Volume 3, No. 6. March 28, 2003
New Arrivals
It’s
a waterpark!
Great Lakes Companies, Inc. announces the arrival of Great Wolf Lodge and Bear
Track Landing in Traverse City, Michigan, March 17, 2003. Lodge measurements:
48 1/2 acres (19.5 hectares) of which the lodge occupies 15 acres (6.7 hectares)
and 40 buffalo roam on 18 1/2 acres (7.5 hectares), 281 all-suite rooms, three
restaurants, 6,500 square feet (604 square meters) of meeting space, two retail
stores, one 7,000-square-foot (650 square-meter) arcade and redemption center
with 125 games, one 3-D interactive theater, one children’s activity room
with a life-size doll house and tree fort, one spa, one fitness center, one
outdoor activity pool. Bear Track Landing measurements: 38,000 square feet (3,540
square meters), eight waterslides, 87,000-gallon (329,331-liter) leisure river,
four story, 12-level interactive treehouse with 60 guest-activated water effects
and a 48-foot (14.5-meter) tall, 1,000-gallon (3,785.5-liter) tipping bucket,
77,000-gallon (291,477-liter) recreation pool, 17,000-gallon (64,352-liter)
zero-depth kiddie pool, two 7,000-gallon (26,498-liter) whirlpools, one snack
bar. Waterpark delivered by National Rock & Sculpture, Neuman Pools, ProSlide
Technology, Pro Tile, SCS Interactive and Water Technology.
Here’s another measurement: 110 inches (279 centimeters). That is the amount
of snow that fell on Traverse City in the month of February, a new record. Not
only were the memories of the harsh 2003 winter lingering among residents, so
was the snow itself as Great Lakes opened its third lodge and indoor waterpark.
No wonder that on a cool, slightly overcast day the mood around the property’s
ribbon-cutting was “very festive,” said Eric Lund, senior vice president
of sales and marketing and a principal of Great Lakes Companies. “It was
a great day to spend inside the indoor waterpark where it’s always 84 degrees
(29 degrees Celsius).”
After first intending to name its lodges for different furry northwoods mammals—Traverse
City originally was to be called Great Buffalo Lodge—the company decided
to stick to a brand name. Besides, future expansion looks like it would outpace
the potential selection of appropriate animal names (a lodge is scheduled to
open in Kansas City, Missouri, in May, and ground-breakings are scheduled in
Niagara Falls, New York; Williamsburg, Virginia; the Poconos in Pennsylvania;
and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota). So, the new lodge and all
the rest will use the company’s Wisconsin Dells namesake. Meanwhile, Great
Lakes’ second installation, Great Bear Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio (THE
LOOP, March 23, 2001), might be renamed, Lund said.
Though the Michigan lodge goes back to the chain’s originating name, it
continues the company’s practice of building on lessons learned. The new
Bear Track Landing is 5,000 square feet (464.5 square meters) larger than the
Sandusky version, all the pools are a little bigger, the slides and river are
longer, the snack bar larger and the deck space spacier. Lund said that despite
the mathematical reality, the deck “feels as if it’s 25 percent bigger.”
The Traverse City waterpark also has a family tube ride, the 336-foot-long (102.5-meter-long)
Howling Wolf using three-person toboggan-style rafts, that its predecessors
don't have.
For last Monday’s grand opening, the lodge hosted an evening event for
about 1,000 VIPs, and the next day the doors were thrown open for a public open
house. About 4,000 people took self-guided tours interacting with staff stationed
in the various rooms and attractions. All this came after Monday’s official
ribbon cutting attended by about 200 company and community officials. Upon cutting
the ribbon in front of the Grand Lobby’s massive stone fireplace, the gathering
engaged in a champagne toast “to July traffic year-round,” Lund said.
That must have been good champagne. The lodge, opened in time for Michigan’s
spring break traffic, already is booked solid for the next three weeks, Lund
said.
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
©2003, Minton Enterprises
LLC
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