Great Wolf Resorts Breaks Ground on 10th Lodge
GRAND MOUND, WA, October 24, 2006. Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: WOLF), North America's leading family of indoor waterpark resorts, and The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation broke ground today in Grand Mound, Wash., on the $100+ million, eight-story Great Wolf Lodge. The nearly 442,000 square-foot, northwoods-themed indoor waterpark resort and conference center is being built as a joint venture between the two entities: a subsidiary of Great Wolf Resorts will operate the resort, The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation will contribute a 39-acre land parcel needed for the resort, and both parties will maintain equity positions in the joint venture.
"The Tribe is excited about partnering with Great Wolf Resorts," said David Burnett, Chairman of the Chehalis Tribe. "This project will bring large scale meeting space and many jobs, both of which are needed in this area of the State. It is a business model that makes sense and sounds like a whole lot of fun, too."
Serving as Washington's Premier Indoor Waterpark ResortTM, Great Wolf Lodge will provide a comprehensive package of family entertainment and lodging amenities including: 393 all-suite guest rooms; a 78,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area which will feature Washington's largest indoor waterpark; MagiQuest, a live action fantasy adventure game; teen amenities and activities; a 30,000 square-foot conference center; outdoor miniature golf course; two themed family restaurants; Pizza Hut Express(R); confectionery caf'e; a Starbucks(R) coffee shop; an Elements"a Spa featuring Aveda(R) products; a children's craft and activity room; a 100-game arcade with ticket redemption; a fitness room; an animated clock tower; and a gift emporium.
"Today's groundbreaking marks our tenth Great Wolf Lodge to date," said John Emery, chief executive officer of Great Wolf Resorts. "Since the very beginning we've focused on being a family resort company, and as a result have incorporated new enhancements for this property, including MagiQuest, an interactive adventure game; an outdoor family miniature golf course; and for our teenage guests a room for movies, music and karaoke. Our ambition is to provide our guests with the highest standards of customer service and amenities in the industry."
The 68,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area will feature Washington's largest indoor waterpark. The 84-degree, year-round waterpark will house three pools, including a gigantic wave pool, recreation pool, and two-sided, zero-depth entry children's activity pool. Six action-packed waterslides will offer thrills to kids of all ages. Kiddie slides will entertain the youngest of thrill seekers, while the enclosed six-story, Howlin' TornadoTM extreme funnel ride will call to older kids and kids at heart. Another new amenity will be the spacious sun deck with an indoor/outdoor hot tub.
The waterpark will be highlighted by Great Wolf Lodge's signature treehouse waterfort, Fort MackenzieTM - an interactive water experience for the entire family featuring 12 levels of water-based adventure interconnected with suspension bridges, cargo nets and web crawls, where guests can shoot, squirt and spray with more than 60 guest-activated water effects. After climbing to the top, guests will be able to slide down body slides. Every few minutes a bell will sound, announcing that the nearly 1,000-gallon bucket located 48 feet above is about to drench everyone below!
The Great Wolf Lodge construction site is conveniently located between Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., at 20500 Old Highway 99, SW at the intersection of Interstate 5 in Grand Mound, Wash. The family resort and indoor waterpark is slated to open in early 2008.