An East Midlands-based hotel has become the first in the UK to open a number of unique escape rooms ideal for businesses looking for a conference with a difference.
The popularity of escape rooms rose to prominence in the mid-2010s and is based on a Chinese game called Takagism.
People have since been locking themselves in rooms for fun where they work together to find clues, solve hidden puzzles and decipher codes to escape a themed, locked room before a one-hour time limit is up.
The Yew Lodge Hotel on Packington Hill in Kegworth, which also includes a Marco Pierre White New York Italian restaurant, is now looking forward to welcoming those who think they’ve got what it takes to crack the codes and get out in time!
Working with renowned escape room experts Houdinis, the hotel has converted two rooms into fiendishly difficult head scratchers that is set to test the most ardent of puzzle solvers.
The two new rooms have been themed as ‘USS Redemption’ and ‘Houdini’s Last Secret’ and will be able to take up to six people each. With difficulty ratings of 70 and 62 out of 100 respectively, Heather Thornton, director of sales and marketing at the hotel is not expecting too many groups to make it out in time.
She said: “Escape room experiences are perfect for away days, corporate entertainment, team building and recruitment. We’re always looking for ways to diversify and for new ideas to provide our corporate clients with unique and different proposals for their conferences and team building and this fits perfectly.
“To be the first hotel in the country to open bespoke internal escape rooms again shows that we’re once again ahead of the curve.
“We’re also lucky enough to have a Marco Pierre White restaurant on site as well as 113 bedrooms, 17 meeting rooms and the beautiful Reeds Health Club & Spa, so can offer the complete package for businesses looking for something a little different.
“The opening of these two rooms also has a close synergy to Marco’s philosophy of eating out. Marco often says that when going out for a meal it’s a form of getting away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. It’s this escapism that allows us to sit down and enjoy a meal with friends and family, so these two new rooms really are an extension of that ethos.”
Close to the M1 motorway and East Midlands Airport the venue is already popular with business and leisure travellers from all over the country and the opening of the new escape rooms is set to consolidate that position.
Heather added: “We can’t wait to open. With predicted success rates of 38 per cent and 50 per cent for getting out, the challenge will be set to find the best corporate team. Question is, are there businesses out there willing to give it a try or risk being locked up for good!”
For further information please visit www.yewlodgehotel.co.uk or email [email protected]