Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.(formerly known asGreat Wolf Lodge) is a chain ofresort hotelsandindoor water parks.The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand.[2]In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants,arcades,spas,and children's activities.[3]Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered inChicago,Illinois.
 | |
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq:WOLF | |
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Predecessor | Great Bear Lodge (Sandusky, OH), Black Wolf Lodge (Wisconsin Dells, WI) |
| Founded | May 1997,inWisconsin Dells, Wisconsin,United States |
| Founder | Jack and Andrew Waterman |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 20 (with four under construction and seven under consideration) |
Area served | United States, Canada, and United Kingdom |
Key people | Murray Hennessy (CEO) |
| Services | Family Waterpark Resorts |
| Owner | |
Number of employees | 6,000[1] |
| Website | www |
History
Great Wolf Lodge began as a small indoor water park resort called Black Wolf Lodge which was founded in 1997 by brothers Jack and Andrew "Turk" Waterman, the original owners ofNoah's Ark Water ParkinWisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.[4]Black Wolf Lodge was purchased by The Great Lakes Companies Inc. in 1999. In 2000, president and founder,Craig A. Stark,and the team changed the name to Great Wolf Lodge and the company headquarters were established inMadison, Wisconsin.[3][5]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 sixteen additional locations and has one under construction.[6][7]
On May 1, 2012, Great Wolf Resorts announced it was adding a new amenity or attraction to each of the resorts in time for the summer season. In addition, the company spent more than $4 million renovating the company's first two locations – Wisconsin Dells and Sandusky.[8]
In April 2017, Great Wolf Resorts relocated its corporate headquarters to Chicago, Illinois.[9]
In June 2023, Great Wolf Resorts opened its twentieth and largest resort inPerryville, Maryland.
Apollo acquisition
On March 13, 2012,Apollo Global Managementannounced an agreement to acquire the company for $703 million.[10]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.[11]KSL then raised its cash offer to $7 a share on April 8, 2012, beginning a rare public bidding war.[12]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.[13]The company's shares traded as low as $2.18 in October 2011, but climbed above $5 following the announcement in March 2012 and reached a 52-week high of $7.50 during trading in April 2012.[14][15]
Centerbridge acquisition
On March 24, 2015,Centerbridge Partnersreached an agreement with Apollo to acquire the Great Wolf chain for $1.35 billion.[16]The acquisition was finalized on May 12, 2015.[17]
Blackstone and Centerbridge joint venture
In September 2019,Blackstone Groupmade a deal to purchase 65% controlling interest in Great Wolf Resorts from Centerbridge Partners. The two firms agreed to form a $2.9 billion joint venture to own the company.[18]
Properties
Great Wolf Lodge locations:[19]
| Location | Year Opened |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin | 1997 |
| Sandusky, Ohio | 2001 |
| Traverse City, Michigan | 2003 |
| Kansas City, Kansas | 2003 |
| Williamsburg, Virginia | 2005 |
| Pocono Township, Pennsylvania | 2005 |
| Niagara Falls, Ontario | 2006 |
| Mason, Ohio | 2006 |
| Grapevine, Texas | 2007 |
| Grand Mound, Washington | 2008 |
| Concord, North Carolina | 2009 |
| Fitchburg, Massachusetts | 2014 |
| Garden Grove, California | 2016 |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado | 2016 |
| Bloomington, Minnesota | 2017 |
| LaGrange, Georgia | 2018 |
| Gurnee, Illinois | 2018 |
| Salt River, Arizona | 2019 |
| Manteca, California | 2021 |
| Perryville, Maryland | 2023 |
| Webster, Texas | 2024 |
| Naples, Florida | 2024 |
Previous locations:
- Sheboygan, Wisconsin(2004–2011 as operator ofBlue Harbor Resort;never carried any Great Wolf Lodge branding)[20]
Locations under construction:
- Mashantucket, Connecticut[21]
- Bicester,Oxfordshire,England[22]- A proposal to build a Great Wolf Lodge location inChestertonnearBicester,Oxfordshirewas submitted in 2019. The proposal was accepted by planning inspectors in 2021.[23]Work on remodelling the plot of land acquired for the site began on December 30, 2021,[24]with construction of the location itself beginning in 2022.[25][26]The intended completion date for the construction of the Bicester location is scheduled for late 2024.[27]
- Jackson, Tennessee[28]
Locations under consideration:
- Squamish, British Columbia[29][1]
- Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey[30]
- Chester, New York[31]
- Pompano Beach, Florida[32]
- Cornwall, Ontario[33]
- Basingstoke,Hampshire,England[34][35][36]
The corporate headquarters, the "Great Wolf Den,"[37]is in350 North Orleans,[38]in River North,[37]in theNear North Side, Chicago.[39]The facility, the "Great Wolf Den," began operations in 2017.[37]Previously, the headquarters were inMadison, Wisconsin.[40]According to the company, the headquarters move occurred so the company could be closer to various sites of business operation.[41]Rahm Emanuel,Mayor of Chicago,attended the ribbon cutting of the facility.[38]
Notes
- 1.^The project was announced in December 2015 and there has been no new information on the project since 2018.
