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In addition to developing new resorts in Georgia and Arizona, Great Wolf Resorts Inc. purchased two established resorts in 2017 and renovated and rebranded them. It purchased the 403-room Radisson Hotel and Water Park of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in early 2017. The facility closed in January for renovations and reopened in November 2017 as a Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Resorts Inc. acquired the 414-room Key Lime Cove Waterpark Resort in Gurnee, Illinois, in spring 2017 and is expanding the indoor waterpark as part of its major renovation and rebranding of the property that will open in 2018.


Projections for 2018 This year, we will see growth across all segments of the waterpark market, with openings of 36 facilities. We also anticipate expansions of 24 existing facilities. Nine new indoor waterpark resort offerings will contribute


464,000 square feet of waterpark space and more than 2,600 new rooms. These include the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, with more than 1,500 rooms, and the 111,000-square-foot Gaylord Opryland Resort SoundWaves Waterpark in Nashville, Tennessee. Great Wolf Lodge will add a total of more than 800 rooms and 170,000 square feet of waterpark space with their new resort in LaGrange, Georgia, and the renovation of the former Key Lime Cove property in Gurnee, Illinois. The municipally owned 68,000-square-foot standalone Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark opened in Grand Prairie, Texas, in January. More significant growth is projected in outdoor


waterparks, which make up nearly 80% of the US supply. This year, 26 outdoor waterparks are slated to open, with the majority being municipally owned facilities. Privately owned waterparks make up most of the larger


properties projected to open in 2018. These parks traditionally offer more extensive amenities and charge higher prices than municipal waterparks. However, following the trend of recent years, more substantial municipal waterparks continue to enter the market with amenities including slide towers, lazy rivers, and wave pools. Regionally, the South continues to drive growth across all


market segments with 23 projected openings for 2018, followed by the West with seven. Fourteen of these new parks are attributed just to Texas, Florida, and Georgia. In addition to new openings, it also appears to be a year


for expansion with announcements by more than 20 established parks to add or improve amenities. Slides and play structures top the list of new amenities, which also includes raft rides, lazy rivers, and wave pools.


The smaller resorts with outdoor waterparks segment will


see four additions or expansions in 2018. Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort in Cocoa Beach Florida will add slides, a splash pad, and a lazy river. Margaritaville Village in Kissimmee, Florida, is a timeshare and retail resort that will include a 12-acre waterpark. The Grove Resort & Spa Outdoor Surfari Waterpark addition will feature a dual-rider surfing simulator, lazy river, and multiple slides. The BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas, which includes a cable park, large slide, and lazy river will debut its “Surf Ranch” addition this year. This two-acre surf lake will produce up to eight-foot waves and provide a venue for inland surfing competitions. Resorts continue to add waterpark features to provide additional amenities for families and other leisure guests. This is occurring in both indoor and outdoor waterparks at resorts. The increased variety of rides and attractions offered by manufacturers will continue to improve the potential offerings for waterparks.


Standalone indoor and outdoor waterparks are being


added throughout the United States with new developments by both municipalities and private companies. More substantial indoor projects being developed in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, in 2018 will raise the bar for indoor waterpark developers and operators. The opening of Volcano Bay Theme Park in 2017 in Orlando represented the most expensive and well-themed outdoor waterpark to open in the United States. Many municipalities are adding outdoor waterparks to provide a greater variety of recreation options for their residents as well as to improve their cost recovery from the aquatics department. 2018 promises to be another year of growth for the


industry across all segments. H&LA will continue to stay abreast of all the new additions and changes happening in this dynamic industry.


Photo credit: Manta by WhiteWater West


David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC, is President of Hotel & Leisure Advisors (H&LA), a national hospitality consulting firm which has analysed and prepared studies on more than 2,000 properties in more than 45 states, Canada, and the Caribbean. A nationally recognized expert on waterpark resorts, David has completed more than 600 studies of indoor and outdoor waterparks; was named one of Aquatics International Magazine’s ‘Power 25, and received the Executive Board Award from the World Waterpark Association in 2016. The author wishes to acknowledge Michael Weber for his assistance with the article.


MAY 2018 25


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