Usually I’m pretty good with getting information up on the blog in a timely manner, but not in this situation. Back in April (a little over 3 months ago), I had the opportunity to stay at the new Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls as part of the “soft” opening. “Soft” openings are fairly common in the hospitality and restaurant industries. This is a time when people are invited to stay or eat at a new establishment for free. This gives the staff a chance to learn and practice and allows the establishment to get feedback before they open.
A visitor to the blog had emailed me saying that Great Wolf Lodge was going to be open to the public for a few days before the grand opening. It sounded like a “soft opening“. I know someone who knows a person who works at Great Wolf Lodge and I asked for some information. Well, instead of information, I got a pass to stay the night!
I booked a room online and we ended up staying in a Family Suite (more on that later). We checked into the hotel just after 4 pm on a Thursday. The hotel looks beautiful from the outside, but it was absolutely stunning on the inside. My two young sons were fascinated with the size of the lobby, and all of the animatronic effects. At the front desk, there are handprints in the facing, and if you put your hand on the handprints, a little squirrel pops up. There is a moose, a tree, and a bear in a scene by the elevator. They talk to you as well.
The check-in was easy, if not a little slow. But that was to be expected since this was a new process for the staff. We received RFID wristbands for all guests. My wife and I had ones that also had a preauthorized spending amount. They also opened the door to our room. Our two kids each had a wristband as well, and I’m not clear what they did. The only thing I’m aware of (and it is certainly very important) is that the wristband identified who they were staying with and in what room in case they got lost in the water park.
After checking in we walked around the place. It is huge and it is gorgeous. We were there for 10 minutes or so and my wife asked if we could live there! We first went to the water park and were awestruck by how large it was and how much fun it looked. We also saw the arcade, the Cub Club, the spa, the exercise room, and a lot of the other amenities the hotel offered. We were impressed.
After checking out the facilities, we headed to our room. The hotel is 4-stories high with the lobby being on the second floor (which is sort of at “street-level” when you pull up). We were on the first floor which meant we had to go down a flight of stairs. We stayed in suite 1114. I’m not sure what made it a suite. It was pretty much just a standard hotel room. I think all of their rooms are suites.
The wrist-bands were kind of a pain to use to open the door. I don’t think I ever got into the room on the first try. The room itself was nice, but nothing special. There were 2 queen size beds and a fold-out couch. There was a microwave and fridge as well. The bathroom is just the toilet (the toilet paper had the end folded into a diamond shape) and the shower/tub. The sink is out in the main part of the room. The room was comfortable, but again, wasn’t anything special. This was the most basic and therefore least expensive room in the hotel.
One thing I thought was interesting was that if they get a noise complaint about you, you will be charged a fee. I guess that is to cover the cost of the discount given to the person who complained.
More information:
- Great Wolf Lodge home page
- See pictures of our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Great Wolf Lodge in Spring 2006 gallery
- Read another article in the series: Great Wolf Lodge – The Water Park
- Read another article in the series: Great Wolf Lodge – Other Observations