New £55 million investment into The Amex?

[KLF]

Might have missed it, but can't see anywhere what the target demographic is for anybody wanting to stay at the Amexiplex Hotel. Two week tourists to B&H? Away fans down for the weekend? Visiting academics to the Uni? Nope , sorry, can't see anybody at all wanting to stay there when the bright lights of Brighton and the olde worlde stuff of Lewes is about ten minutes away by train.
The more you think about it, the more of a dumb idea it sounds

Do you really think they haven't done the research on this? And as for Albion not knowing anything about running hotels, does anyone really think Albion will be managing it? It is highly likely they've already sounded out and had good discussions with a number of 4* hotel operators who know the value of conference hotels.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

MY initial reaction is that the Bridge Car Park development is something that was always in the offing. The club had had negotiations with the council over the site - including relocating the community centre - with a view to future considerations. Student accommodation and more car parking was in the mix regarding use.

To return to my contribution to the Lewes Road bus/cycle lane thread, what an excellent site for a park and ride. Space for hundreds of cars, and no need to run a dedicated bus service, as the Number 25 would take care of that. Sorry for my lack of local knowledge - perhaps that bus is full most of the time with students, but you have the 28 and 29 on top.

The hotel, while I'd heard whispers of it, was something I don't think the club hadn't seriously considered until the staidum was finished - if at all. I also see the design means it looks wholly inside Brighton & Hove City limits, suggesting to me the Lewes DC don't like it. (I've no evidence for that, mind). It also isn't that much of an increase in the stadium footprint, bearing in mind there was supposed to be a 'bund building' (aka Teletubbies building) behind the East Stand. I'm surprised, however, that they're going for it, and am not convinced it will be a success. I mean - who wants to stay... there?

I suppose you have the argument that for the more up market conference, student accommodation doesn't cut it. I went to a conference to do with work in 2005 at Loughborough University, and though the room was comfortable and en suite (none of your communal toilets and showers), once I'd put my suitcase and rucksack on the floor there wasn't much room to move, and as for the bathroom, you practically had to reverse through the door to go to the khazi. Taking a shower was very interesting - fine if you did it bolt upright, but as someone with a penchant for fermented barley juice...mind you the university didn't help by having real ale on at student bar prices. While I share everyone's gripes at price increases at the stadium (sorry Mr Barber, but I now buy my pre-match cup of tea at the Runaway; I could stomach £1.62 or £1.80 with the E-cash discount, £2.10 for a cup with a tea bag really is pushing it), I am all for the club making as much as it can out of the business community. Then there's the wedding trade.

Gwylan was asking about a hotel at a football club that had been successful. I would offer the one at Norwich between their main fans' stand and the away stand. Having said that, Norwich is the major financial and business centre in its region, while Brighton faces competition from Crawley. Surprisingly, though, according to this report, http://www.centreforcities.org/assets/files/Financial Services Weathering the storm.pdf, Brighton has a higher percentage of its workers employed in financial services than Norwich. Interestingly, when I asked Martin Perry about the hotel at a Seagulls over London meeting, he just put on a rather sheepish grin and wouldn't say anything further on the subject.

 

[wellquickwoody]

You may well ask me about the business plan Tom but let's put that aside for one moment and go back to the day when the club admitted that any addition proposals on the site as stated in an Argus report after receiving information from Norman Baker or someone was a fabrication and it was all about the community stadium and nothing else.
The community stadium that doesn't allow a man to take his kids into the supporters club bar so that they can maximise profit.

Me me me me me me me me me! One bar out of how many? Merchant banker......

 

[theonesmith]

Do you really think they haven't done the research on this? And as for Albion not knowing anything about running hotels, does anyone really think Albion will be managing it? It is highly likely they've already sounded out and had good discussions with a number of 4* hotel operators who know the value of conference hotels.

Wouldn't surprise me if it was a company like De Vere interested in running it. They run the newly built hotel at my university (Nottingham), which I know has been incredibly successful and busy, and those who know Nottingham know that it takes longer to get to the centre from the University campus than it would do to get to the centre of Brighton from the Amex on the train...

 

[RexCathedra]

Does no-one else realise that it is precisely because we look like getting relegated and our crowds are going to plummet by 10,000 that it is sensible for the club to explore other revenue streams?

Relegation would take effect in August of 2014. They probably will have just about chosen an architect by then for the hotel. Completely different time-scales.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

.....

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

I have to admit it doesn't sit comfortably with me. All those years of campaigning and saying there were no plans for anything other than a stadium to the opponents of it and now we're made to look like liars. I know the club need to generate revenue but surely if they appear to be liars it's going to get very difficult for them to get permission for other things in the future ?

A good point, and very fair to put the other side of the argument. Doesn't look too good for community relations, does it?

It was always going to happen. I can't believe how surprised some of you are. If you have problems getting planning permission for what you want, try to get it for something smaller and slap in size increases after the first development is finished, it's classic long term strategy that has been going on for decades. When the idea of a learning centre fell through it was always going to be replaced by something later on, I think it was mentioned at the time, and the obvious way to get a multi-story car park is to put accommodation in with it for people that won't be too fussy, IE students. Well done the club.

