ISO extends multi-territory partnership with Merlin Entertainments

In an evolution of their longstanding multi-territory partnership, five UK Merlin attractions undertook an ambitious operational migration within a two-week window. These included Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Thorpe Park Resort, Warwick Castle, Alton Towers Resort and LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort. This endeavour stood as a testament to the dynamic pace of Merlin’s operations combined with ISO Travel Solutions‘ proven project management and delivery teams, cultivated through years of successful collaboration.

The expansion of the partnership into the UK builds on the success with Merlin Entertainments attractions in other territories, with the Pacific Suite and IBE also being used by LEGOLAND® Florida, California and New York in the USA, and Gardaland Resort in Italy and Heide Park Resort in Germany. In Europe, ISO Travel Solutions‘ groundbreaking Pacific platform originally made its debut at LEGOLAND® Germany in Günzburg.

The catalyst for the latest successful transformation was the ISO software, which empowered extensive cross-selling and the creation of bundled travel offerings. The surge in global sales resulting from this innovation prompted Merlin to convert its five UK theme parks to the Pacific Suite. ISO Travel Solutions‘ packaging and reservation system and Internet Booking Engine integration has provided Merlin with a robust IT solution with numerous advantages.

The Pacific Suite facilitates the effortless maintenance of systems and centralises control over all UK Resorts. With ISO Travel Solutions as the single point of contact and shared administration, operating costs are significantly reduced. Furthermore, this collaborative system enables all the parks to share critical information about hotel availability supporting the delivery of excellent experiences for their guests.

Technical feat: 5 UK Resort to go-live in 2 weeks

The biggest technical challenge was to get all five parks live on a common platform in just two weeks. Each park has its own IDs, user rights, documents, and media. In addition, the parks‘ websites are very different in style and content. However, the three ISO Travel Solutions teams involved (Pacific, Ops, and IBE) worked hand in hand to configure and deploy the master data so that all five launches went smoothly.

Lee Cowie, Chief Technology Officer at Merlin Entertainments, said: "With a history of successful collaboration with ISO, we place our trust in their highly competent and reliable project management and delivery teams. This swift transition enables us to quickly harness the positive impact of the ISO solution, driving additional sales and process optimisations across our UK parks. Embarking on an ambitious journey to migrate all five UK Resorts in just two weeks is a testament to our dedication to excellence and we hope to continue to provide the best travel offers for our valued customers.”

Artur Isaak, Director International Projects, ISO Travel Solutions GmbH, adds: "I would like to emphasize the excellent cooperation with Merlin. Over the eleven years we have been working together, we have developed a special relationship of trust that goes beyond the usual supplier-customer relationship. This has enabled us to work together to introduce Pacific as a new short break platform at Merlin UK.”

About Merlin Entertainments

Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in branded entertainment destinations. As Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin operates over 140 attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 24 countries and across 4 continents. Merlin’s purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its millions of guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its employees. See www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information and follow on X (previously Twitter) @MerlinEntsNews.