. You can't spend a ton of money on public space and asthetics when folks aren't really spending much time there.

Where I would spend the money? In-room amenities such as the internet access, comfortable beds, better televisions (go flat panel and save some floor space...prices are dropping), nicer towels, etc.

Here is what I would do from a capital standpoint:

1. Get rid of the Bon Air section and expand ala Breakers East.

2. Take a sledge hammer and knock down Sandcastle Suites and start from scratch putting a hotel worthy of the best piece of land on Lake Erie in its place.

3. Tear down the Cedars Employee dorm and put in a resort reminiscent of the Yacht & Beach Club in its place.

4. Buy the Greentree (which they should have done years ago), tear it down, and expand Breakers Express to include a large convention center accessible to Castaway Bay via an enclosed bridge/skyway.

But, that's just me.

As much as we'd all like Cedar Point to have the resort experience than Disney does, its not going to happen. They're on totally different playing fields. Like someone else said, CPs resorts aren't open year round. So, they don't have the revenue coming in to support hotels like the Yacht and Beach Club. Keep in mind, Disney's hotels cost way more than the industry average to build. That's why you pay more too. But, people are willing to pay more because of the ammenities you get. I don't think the guests coming to Cedar Point see a massive price as "worth it".

Bottom line is if CP is making a lot of profit on Breakers, there's no reason to dump a bunch of money into it and make less profits. Once they get to a certain price point on the hotel, people will start looking off-peninsula.

No, it will never be on the same level of Disney, not because Cedar Point is worse than Disney, but because they are completely different.

But at the same time, Cedar Point isn't "just" an amusement park. Geauga Lake, Holiday World, Kings Island, Six Flags (Fill in the Blank) are all "just" parks. If Cedar Point going to be a resort, it should offer more than a place to sleep close to the action.

Good point Walt. And, I recall a holiday party many moons ago that a certain power-that-be made it very clear that the future for Cedar Point was on the resort side of the business. No matter how many coasters they choose to build, the attendance isn't likely going to swing up dramatically.

His point was so clear that it was the impetus for me to leave the company. I didn't want to make a career of resort management but I was given every indication that my future at C.F. would be in resorts.

But, they continue to dip their toe in the water instead of jumping in. No, I don't expect the hotels to be on par with Disney and I wasn't suggesting that the Yacht & Beach club be built. I was just suggesting that the property that Cedars sits on...right next to the Marina...is valuable and it would make for a nice place for resort guests. In fact, it was originally the location of a resort hotel. And, why not make it "yacht" themed given the location.

CF didn't half-a$$ the Tower or Breakers East. But, a replacement for Bon Aire is due and Sandcastle shouldn't be much further behind. I can't help but think that Dick and the gang are waiting to see how the casino issue plays out before they use up valuable land. But, they can't wait forever.

Oh, and one more thing...if they haven't put air conditioning in the lobby of Breakers yet...it is LONG OVERDUE. People spend $1,000 bucks a night for the Presidential Suite and the tower but have to wait in line in the stiffling heat and humidity of the lobby. That is ridiculous.

Disney and Universal are marketed as "family" resorts as well, and they get more money out of me by hundreds of dollars because there's something to do when the parks close.

If I lived in, say, Baltimore, and had to choose between Cedar Point and anything in Orlando, I'd go to Orlando. It's not because Orlando has Disney, it's because those resorts down there are the whole package. They're even getting into the higher end entertainment with a Cirque du Soleil show (and word on the street is there's a Blue Man Group show that will occupy the former Nick Studios at Universal).

If you're going to be a resort, be a resort. Don't leave money on the table. This closing weekend, I'll stand out on the deck of my Lighthouse Point cottage, look down the shore, and see a hundred people drinking. That's a hundred people that could be paying Cedar Fair seven bucks each per beer.

That's my point though. What more can they offer than they'll actually see a return on investment? If they built something like Pleasure Island, they'd have a horrific time supporting that. They don't pull in guests for week-long trips. They get people for a long weekend or 3-4 days during the week. I'd venture to guess most of the guests' time is spent in the theme park or water park. That doesn't leave much time to do anything else. CP isn't enough of a destination yet to warrant anything bigger.