Quote from: dave.woodhall on October 10, 2019, 11:52:18 AMQuote from: Risso on October 10, 2019, 10:34:06 AMQuote from: dave.woodhall on October 09, 2019, 08:57:31 PMThe thing about the hotel gets brought up every so often and the point is missed every time. It wouldn't be a hotel aimed at tourists, or at Villa supporters. It would be a hotel five minutes from the hub of the national motorway network, ten minutes from the city centre and twenty from the NEC/airport. It's a potential goldmine. Goldmine or disaster, I know which I'd go for. There's a Holiday Inn, Travelodge and Premier Inn that aren't far from Villa Park and that share the same characteristics you mention in terms of area, but have the disctinct advantage of not being in Aston. If I needed to stay in the area for business, I'd either choose one of those, or a hotel actually in the city centre. There's a good reason there's not a hotel near VP already I would suggest.Like the Holiday Inn in downtown Nechells or the Travelodge at sunkissed Fort Dunlop? The Fort Dunlop Travelodge a minute away from the Fort Shopping Park with its shops and restaurants? Yes, that one.
Quote from: Risso on October 10, 2019, 10:34:06 AMQuote from: dave.woodhall on October 09, 2019, 08:57:31 PMThe thing about the hotel gets brought up every so often and the point is missed every time. It wouldn't be a hotel aimed at tourists, or at Villa supporters. It would be a hotel five minutes from the hub of the national motorway network, ten minutes from the city centre and twenty from the NEC/airport. It's a potential goldmine. Goldmine or disaster, I know which I'd go for. There's a Holiday Inn, Travelodge and Premier Inn that aren't far from Villa Park and that share the same characteristics you mention in terms of area, but have the disctinct advantage of not being in Aston. If I needed to stay in the area for business, I'd either choose one of those, or a hotel actually in the city centre. There's a good reason there's not a hotel near VP already I would suggest.Like the Holiday Inn in downtown Nechells or the Travelodge at sunkissed Fort Dunlop?
Quote from: dave.woodhall on October 09, 2019, 08:57:31 PMThe thing about the hotel gets brought up every so often and the point is missed every time. It wouldn't be a hotel aimed at tourists, or at Villa supporters. It would be a hotel five minutes from the hub of the national motorway network, ten minutes from the city centre and twenty from the NEC/airport. It's a potential goldmine. Goldmine or disaster, I know which I'd go for. There's a Holiday Inn, Travelodge and Premier Inn that aren't far from Villa Park and that share the same characteristics you mention in terms of area, but have the disctinct advantage of not being in Aston. If I needed to stay in the area for business, I'd either choose one of those, or a hotel actually in the city centre. There's a good reason there's not a hotel near VP already I would suggest.
The thing about the hotel gets brought up every so often and the point is missed every time. It wouldn't be a hotel aimed at tourists, or at Villa supporters. It would be a hotel five minutes from the hub of the national motorway network, ten minutes from the city centre and twenty from the NEC/airport. It's a potential goldmine.
Or the Travel lodge in Perry Barr stuck in between Goals, Halfords, Wickes and Ford garage - where you can actually see into the local council refuse dump from some windows. It has a café below it as they offer nothing but roomsAnd it is often sold outI stop in hotels every week with work and I never stop in city centres, mainly due to parking etc, so I know I would definitely use it - especially if I was a football fan as our ground is so historicMake it a theme hotel and it could be a real money spinner
It would almost certainly have to be in partnership with a chain, and given the location, it would have to be something at the budget end. Even if it was financially viable, which as I have said I'd have very strong reservations about, I just can't see that it's anything the club would want to get involved with really. As Chris says, you'd have to give somebody a long lease on it, and that would then restrict what you were able to do with the area in future.
I am in awe of the number of experts on the travel/hotel industry we have as Villa fans. I am sure that our billionaire owners will be consulting many of them in the near future. 😇
Did the Real Madrid tour just a couple of weeks ago and had the same thought - why can't we do this? Admittedly theirs was a trophy-fest from the fifties/sixties until today, but before then it was nothing to what we could boast. While we are at it, something official to recognise Ron Saunders would be very fitting.