Great Wolf Resorts is a chain of indoor water parks. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. In addition to a water park, each resort features specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms, and children̢۪s activity areas including Yoga and bowling. Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
History
Black Wolf Lodge was founded in 1997 by brothers Jack and Andrew "Turk" Waterman, the original owners of Noah's Ark water park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Black Wolf Lodge was purchased by The Great Lakes Company in 1999. Later that year, founders Marc Vaccaro and Bruce Neviaser changed the name to Great Wolf Lodge and the company headquarters were established in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2001, the company built a second location in Sandusky, Ohio, and named it Great Bear Lodge. When a third location opened in 2003, the decision was made to place all future parks under the Great Wolf Lodge banner. The name of the Ohio location was changed to Great Wolf Lodge in 2004. The chain has since added twelve additional locations and has one in development.
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 â€" Wisconsin Dells and Sandusky.
In April 2017, Great Wolf relocated their corporate headquarters from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois.
Apollo acquisition
On March 13, 2012, Apollo Global Management announced an agreement to acquire the company for $703 million. 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. KSL then raised its cash offer to $7 a share on April 8, 2012, beginning a rare public bidding war. 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. 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.
Centerbridge acquisition
On March 24, 2015, Centerbridge Partners reached an agreement with Apollo to acquire the Great Wolf chain for $1.35 billion. The acquisition was finalized on May 12, 2015.
Properties
Great Wolf Lodge locations:
Previous locations:
- Sheboygan, Wisconsin (2004 - 2011; now known as Blue Harbor Resort)
Locations under construction:
- LaGrange, Georgia - Opening May 2018.
- Gurnee, Illinois - Great Wolf Resorts announced that it has acquired the former Key Lime Cove waterpark and will renovate, rebrand, and expand the indoor waterpark as well as create a brand new outdoor waterpark. Opening July 2018.
- Salt River, Arizona - Opening 2019
Locations under consideration:
- Squamish, British Columbia
- El Paso, Texas
- Surrey, British Columbia
- Brentwood, California
Other brands
Great Wolf Lodge also manages the following brands:
- 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 desserts
- Northern Lights Arcade - Family-friendly arcade
- The Great Wolf Kids Store - Store that sells Great Wolf Lodge merchandise for kids
- Creation Station - Children 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
- Clubhouse Crew - A family adventure game that uses interactive screens placed at various locations around the lodge
In popular culture
Great Wolf's previous 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.
References
External links
- Official website
