Indoor and Outdoor Waterparks Show Growth in 2014
By David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC
The amount of indoor and outdoor waterpark square footage will grow at a faster rate in 2014 than in any year since the Great Recession. Twelve indoor waterpark resorts or standalone indoor waterparks will be opened or expanded in 2014 compared to 9 in 2013. The projected 370,000 new indoor square feet in 2014 dwarfs the 68,000 indoor square feet added in 2013. Eight private outdoor waterparks are projected to open in 2014 compared to 5 in 2013.
The World Waterpark Association estimated approximately 82.5 million attendees at North American waterparks during 2013, which compared to 85 million in 2012 and 82 million in 2011. The decline in 2013 is attributed to consistently poor weather through much of the United States in the first six weeks of the season. This estimate includes attendance at all municipal and private indoor and outdoor waterpark facilities in North America.
HL&A defines various waterparks the following ways:
An indoor waterpark resort is a lodging establishment containing an aquatic facility with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space inclusive of amenities such as slides, tubes, and a variety of indoor water play features.
A resort with an outdoor waterpark is a lodging establishment with an outdoor aquatic facility with three or more waterpark elements requiring lifeguards such as slides, lazy rivers, or wave pools.
A standalone indoor waterpark is an aquatic facility that is not attached to a lodging establishment with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space inclusive of amenities such as slides, tubes, and a variety of indoor water play features.
An outdoor waterpark is an outdoor aquatic facility with three or more water slides. It often also includes other water elements requiring lifeguards such as lazy rivers, surf simulators, or wave pools. These parks will often offer additional splash features for younger children.
2013 Waterpark Standings
The number of U.S. waterparks reached 834 by March 2014, with the majority being outdoor waterparks (most of which are municipal). This is an increase from our April 2013 industry overview of waterparks, which indicated there were 796 waterparks in the United States.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
Indoor and Outdoor Waterpark Show Growth in 2014 2
| 2014 U.S. Open Waterpark Supply by Region |
| U.S. Outdoor Waterparks?Region Municipal Private Total |
| Northeast Midwest South West Total6 60 66 166 45 211 117 109 226 45 51 96 334 265 599Note: Outdoor waterpark defined as an aquatic facility without attached hotel having 3 or more slides |
| U.S. Indoor Waterpark Resorts?Region Franchise Independent Total |
| Northeast?Midwest?South?West 549 Total 49 85 1348 6 14 36 64 100 0 11 11Note: Indoor waterpark resort defined as a hotel with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space |
| U.S. Standalone Indoor Waterparks?Region Municipal Private Total |
| Northeast 0 2 2 Midwest 24 0 24 South 8 3 11 West 16 2 18 Total 48 7 55Note: Standalone indoor waterpark defined as having a minimum of 10,000 square feet of aquatic area and featuring multiple water features |
| U.S. Resorts with Outdoor Waterparks Only Region Franchise Independent Total |
| Northeast?Midwest?South?West 9 7 16 Total 22 24 46Note: Resort with outdoor waterpark defined as a resort hotel having an outdoor waterpark with at least 3 features (e.g. slide, lazy river, wave pool, etc.). This count excludes those that also have indoor waterparks.2 2 40 2 2 11 13 24 |
| Combined Total Number of U.S. Waterparks 834 |
| Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLC, March 2014 |
The Midwest is home to 337 waterparks, which is the greatest number of any U.S. region. The Midwest leads in the number of indoor waterpark resorts and standalone indoor waterparks and is a close second to the South for outdoor waterparks. The Midwest will continue its stronghold in 2014. Of the new indoor waterpark resorts and expansions scheduled, eight are in the Midwest, two in the Northeast, one in the West, and one in Canada.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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Indoor Waterpark Resorts and Standalone Indoor Waterparks: Although indoor waterparks continued to grow and expand, square footage increases haven’t truly soared since 2008. (The high point was close to a 900,000 square foot increase in 2006). This year marks a great stride in the increase in overall square footage.