Other brands
In other media
Great Wolf's previous CEO Kim Schaefer was featured in the U.S. version of TV'sUndercover 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.[43][44]
Great Wolf Entertainment and6 Point Harnessproduced an animated film, calledThe Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure,which premiered at Great Wolf Resorts onLabor Day,September 5, 2022. The film, directed by formerDisney animatorChris Bailey(Runaway Brain), follows the adventure of five newly-redesigned versions of mascot characters Wiley Wolf, Violet Wolf, Oliver Raccoon, Brinley Bear and Sammy Squirrel.[45][46][47][48][49]
References
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- ^State Journal Staff (April 6, 2012)."Deal to buy Great Wolf approved by board after Apollo increases offer".Wisconsin State Journal.Archivedfrom the original on August 14, 2023.RetrievedApril 11,2012.
- ^De La Merced, Michael (April 8, 2012)."Private Equity Firms Duel Over Water Park Operator".New York Times' Dealbook.Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2012.RetrievedApril 11,2012.
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- ^Stone, Mike; Oran, Olivia; Roumeliotis, Greg (March 24, 2015)."Exclusive: Centerbridge in $1.35 billion deal for Great Wolf Resorts: sources".Reuters.Archivedfrom the original on June 19, 2015.RetrievedJune 9,2015.
- ^Schuyler, David (May 12, 2015)."New owner pledges to grow Great Wolf Lodge chain".Milwaukee Business Journal.Archivedfrom the original on May 19, 2015.RetrievedJune 9,2015.
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- ^"Foxwoods announces high-stakes casino expansion in Connecticut".February 15, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 16,2022.
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The new corporate headquarters, [...] is at 350 N. Orleans, in the same building as the Chicago Sun-Times.
(The quote shows that theNBC Chicago"Great Wolf Resorts Opens New Chicago Headquarters" is talking about the same building.) - ^"Home".Great Wolf Resorts.RetrievedDecember 25,2023.
350 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL 60654
- Use the address and match it to Chicago community areas. - ^"Home".Great Wolf Resorts.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2017.RetrievedDecember 26,2023.
525 Junction Road, Madison, WI 53717
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Moving to Chicago allowed[...]
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MagiQuest: Some of the most popular attractions at any Great Wolf Lodge are the exciting, interactive adventure games that transform the hotel into an enchanted realm of wonder. Participants purchase magic wands, wand toppers, costumes and other themed merchandise in the MagiQuest Marketplace and engage in journeys, quests and ever more engaging levels of play.
- ^"'Undercover Boss' returns to area ".The Cincinnati Enquirer.October 3, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on October 17, 2010.RetrievedOctober 3,2010.
- ^Huff, Richard (October 4, 2010)."Great Wolf Resorts CEO Kim Schaefer works all over the company on 'Undercover Boss'".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2010.RetrievedOctober 4,2010.
- ^Duncan, Keltie (August 11, 2022)."Six Point Harness Feature Premieres at Great Wolf Resorts".Cartoon Brew.Archivedfrom the original on September 20, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 16,2022.
- ^Milligan, Mercedes (October 14, 2021)."Great Wolf Ent. Unveils Characters' New Look for 'The Great Wolf Pack'".Animation Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on September 30, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 16,2022.
- ^"THE GREAT WOLF PACK: A CALL TO ADVENTURE - Official Trailer (2022)".Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2023.RetrievedJuly 25,2023– via youtube.
- ^"The Great Wolf Pack (Short 2022) ⭐ 8.3 | Animation, Short, Action".Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2023.RetrievedJuly 25,2023– via m.imdb.
- ^"INTERVIEW: Chris Bailey On Howl You'll Enjoy" The Great Wolf Pack "– Animation Scoop".animationscoop.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2023.RetrievedMarch 23,2023.
External links
