Great Wolf Resorts, based in Madison, Wis., is a leader in North America's indoor water park industry.

Great Wolf Resorts Inc. separates itself from the competition in the indoor water park industry through the amenities it provides back on dry land. "Even if you took out the water park, you would still have a family friendly resort provided by the many unique dry amenities the resorts offer," COO Kim Schaefer says.

Great Wolf Resorts, based in Madison, Wis., is a leader in North America's indoor water park industry. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge and Blue Harbor Resort brands, and it currently has nine properties open and two in predevelopment or under construction.

About the Parks
According to Great Wolf Resorts, its water parks range in size from approximately 34,000 to 82,000 square feet, with each highlighted by the signature 12-level treehouse water fort. The water fort is an interactive water experience for the entire family, featuring more than 60 water effects, cargo netting and suspension bridges, and an oversized bucket that dumps nearly 1,000 gallons of water every few minutes.

The company adds its water parks also feature pools ranging from children's splash pools to 100,000-gallon wave pools; waterslides that are suitable for kids of all ages; a lazy river; and hot tubs for both children and adults.

Each property also includes a black-lit arcade with 100 games and a ticket redemption center; a swim shop and gift emporium; fitness room; two-story animated Great Clock Tower and evening story time by the fireplace; Cub Club children's activity program; meeting and birthday rooms; and seasonal, holiday and other activities including Howl-O-Ween at the Wolf and Snowland.

Great Wolf Resorts has resorts in Wisconsin Dells and Sheboygan, Wis.; Sandusky and Mason, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It also plans to open resorts in Grapevine, Texas, and Grand Mound, Wash.

Room rates range from $199 to $699 and include use of the water park by four to six guests, depending on the type of room, the company says.

Latest Trends
Schaefer says Great Wolf Resorts has had to adjust to changing expectations. "Family travel is changing," Schaefer says. "We're looking into taking care of teens in more grown-up ways than before, so we want to stay up to speed with current trends and incorporate iPods, iTunes and instant messaging."

The company also has an exclusive relationship with MagiQuest game developer, Creative Kingdoms, to provide an interactive game where players explore the resort with a wand.

The wand makes the player a character in an enchanted forest setting. Schaefer says Great Wolf Lodge is the only hotel resort brand in the country to have the game.

Less Competition
Schaefer says fewer companies spend $100 million to build the type of products Great Wolf Resorts does.

Although many stand-alone hotels are adding indoor water parks to their existing structures, fewer resorts are popping up because of the significant investment involved, she adds.

"The trend is changing from what we are maybe because of the expense of doing these things," Schaefer says. "There are not a lot of big resorts going up, and the trend has been to be open to the public and try to make revenues that way. But we're exclusive, and we are there for the families that are our guests."

Schaefer says this separates Great Wolf Resorts from other water parks. "Ours is a resort, and we're purpose built," she adds. "We're not renovating hotels. We're building large family suites to suit any size families. We have amenities in the resort to give them a great experience and laid out to function for families. "It helps because our purpose is to be open for a great family experience."

Corporate Culture
Great Wolf Resorts is focused on creating a family tradition for its guests. And all employees at every level are expected to be team players, according to Schaefer. "I'm here in jeans, moving boxes and helping open the hotel," Schaefer says as she helps launch the Mason, Ohio, resort. "We involve people at every level to make sure the decisions we're making affect them appropriately," she adds.

Because of this corporate culture, Schaefer says Great Wolf Resorts hires new employees based on attitude and passion vs. previous experience. The company has training policies and procedures that are customized per resort, Schaefer says.
"We look for personality and passion because we can train the skills," she adds. "We want people that want to make a difference."