Business
BY JAMES T. NORMAN
Great Wolf Lodge in final stretch of opening new resort in Webster
The details
Officials said July 18 they had hired all 600 staff members and were looking to start training following the job fair. Meanwhile, some items within the resort, located at 1000 Great Wolf Way, are being finished up, Furnas said. Slides are being tested, and certifi- cation of occupancy should be coming in late July. “We expect to be ready to go,” Furnas said. “No concerns of any show stoppers out there. There are maybe small elements that we’re having to finish up, but that’s more behind the scenes.” The facility is 92,000 square feet and features more than 500 rooms with a range of sizes, Community Impact previously reported. The sell- ing point officials have hit on over the past several months is the resort being the first fourth-gener- ation resort the company has built, which brings with it additional attractions and enhancements. The park will include a 61,000-square-foot adventure park, 13 water slides, a mini-golf course and a bowling alley, among other amenities.
Great Wolf Lodge has moved up its opening date again to Aug. 7, meaning the resort could open three months earlier than originally planned. Ahead of the opening, the resort is putting final touches on the facility and looking to train a staff of more than 600 people. To make the needed hires, which will include lifeguards, hotel workers, front desk staff, food and beverage workers, cooks and engineers, among other positions, the company hosted a job fair from June 29-July 13, officials said in a June email. “We’re like a small city,” General Manager Keith Furnas said July 2. “We’ve got a little bit of everything.”
Great Wolf Lodge timeline
Webster City Council approves sale agreement with Great Wolf Lodge November 2021
Great Wolf Lodge breaks ground on Webster resort September 2022
Vertical construction wraps up August 2023
Job fair and training take place for new employees July 2024
Resort to open August 2024
SOURCE: GREAT WOLF LODGE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
What’s next?
Impact of Great Wolf Lodge
CEO John Murphy said April 30. The number of jobs and customers it will bring won’t just be contained to the resort but will cause people to venture out into the area for shopping and dining, Murphy said. “We look to be good community partners,” Murphy said.
Once the resort opens, it will be in a soft- launch phase and run at about half capacity, Furnas said. Officials expect it to be at full capacity by September. Bay Area officials and resort leaders expect the facility to create a significant economic impact in both the immediate area and the Greater Houston area, Great Wolf Resorts
square feet in size 92,000
annual customers 500,000
jobs 600
10%-25%
increase in economic foot traffic annually for the Bay Area
SOURCE: GREAT WOLF LODGE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Tax Free Savings Shop back to school with no tax on apparel and footwear August 9-11.
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