This I have no problem with - see my previous post about park and ride. The hotel does rather make us look like we're going back on our promises.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

The yearly profit from the proposed Hotel will not cover the wages of 2 strikers in the championship,spending a few bob in the last 2 seasons on the sqaud would have got us promoted if that was the clubs ambition which it clearly was not.Don`t get me wrong i am happy to watch BHA in the lower divisions where we have always played, but it pisses me off when the club state they are going for promotion but do not back up the words with signing the players to achieve it.We are relegation fodder at the moment with Barnes up front, bring on the development squad,McSmudger returning will not change our prospects as he is also 3rd division.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

The yearly profit from the proposed Hotel will not cover the wages of 2 strikers in the championship,spending a few bob in the last 2 seasons on the sqaud would have got us promoted if that was the clubs ambition which it clearly was not.Don`t get me wrong i am happy to watch BHA in the lower divisions where we have always played, but it pisses me off when the club state they are going for promotion but do not back up the words with signing the players to achieve it.We are relegation fodder at the moment with Barnes up front, bring on the development squad

Thanks.

 

[AZ Gull]

spending a few bob in the last 2 seasons on the sqaud would have got us promoted if that was the clubs ambition which it clearly was not.

Well, let me see: in the last two seasons we have signed, amongst others:-

Will Hoskins
Will Buckley
CMS
Ryan Harley
Vicente
Kazenga LuaLua (Loan, then purchase)
Steve Harper (Loan)
Billy Paynter (Loan)
Jara Reyes (Loan)
Sam Vokes (Loan)
Joe Mattock (Loan)
Tomasz Kusczcak
Wayne Bridge (Loan)
Andrea Orlandi
Andrew Crofts
Dean Hammond (Loan)
Stephen Dobbie
David
Leo Ulloa
Matt Upson (Loan, then contract)
Kemy Agustien
Stephen Ward (Loan)
Keith Andrews (Loan)
Craig Conway (Loan)

Gosh, how right you are; clearly there has been VERY little investment on the playing side.

Are you on a wind-up, or just being a bit of a numpty?

 

[Questions]

The Business Plan that the Albion had in place when the Community Stadium planning permission was being sought was the work of the then Board of Directors. Tony Bloom's role barely featured in those days. Now that he has taken control of everything, the Club will have a quite different Business Plan. Why does anyone imagine that Tony Bloom feels under any obligation to deliver his plans in a way that is consistent with those that were in place before he took control?

There were those opponents of the Falmer development who argued that the Club was the same entity that had sold the Goldstone and therefore the Dick Knight regime should take the blame. That argument was, obviously, ridiculous and unrealistic. To expect Tony Bloom to comply with (or even acknowledge) Dick Knight's Business Plan is equally unrealistic.

Comparing the relationship between Archer and Knight with that of Knight and Bloom is really stretching things isn't it. I would be more expectant to have seen the phrase ' honouring agreements' mentioned in your post LB.

 

[Questions]

Me me me me me me me me me! One bar out of how many? Merchant banker......

One supporters bar.............. Flosser.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Comparing the relationship between Archer and Knight with that of Knight and Bloom is really stretching things isn't it. I would be more expectant to have seen the phrase ' honouring agreements' mentioned in your post LB.

Perhaps you would. But things have moved on. Tony Bloom has created his own Board of Directors and is taking the Club in the direction he wants it to go. Honouring past agreements doesn't seem to figure high in his list of priorities. And who are we to complain about that?

 

[Working class pride]

As a kid I heard older relatives say that Brighton didnt want promotion because we couldnt afford it. No I see that we will make the top flight and this time be ready, more than ready in that the TV revenue will be just one element to keep the club successful with the training ground, `Amex ect the others. This club is going places and is getting ready not just for top flight football but top half top flight football. Maybe we will never surpass the Charity Shield of 1910 but we will be a top flight top half club very soon.

 

[RexCathedra]

Are you on a wind-up, or just being a bit of a numpty?

Why must we choose? Why cannot it be both?

 

[coagulantwolf]

I do a lot of research in to typology of fans; and it may surprise some of you but not every fan out there is the same as you. If you do not like the investment then it is very likely the investment is not aimed at you. Their are many types of fans and spectators that go to these games, from casual to dysfunctional (dependent on the model you look at), and these different groups will contradict each other.

So if some kind of policy or investment or idea doesn't appeal to you; that's probably cause it's not aimed at you.

Personally? I think this long term investment is very good.

 

[Rugrat]

Well, let me see: in the last two seasons we have signed, amongst others:-


Ryan Harley

More credibility to your argument if you'd had a momentary loss of memory

 

[Rugrat]

Their are many types of fans and spectators that go to these games, from casual to dysfunctional (dependent on the model you look at)

This forum over indexes at one end of the scale!

 

[Laridae]

... No I see that we will make the top flight and this time be ready, more than ready in that the TV revenue will be just one element to keep the club successful with the training ground, `Amex ect the others. This club is going places and is getting ready not just for top flight football but top half top flight football. Maybe we will never surpass the Charity Shield of 1910 but we will be a top flight top half club very soon.

Top post, well put.

Patience is required and as others have said, "enjoy the ride!" because this is one of the most exciting times to be an Albion fan!

 

[beorhthelm]

Well, let me see: in the last two seasons we have signed, amongst others:-
...
Gosh, how right you are; clearly there has been VERY little investment on the playing side.

i'd say the number of times "loan" pops up in that list shows a lack of "investment", a fair bit of making do.