VISITORS heading to Butlins in search of glamourous granny contests and cheesy comedians telling mother-in-law gags are in for a big shock.
Butlins Family Entertainment Resorts have undergone a huge makeover for 1999, with slick musicals, high-street food brands and themed play areas the order of the day.
Butlins 1999 relaunch and the birth of its new Family Entertainment Resorts sees the pioneer of the British holiday centre setting the pace for rivals in this sector of the domestic holiday market.
Rank’s ú139m investment in Butlins product over the past two years is evidence of two things – that the holiday centre market is worth investing in; and that to remain competitive, operators must offer higher standards in accommodation and facilities to attract an increasingly discerning market.
According to David Bailey of BDO Hospitality Consulting, the UK holiday centre sector has seen significant growth in the 1990s for a variety of reasons.
“They offer a safe, secluded and aesthetic destination to provide the ideal ‘get away from it all’ break in the UK. Their success is based on the comprehensive and atmospherically controlled facilities and entertainment they provide. Unlike seaside resorts, they are not so dependent on the weather,” he said.
Making the centres even more weather-proof has been a major element of Butlins relaunch. Most of the facilities at the three Family Entertainment Resorts – in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness – are under cover, contained within a pavilion the size of Wembley stadium.
The relaunch has also seen the company upgrade all accommodation. Around ú5,000 has been spent on each unit, while entertainment facilities have also been expanded significantly (see Butlins panel, page 55).
Prices are up around 2% over last year, with Butlins relying on increased occupancy to recoup the massive investment. In particular, the weather-proof pavilion concept is expected to help increase off-season business.
Butlins trade sales manager Ian Derbyshire said:”The fact all our major facilities are under cover gives us a major plus factor over competitors.”
Traditionally, the core clientele for Butlins has comes from the C1 and C2 socio-economic group – the lower end of the market. But Rank points out the revamp is not designed to shrug off its solid working-class roots and push the brand upmarket. Instead, the operator is aiming to become classless, attracting a mix of holidaymakers.
A consequence of the launch of the Family Entertainment Resorts has been the switch of the Ayr and Pwllheli centres from the Butlins to the Haven portfolio for 1999. Ranks considers the investment required to upgrade those two sites to Family Entertainment Resorts would have been too much, and neither has a big enough catchment area for the high-volume market.
The benefit for Haven, which specialises in caravan and chalet holidays, is that the operator now has a strong presence in Scotland for the first time. As well as the Ayr site – now renamed Craig Tara – it has five other Scottish centres as a result of the Parkdean Holidays acquisition last year.
Another Rank brand, adult-only Warner Holidays, continues to expand its portfolio of country-house hotels. The latest is Cricket St Thomas, a Grade II listed mansion in Somerset, which opens officially in July. Refurbishment of accommodation at other sites, including Sinah Warren, Bembridge Coast and Norton Grange, will be ready for this season. At Rank’s Oasis Forest Holiday Village in Cumbria, the emphasis has been on increasing the choice of accommodation.
Meanwhile, both Pontin’s and caravan park holiday operator British Holidays are putting more focus on activities for children for 1999.