Final year Tourism students give advice to I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here host venue Gwrych Castle

The goal of this project was to develop innovative solutions for Gwrych Castle Trust to aid in the renovation of this historic house and tourist attraction. Our task was to provide recommendations on enhancing the visitor experience while preserving the castle's historical significance. Specifically, we focused on improving the stateroom apartments, creating a new visitor route, and establishing a cafe and shop.

After several visits to the site including the lead Architect, Rob Chambers insightful seminar on the phases of development, the primary focus was to identify the challenges and opportunities of the site. After this analysis of the vision of the castle and the potential of the space was undertaken. Careful consideration was then placed on what the funding could then realistically achieve at this point in construction and to identify the desired target market for this type of attraction.
To understand the intricacies of the restoration and gain a deeper insight into the castle's history and heritage, our research focused on visitation patterns, current trends, and an evaluation of five castle case studies. This comparison aimed to identify the best ways to utilise the castle structure and provide recommendations for achieving the desired restoration goals.

With a notable increase in multigenerational short breaks to celebrate special occasions and unique hospitality offerings, we suggested themed accommodation along with ways in which to capitalise on the function rooms already available within the castle walls. Events to incorporate trends in experiential dining options were suggested such as murder mystery dinners and dine-in-the-dark experiences, all whilst using local vendors and produce to showcase and boost the area's economy. 

However, throughout the research within the case studies and consumer trends, a strong case to invest in more outdoor activities and attractions presented an overwhelming opportunity for Gwrych Castle to capitalise on within their 250-acre grounds. The main recommendations then focused on popular outdoor activities such as trails, mountain biking, ziplining, adventure attractions and an AI technology Cluedo board. Along with Gwrych Castle’s association as the host of the popular culture TV show, ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here’, the two ventures combined could provide a unique selling point. Not only would this generate much-needed revenue for the restoration castle but also many marketing and merchandising opportunities, enabling Gwrych Castle to evolve into a staple tourist attraction within the area and preserve its legacy for generations to come. 

This consultancy brief allowed us to collaborate with real clients and contribute our research and ideas to provide the trust with valuable ideas for the future. We are proud to say the feedback we received from the founder of the Gwrych Castle Trust, Mark Baker was not only met with enthusiasm but to quote ‘I don’t know why we didn’t think of that, we would like to seriously consider creating this type of merchandise in the future’.  Not only was this extremely rewarding but it enabled us to use all the skills and modules we had gained on our course. We are very grateful for the opportunity an thoroughly enjoyed it.