Great Wolf Lodge logo |
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| Industry | Hospitality |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Great Bear Lodge |
| Headquarters | Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Number of locations | 14 |
| Key people | Kim Schaefer, CEO |
| Owner(s) | Great Wolf Resorts Inc. |
| Website | Great Wolf Lodge |
Great Wolf Resorts is the world's largest[1] chain of indoor water parks which owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand.[2] The company is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Great Wolf Lodge was founded by brothers Jack and Andrew "Turk" Waterman, the original owners of Noah's Ark water park.[3] The first Great Wolf Lodge location opened in 1997 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.[4] The chain has since added ten additional locations with two more currently in development.[5][6] In addition to a water park, each resort features specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms and children’s activity areas.[4]
On January 13, 2010, Great Wolf Lodge, Inc. stated Zamias Services, Inc. of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, will co-develop a hotel-water park resort which will be attached to the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. Zamias owns the mall in Frazer Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh along Pennsylvania Route 28. The mall has struggled with vacancies since it opened in 2005, though the water park could make the mall a regional attraction. The hotel should open up by late 2011.[5][7]
On June 28, 2010 Great Wolf Resorts signed a License and Management Agreements for a Great Wolf Lodge location in Garden Grove, California. The hotel will be near Disneyland, Anaheim and Los Angeles and will be developed by McWhinney. The hotel will start groundbreaking in 2011 and the hotel should be opening around summer 2013.[6]
Great Wolf's CEO Kim Schaefer was featured in the U.S. version of TV's "Undercover Boss", which included visits to several lodges where she worked alongside a lifeguard supervisor, front desk clerk, and restaurant waitstaff as well as participated in the children's program.[8][9]