22.06.2003

Europa-Park: cornerstone ceremony for the third adventure hotel, opening in 2004 - Roman flair: the hotel "Colosseo"

 

As of June 1st, 2004 visitors of Europa-Park can relax in a new 4-star hotel and enjoy the charming atmosphere of Italy.

Designed in the style of Roman architecture, the hotel will create that special flair, which is so typical for southern countries. The courtyard - a "Piazza" with pavement cafés, bars and typical Italian restaurants - always bustles with activity. From here, the visitors have a beautiful view of the splendid gallery, which is modelled on the ancient Coliseum. The combination of ancient Roman architecture with the modern comforts of our times is unique. Those who want to go and see for themselves, should visit the wellness area, which is situated inside the walls of the Coliseum.

"A new chapter in the history of Europa-Park", sais Roland Mack, managing director of the park, and further: "especially in difficult economic times, one must have the courage to start such a large project.? Günter Gorecky, mayor of Rust, hopes for "future impulses also for the region? as a result of the new hotel. The opening of the third hotel in Germany's biggest theme park is planned for June 2004.

Living like the ancient Romans

The new hotel "Colosseo" is being built across from the two already existing hotels in Roman-Italian style and with approximately 1.400 beds it will be the biggest individual hotel in southwest Germany after its completion. Together with the hotels "El Andaluz" and "Castillo Alcazar" it will have almost 3.000 beds and thus will be the largest hotel resort in Germany, based on the number of beds. The usable floor-space will cover approximately 23.000 m².

The design has its roots in Roman architecture and the layout describes an open circle in the shape of an octagon. The façades of this octagon are designed in different Italian styles and give the impression of an Italian village.

325 rooms with two to eight beds each are located on four floors, 22 of them are themed suites with upscale appointments. All of the suites are located on the 4th floor. Only the finest Italian materials are used to fit out the themed suites in order to guarantee a unique and exclusive character. The 12 "Bambini-rooms?, family rooms with an additional sleeping-area for children, have a very unconventional character. Here, the little ones can stay in their own child-oriented realm, while the adults can enjoy their usual comforts. The "Fairy-tale rooms", which stand out against the other rooms both in design and in the floorplan, are another highlight of the new hotel, because those who stay here, will meet old friends, such as "Pinocchio? or feel as if being in the "Carveval di Venezia?.

On the ground floor, visitors can find two restaurants with a total of approximately 900 seats and a big childrens' area. In addition, a large Roman-style wellness area with indoor/outdoor pool, a conference area  covering 500 m², two bars with a café, an open-air stage, as well as a parking lot with approximately 600 free parking spaces are planned.

Research proves, that concerns about the new hotel taking away guests from existing hotels, guesthouses and holiday dwellings in the region, are baseless. Observations over the past years show, that the increase in overnight guests in the Europa-Park hotels have clearly had a positive effect on the overnight figures for the entire region around Europa-Park. Since the construction of the themed hotel "El Andaluz" in 1995, a trend among Europa-Park visitors toward multi-day visits could be established. This tendency becomes apparent in the the tourist industry throughout Germany: the trend is moving away from long trips abroad lasting several weeks to shorter trips within the country lasting some days. However, with a total room occupation rate of approximately 99 % in the past year, the overnight capacity in the park is now at its limit.  After completion of the new hotel, the Europa-Park Hotel Resort together with the Caravan Site and the new Tipi Village will have a capacity of over 3.500 beds.