Article Excerpt:
TWST: What is Great Wolf Resorts?Mr. Emery: Great Wolf Resorts is a family entertainment resort company that provides our guests with a high-quality vacation at an affordable price. We are the largest owner, operator and developer in the United States of drive-to family resorts featuring indoor waterparks and other family-orientated entertainment activities. Our resorts provide a consistent and comfortable environment throughout the year where our guests can enjoy our various amenities and activities. We are a fully integrated resort company with in-house expertise and resources in resort and indoor waterpark development, management, marketing and financing. We own and operate six existing Great Wolf Lodge resorts, our signature northwoods-themed resorts, and one Blue Harbor Resort, a nautical-themed property. In addition, we are the licensor and manager of Great Wolf Lodge resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, that is owned by Ripley's Niagara Water Park Resort, a Jim Pattison Group company. We are currently evaluating 12 to 14 additional markets for potential future development of Great Wolf Lodge resorts, six of which are in active site negotiation. We currently have three resorts in predevelopment and under construction. We deliver value to our guests by providing an affordable and fun family vacation experience. We are taking a great family experience and making it more convenient for families by locating them close to their communities. Because the entertainment mix is indoors, the vacation is essentially weather proof, so we are able to locate them within a convenient driving distance just about anywhere around the country.
TWST: What does the geographic footprint look like today and how is that
going to change?
Mr. Emery: Geographically, our roots are very much based in the upper
Midwest. We have five properties open in the Midwest right now, with a
sixth opening by the end of this year. We've recently spread out to the
East Coast with openings in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and we have a
property in predevelopment in Grand Mound, Washington, and in Grapevine,
Texas, near Dallas and Fort Worth. We are trying to capture a footprint
geographically in the US of all the major markets that we can think of
as traditionally having lots of families. We recently opened our first
international and licensed Great Wolf Lodge resort in Niagara Falls,
Ontario. Over time, our expectation is to continue the US expansion into
markets, predominantly on the East Coast and the West Coast, as well as
in other major markets outside of the Midwest. We also hope to
dramatically expand internationally in Canada as well as in other
international locations.
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