Glut of big-budget additions good for area resorts

Sunday, 08 October 2006

By WAYNE BAKER
waynebaker@sanduskyregister.com

Following the recent grand opening of Kalahari's sparkling new NIA Center, coupled with the announcement of more new construction, some local residents began to wonder if the area has become over-saturated with resorts and waterparks. But the old credo of "there is no 'I' in team," might be the saving grace for the proprieters of those businesses.

With the addition of the $19 million NIA Conference and Events Center, Kalahari Resort, Route 250 North, has put a 95,000-square-foot facility on the Sandusky area map.

Todd Jones, president and owner of Kalahari, is not stopping there, as he recently announced plans to add 96 upscale condo units to his facility.

"Our goal in creating the NIA Center was to help meeting and event planners provide a unique, convenient and comfortable experience," he said.

Castaway Bay at Cedar Point opened in November 2004 to a stellar year. Occupancy has been steady and the future looks good, thanks to some smart and unique marketing.

"We try to add a new attraction each year, and that might include a restaurant or a ride," said Tony Clark, public relations representative for Cedar Point and Castaway Bay. "But we conduct surveys at both places to find out what our customers want, we evaluate them, and then make sure that we provide what our customers are looking for."

Great Wolf Lodge opened in 2001 in Perkins Township. Then named Great Bear Lodge, it was the first indoor waterpark in Ohio.

Sawmill Creek Resort has been one of the premier convention centers in the Midwest., since a 1997 turnaround by owner Greg Hill.

Hill, 58, said he wanted to bring something to the Firelands area it had never seen before.

"When we took this over, we had to look at the facility and bring it up-to-date," he said about his new purchase at the time. "A lot of hotels were being built for the Cedar Point summer market ... so we focused on business meetings and conventions that would draw visitors all year."

The creation of its $4.5 million, 16,000-square-foot Wilderness Room, which can accommodate 2,000 guests, has made it a popular attraction.

"Our vision was to build a larger convention center than any in the area," said Hill, who lives in a condominium on Sawmill Creek's grounds. "Now we can bring people here we could never bring in the past."

Most of the offerings from these resort professionals sounds old hat, and the glut theory seems like it should resonate, but not so, is the word from local folks who make their living studying these types of trends.

"I do not consider the presence of all these resorts and their new construction over saturation at all," said Jill Bauer, marketing coordinator for the Sandusky/Erie County Visitors and Convention Bureau. "They almost have to operate off each other like a team. And they do work that way with each other. Some events that are held at a smaller venue like Sawmill Creek, might result in an overflow crowd, so there will be a few folks that need to stay at one of the other places."

Bauer said there are groups that are also looking at places like Sawmill Creek because of its smaller size, and she noted most of the hotels in the area are equipped with large meeting rooms and pool areas for recreation.

"Don't forget about the Cedar Point Center at BGSU Firelands either," Bauer said. "They can accommodate 200 or so people for events. What is nice in the fact that many tourists who come to the area have a great experience and want to come back. And if they want to try something else, we have quite a variety available for them to try."

John Moldovan, president of the Erie County Chamber of Commerce, thinks the key to success for all of the resorts and hotels in the area lies in their own hands.

"We are more of an advocate for these businesses than anything else," he said. "But the resorts and hotels really have to be active in marketing themselves and drawing the business to the area. Their marketing and sales efforts will dictate success more than what the community can do"

Both he and Bauer agree it doesn't hurt area resorts and waterparks to have some additional push from their respective agencies.

"Absolutely, do we have to be aggressive in marketing and helping them," Bauer said. "That is a good part of our budget and what we do."

Huron Chamber of Commerce Director, Sheila Ehrhardt, likes the fact that resorts and waterparks in this area come in all shapes and sizes.

"Kalahari Resort and the NIA Center are huge, but it is nice to have an alternative venue like Sawmill Creek," she said. "It is a place geared for adults and older children, while Castaway Bay is great for younger children. Great Wolf and Kalahari has a mix that is good too."

With other areas in Ohio wanting to get into the resort business, Bauer thinks it is smart for the area to continue to encourage growth, since competition is right around the corner.

The cities of Columbus and Cincinnati will soon have indoor waterparks of their own.

Focus Lodging is opening Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort, the first indoor waterpark resort in central Ohio. It's scheduled to open May 22.

A proposed resort at 6703 Milan Rd., Shipwreck Falls, which would bring 347 rooms, 65,000 square feet of indoor waterpark attractions and 15,000 square feet of conference space, is tentatively scheduled to begin construction early next year.

"There is something for everyone around here and that is what keeps people coming," Bauer said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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