Wis Dells Kalahari Adds Indoor Amusement Park

[The Interpreter]

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/318406

[XGatorHead 8904]

Coy, who in March will host a seminar in Wisconsin Dells for waterpark industry officials, said trends for resorts include more adventure sports, bigger waterparks and long weekends replacing the traditional one- or two-week vacation.

That means many guests will not balk at $150 to $250 a night rooms, $20 passes for an indoor amusement park or $4.50 for a game of bowling, Coy said.

And there are plenty of guests, like me, who will still refuse to go anywhere that charges $150-$250 a night. To me, that price is just ludicrous. I can stay somewhere like Days Inn with my AAA discount, get a day pass to the indoor water park for $30 as quoted later in the article, and I'm saving money.

I just need somewhere to lay my head at night. I'm not going to be spending 24/7 in my room. And even if I were, I still wouldn't spend that kind of money.

[The Interpreter]

So far, at least, Great Wolf Lodge does not offer day passes to non-lodging guests. Right?

[kiruler102]

ya thats right, but why will they do that? they still get people who spend 200-300 per night to go to the waterpark. i rather travel 15 or 20 miles down the road to sharonville to coco key were they do offer one day passes or one night to there hotel for like 100 or so dollars correct me if i am wrong. the only way i would think of spending that much money is 1 in the winter and 2 if i was a traveler in the winter. you dont need a indoor pool in the summer when Kings Island is right next door and only pay i think now 35 dollars for 09 season for a new ride and a big waterpark.

[XGatorHead 8904]

You are correct Terpy, GWL's waterpark is for hotel guests only. But like pkiruler said, Coco Key is just a short drive away, and they offer day passes just as Kalahari in the Dells does. We went to Coco Key last year in about Feb/March, and we plan to go again this year around the same time to help get rid of the off-season blues! It's a nice place to spend a day with the family... as long as GatorGirl remembers this year that she actually likes waterslides. That was a little problem last year (by the end of the day she at least did the small ones), but she's another year older and her memory is another year better!

[CoastersRZ]

Pkiruler102, admission to Kings Island is a little more expensive than $35, especially if you purchase the tickets at the front gate. (Typically you can find discount tickets on KI`s website that might make the price closer to your $35 value).

Indoor water parks are quite the phenomenon right now. Its only logical that indoor amusement centers, like the new Kalahari project, begin sprouting up attached to existing indoor water park resorts and hotels. To quote the movie "Field of Dreams," "If you build it, they will come." That quote pretty much sums up why these hotels like Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari can charge so much for their room rates. The general public is paying these rates and not complaining.

Great Wolf believes in keeping their water park reserved exclusively for guests staying on property. Sure, during slow times when the resort is not completely sold out they could make additional revenue by selling day passes like Coco Key and Kalahari does. But so far they have stuck to their guns and are keeping the water park reserved for people who pay the high rates to stay in their rooms.