Merlin Entertainments : unveils new CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers Resort

Following the launch of CBeebies Land in 2014 at Alton Towers, the hotel will incorporate

76 rooms spread over four floors, including its own dedicated entertainment area, restaurant and a reception area. With a full entertainment programme running throughout the year, the new development will feature live shows, hosted activities, character 'meet and greets' and play areas.

The announcement follows a number of recent accommodation openings at Merlin's attractions - including the Knight's Village at Warwick Castle, LEGOLAND Deutschland's Holiday Village, Gardaland Adventure Hotel in Italy and Explorer Glamping accommodation at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK. In February 2016, Merlin outlined its ambition to double the pace of accommodation roll out each year, as it develops its theme parks into short break destinations. Merlin plans to add 2,000 new rooms by the end of 2020, with a capital investment of over £200m.

"This is another milestone in our broader accommodation strategy as we continue to seek opportunities to transform our theme parks into short break destinations. We are delighted to build on our successful partnership with BBC Worldwide in developing this unique product that is specifically designed to appeal to the young family market and extend the CBeebies Land experience at Alton Towers."

'We've been delighted with the success of CBeebies Land at Alton Towers and the new CBeebies Land Hotel fully demonstrates the BBC Worldwide Live Entertainment strategy, by extending the CBeebies experience for visitors and creating a fully immersive and

interactive environment. The Hotel is a perfect addition to the Land, lighting up little learners and providing pre-schoolers and their families a truly magical experience that they'll never forget.

Merlin Entertainments plc is a global leader in location based, family entertainment. Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 100 attractions, 13 hotels and 5 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable experiences to its more than 60 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its c.27,000 employees (peak season).

Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.

Alton Towers Resort launched CBeebies Land in May 2014, as an interactive area for young children to learn and play. CBeebies Land features some rides, live shows and meets and greets from the hit channel, including Something Special, In the Night Garden, Tree Fu Tom and Mr Bloom's Nursery.

Due to open in summer 2017, the 76 room, fully themed CBeebies Land Hotel will spread over four floors. Adjoining the Alton Towers Hotel, but with its own themed entrance and reception area, all rooms in the CBeebies Land Hotel are designed with a separate area for children and parents. It includes a children's entertainment wall with interactive play items such as activity tables for drawing and playing.

With a range of rooms designed to sleep up to seven people, there will be 42 standard CBeebies Bugbies rooms while 26 premium rooms will have a variety of themes including Something Special, Swashbuckle and more. In keeping with the design aimed at young children, every room will have toddler friendly features such as bathroom steps to the sink, children's toilet seats, baby baths and a cot. The hotel will also house 5 fully accessible rooms which have been designed to take into account the needs of those with special requirements.

CBeebies Land Hotel has a full year round entertainment programme of live shows, story time, character meet & greets and CBeebies games. Running seven days a week, the dedicated entertainment area will offer hosted activities as well as self-play.

About BBC Worldwide Ltd. BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBC Worldwide exists to support the BBC public service mission and to maximise profits on its behalf. It does this through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also builds the reach and reputation of the BBC brand overseas and champions British creativity.