From a press release at Hospitality 1st:
Orlando, FL — February 2006 — Ripley Entertainment, coming off a record 2005, will continue to expand in 2006, Ripley President Bob Masterson told managers and franchisees at its 35th annual company conference in early February.
The entertainment company plans on opening at least two more Ripley’s Believe It or Not! odditoriums and through its Canadian entity will be making its official entry into the hospitality industry with the opening of Great Wolf Lodge, an all-suite indoor water-park resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Masterson predicts that the number of people visiting Ripley facilities in 2006 will grow 10% over 2005 numbers.
The new four-story, 406-room all-suites Northwood’s-themed Great Wolf Lodge includes a sprawling 103,000-square-foot water park, one of the largest in North America. A water-lover’s dream-come-true, the park will feature 13 slides, four activity and play pools, three family and adult whirlpools, a giant wave pool, a lazy river and a four-story interactive water-fort playground. The park’s thousands of gallons of heated water will remain a comfortable 84 degrees F (29C) year-round.
Following the opening of the lodge and waterpark, work will begin on Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, a 120,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility situated adjacent to the lodge, on 25-acres overlooking the Niagara Gorge. Tentatively scheduled to open in early 2008, the world-class aquarium will eventually serve as the company’s flagship property.