Contacts:
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Jennifer Beranek
608.661.4754
jberanek@greatwolf.com
Singer Drake Bell, Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place and Cody Linley from Hannah Montana Attend the Opening of Grapevine’s New Family Indoor Waterpark Resort
GRAPEVINE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Great Wolf Lodge®, the highly anticipated, year-round family destination resort, officially opened its door today with the help of Hollywood’s hottest young family stars, including teen heartthrob Drake Bell as well as special appearances by Disney Channel star Cody Linley from Hannah Montana and cast members of the Wizards of Waverly Place.
The resort was full of howls when a giant ceremonial curtain drop led by Bell, star of Nickelodeon’s popular Drake & Josh, and members of the local Cross Timbers Middle School Choir and Cheerleading Squad unveiled the spectacular new indoor waterpark. Bell performed two songs from his Universal Motown Records debut It’s Only Time.
Attended by several hundred community members, media and VIPs, the following gave speaker presentations: Mayor William D. Tate; Aaron Demerson, Executive Director, Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism Division; Donald Bigbie, Chairman of the Board for Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau; John Emery, Chief Executive Officer of Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.®; and Jack Bateman, General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge.
“The local community and State of Texas have welcomed us with open arms. We wanted to be sure we gave them a special grand opening that they would really enjoy and remember,” said Bateman. “The support and reception we have received has astounded us. We are thrilled to officially open our doors and provide our guests with the highest standards of customer service and amenities in the industry. We look forward to creating family traditions, one family at a time, in Grapevine.”
In addition to the opening ceremony, which took place in the resort’s massive, themed Grand Lobby, a special VIP gala reception featured local dignitaries and members of the community who were joined by Linley, who plays Hannah Montana’s putative love interest on the Disney Channel mega-hit, as well as David Henrie and Jennifer Stone, the stars of the newest Disney Channel success, Wizards of Waverly Place.
To continue the celebration, Great Wolf Lodge will offer Grand Opening Rates to all visitors with rates for a Family Suite beginning at $199 per night, including waterpark passes. The offer is available from Jan. 15 – May 22, 2008. A limited number of rooms are available for each date and the offer may not be valid on select weekends. The rate is inclusive of unlimited use of the massive indoor waterpark, which is open exclusively to resort guests.
Opportunities to splash, spray and play year round
Great Wolf Lodge’s 80,000-square-foot Bear Track Landing™ is the resort’s signature indoor waterpark. The state-of-the-art facility features seven pools; 11 waterslides, including the Howlin Tornado, an extreme tube ride; Fort Mackenzie™, a four-story tree house waterfort; and a tipping bucket that douses nearly 1,000 gallons of water onto thrill seekers below every few minutes.
Guests staying in one of Great Wolf Lodge’s 402 all-suite guest rooms will have full access to a comprehensive package of family entertainment and amenities including: two themed family restaurants, Camp Critter Bar & Grille™ and The Loose Moose Cottage™; Bear Claw Café™; Pizza Hut Express; a Starbucks® Coffee Shop; Elements™ Spa featuring Aveda® products; Scooops™ Kid Spa; Cub Club™, a children’s craft and activity room with a focus on edutainment; MagiQuest, a live action fantasy adventure game; gr8_space™, a tech center with Internet stations, movie and musical entertainment; Northern Lights™ Arcade with ticket redemption; Iron Horse™ Fitness Room; our signature animated Great Clock Tower; Buckhorn Exchange™ gift emporium; and Raccoon Lagoon™ outdoor waterpark.
By December of 2008, Great Wolf Lodge is expected to expand to include an additional 203 guest suites and offer a total of 27,000 square feet of meeting space. After the expected expansion, the resort will provide space for groups from 10 – 750 and will feature a 7,500 square-foot Grand Ballroom, six breakout and meeting rooms, two board rooms, over 4,000 square feet of pre-function space, plus six outdoor event areas.
Great Wolf Lodge is conveniently located on Highway 26 at 100 Great Wolf Drive in Grapevine, Texas – in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. For more information or to make a reservation, call toll-free 1.800.693.WOLF (9653), or visit online at greatwolf.com.
Great Wolf Resorts Backgrounder
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ:WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® and Blue Harbor Resort™ brands. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company and owns and/or manages Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; and Mason, Ohio; and Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sheboygan, Wis. Great Wolf Lodge properties are currently in predevelopment and/or under construction in Grand Mound, Wash. and Concord, N.C.
The company’s resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 – 400 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 – 100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children’s activities and other amenities.
