Great Wolf Resorts

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Great Wolf Resorts
Private
Industry Hospitality
Predecessor Great Bear Lodge (Sandusky, OH), Black Wolf Lodge (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Founder Jack and Andrew Waterman
Headquarters Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Number of locations
 12 (Two under construction)
Area served
 United States and Canada
Key people
 Kim Schaefer, CEO
Services Family Waterpark Resorts
Parent Centerbridge Partners
Website www.greatwolf.com

Great Wolf Resorts is the world's largest[1] chain of indoor water parks. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand.[2] The company is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to a water park, each resort features specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms and children’s activity areas.[3]

History

Black Wolf Lodge was founded by brothers Jack and Andrew "Turk" Waterman, the original owners of Noah's Ark water park.[4] Black Wolf Lodge was purchased by The Great Lakes Company. Founder and chairman Bruce Neviaser changed the name to Great Wolf Lodge and the company headquarters were established in Madison, WI.[3] The chain has since added twelve additional locations and has one in development.[5][6]

On May 1, 2012, Great Wolf announced they were adding a new amenity or attraction to each of their resorts in time for the summer season. In addition, they spent over $4 million renovating the company's first two locations – Wisconsin Dells and Sandusky.[7]

Apollo acquisition

On March 13, 2012, Apollo Global Management announced an agreement to acquire the company for $703 million.[8] Following the announcement, an investor group filed a complaint in Delaware Chancery Court stating that the deal, in which Apollo would pay $5 a share, undervalued the company. On April 12, 2012, KSL Capital Partners made an unsolicited offer of $6.25 a share, and Apollo followed suit raising its bid to $6.75 a share.[9] KSL then raised its cash offer to $7 a share on April 8, 2012, beginning a rare public bidding war.[10] After Apollo upped its offer again to $7.85 a share on April 20, 2012, KSL Capital Partners later announced it would not be making additional offers.[11] The company's shares traded as low as $2.18 in October 2011, but they climbed above $5 following the announcement in March 2012 and reached a 52-week high of $7.50 during trading in April 2012.[12][13]

Centerbridge acquisition

On March 24, 2015, Centerbridge Partners reached an agreement with Apollo to acquire the Great Wolf chain for $1.35 billion.[14] The acquisition was finalized on May 12, 2015.[15]

Properties

File:Great Wolf Lodge Logo.png
Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio, located next to Kings Island amusement park
File:Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim-Garden Grove, CA.jpg
Rendering Image of the under-construction Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, California

Great Wolf Lodge locations:[3]

City Year Opened
Wisconsin Dells, WI 1997
Sandusky, OH 2001
Traverse City, MI 2003
Kansas City, KS 2003
Williamsburg, VA 2005
Pocono Mountains, PA 2005
Niagara Falls, ON 2006
Mason, OH 2006
Grapevine, TX 2007
Grand Mound, WA 2008
Concord, NC 2009
Fitchburg, MA[16] 2014

Previous locations:

Locations under construction:

Other brands

Great Wolf Lodge also manages the following brands:[19]

  • MagiQuest & ShadowQuest - Scavenger hunt which electronically captures achievements of its participants with a tracked score
  • Cub Club - Craft and activity center with nature-themed programming
  • Scooops - Spa for kids with treatments themed to ice cream deserts
  • Northern Lights Arcade - Family-friendly arcade
  • The Great Wolf Kids Store - Store that sells Great Wolf Lodge merchandise
  • Creation Station - Guests can create stuffed animals and outfit them with clothes and accessories
  • Howl At The Moon - Indoor mini-golf that black light special effects
  • Howly Wood XD Theater - Movie-based motion thrill ride
  • Ten Paw Alley - Bowling alley that features half-length lanes and low-weight bowling balls
  • 4D World - Interactive game in which players aim at targets to acquire points and compete for the highest score
  • Elements Spa Salon - Salon services that include massage therapy, body treatments, nail therapy, and makeup

In pop culture

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.[20][21]

References

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  19. ↑ http://corp.greatwolfresorts.com/proprietary-brands
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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