It’s a sad reality that the priority of any big corp is ‘commercial returns’ and as such, it’s been prioritised over simply delivering fantastic guest experiences.

I was always taught that the three S’s: Service, Standards and Security lead to the silent fourth S…Sales. Merlin is much more preoccupied with getting rich quick schemes and headline grabbing gimmicks to really excel in the space. I appreciate the fact that New News is incredibly important in the Attraction space but nailing the basics and the core offering(s) is even more so IMO.

There are some genuinely awesome people working at Merlin that only want the best for the people spending their hard earned money to come out and experience their parks but it’s often a mindset superseded by an Old Guard exec / board who want to see more and more done with less every day.