Murphy was recently at Great Wolf ’ s Colorado Springs , Co ., property , where the general manager there has been with the company for 25 years , having started as a lifeguard , of course , one of the most important positions at Great Wolf . “ He ’ s worked at six of our lodges , he ’ s had seven promotions and now he ’ s one of |
the top GMs in our portfolio ,” Murphy said . “ There ’ s an awful lot of pride there .”
In 2023 , the company opened its largest lodge yet in Perryville , Md ., about two hours northeast of Washington , D . C ., and an hour from Baltimore . It ’ s large : 700 suites and a more than 128,000-square-foot water park . This year , the brand is set
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A double-queen room at the 700-room Great Wolf Lodge Perryville , which is Great Wolf ’ s largest resort and includes a more than 128,000-square-foot water park .
The water park at Great Wolf Lodge Manteca , about two hours inland from San Francisco .
to open two additional lodges in Naples , Fla ., and Webster , Texas , both of which will unveil a new design and theme , which promise to be more immersive and include interactive storytelling elements to enhance the overall experience .
Midway through next year , a $ 300-million , 549-room Great Wolf Lodge is slated to open in
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Connecticut next to Foxwoods .
“ We have our hands full right now . These are big projects ,” Murphy said . “ We need to get these open and ramped up — that ’ s really our focus right now .”
Great Wolf has the advantage of economies of scale when it comes to resort operations . And though 20 properties across the U . S . and Canada may seem like a rather small “ paw print ,” the fact is that its geographical spread is conducive to serving the whole country fairly well . The concentration of resorts is east of the Mississippi River , but with the addition of the three new lodges , it ’ s estimated that a Great Wolf Lodge is reachable within a four- to fivehour drive , key for families on stricter travel budgets .
At a Great Wolf property , room bookings include passes to the water park . Everything else is à la carte , but Murphy , in a nod to true all-inclusiveness , has looked at bundling things further , toward what he called an “ all-inclusive family destination .” Great Wolf currently offers three distinct packages at tiered rates : Wolf Pass , Paw Pass and Pup Pass . These passes include things like games , candy and off-site activities . There is also the Ultimate Food & Fun pass , which includes dining credits for resort restaurants . Great Wolf also offers day passes that allow families to enjoy the water park without staying overnight .
“ While we know people do venture out to the local community , they have everything they need within our four walls ,” Murphy said . “ We
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34 hotelsmag . com September 2024 |