| Indoor Waterpark Additions, Expansions & Openings Projected in 2014 |
| State / New Indoor Indoor Waterparks and Resorts City Prov Rooms WaterparkSq. Ft. |
| Fox River Resort Waterpark AdditionGreat Wolf Lodge (former Holiday Inn CoCo Key)Clarion Hotel conversion of Holidome to waterparkZehnder’s Splash Village ExpansionMaui Sands Indoor Waterpark Resort Reopen Rest of Hotel
Rippin’ Rapids Resort & Adventure Sports WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort Arcade Addition Mt. Olympus Resort Indoor Waterpark Expansion Wilderness Resort Indoor Go Kart Track addition and Two-Story Black Light Laser Tag Arena Expansion Standalone Indoor Waterparks Snohomish Aquatic Center Adventure Bay Family Water Park Williston Recreation Center Sheridan IL 0 Fitchburg MA 407 West Springfield MA 0 Frankenmuth MI 32 Sandusky OH 172 19,000 68,000 10,000 29,000 0 77,000 0 55,000 0 52,000 45,000 15,000 370,000 Total 12 711 Note: Resorts have a minimum of 10,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLC Rapid City Rapid City Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin Dells SD 100 SD 0 WI 0 WI 0 Snohomish WA 0 Windsor ON 0 Williston ND 0 |
With 77,000 square feet of waterpark, Rippin’ Rapids Resort & Adventure Sports is the largest indoor waterpark projected to open in 2014. The South Dakota facility will feature waterslides, tubes, surf simulator, rock wall, zip lines, rope courses, and a 100-room hotel.
Following a closure and extensive renovation, the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, will increase the number of hotel rooms at the former Holiday Inn from 245 to 407 and double the former CoCo Key waterpark in size to 68,000 square feet. The facility will also feature several dining options and more than 12,000 square feet of conference space.
Other significant projects include the Mt. Olympus Resort indoor waterpark expansion with 55,000 additional square feet and the new Snohomish Aquatic Center with 52,000 square feet. These larger projects are significant for 2014 growth as their sizes are larger than anything developed or expanded in 2013.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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| Indoor Waterpark Additions, Expansions, and Openings in 2013 | ||||
| Indoor Waterparks and Resorts | City | State / Prov | New Rooms | Indoor Waterpark Sq. Ft. |
| Clarion Hotel Aqua Lagoon Waterpark Addition Avalanche Bay Super Loop Slide Addition?Great Wolf Lodge Slide and Bowling Addition?Maui Sands Indoor Waterpark Resort Reopen Wilderness at the Smokies Outdoor Water Slide Addition Jay Peak Condos AdditionKalahari Resort Hot Tubs and Steak Restaurant AdditionStandalone Indoor WaterparksSurf’s UpSahara Sam’s Indoor and Outdoor Waterpark Expansion
Total Springfield Boyne Falls Traverse City Sandusky Sevierville Jay Wisconsin Dells Nashua Berlin Township MA 0 10,000 MI 00 MI 00 OH 224 35,000 TN 00 VT 50 0 WI 00 NH 0 15,000 NJ 0 8,000 9 274 68,000 Note: Resorts have a minimum of 10,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLC |
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The largest indoor waterpark project last year was the reopening of Maui Sands in Sandusky, Ohio. It opened 224 rooms and 35,000 square feet of waterpark space in 2013. This year it is due to open the remaining 172 hotel rooms. In 2015, two major indoor waterpark destination resorts are due to open in the Poconos: the 453-room Camelback Resort and the 457-room Kalahari Resort, adding 220,000 square feet collectively.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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Outdoor Waterparks: The U.S. supply of waterparks is dominated by outdoor waterparks. In 2014, another 15 are projected to open.
Private
Projected 2014 Outdoor Waterpark Openings
Park Location Large Slides
Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Over Georgia Buccaneer Cove Waterpark at Malibu Grand Prix Hurricane Bay @ Kentucky Kingdom Cowabunga! Bay Las Vegas
Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark
Splash Kingdom Hawaiian Falls Waterpark
Hawaiian Falls Waterpark and Adventure Park
Austell GA 22 Norcross GA 7 Louisville KY 7 Henderson NV 9 Corpus Christi TX 7
Greenville TX 4
Total Municipal
The Pocahontas City Pool Drop Zone Waterpark Pooler Waterpark Aquatic Zoo
Owensville Waterpark *?Lyons City Pool?Corsicana Water and Adventure Park Total
* in addition to a lazy river and three small slides Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors
Mt. Vernon Owensville Lyons Corsicana
IL 2 MO 1 NE 3 TX 8
24
Pflugerville
TX 10 Settlement TX 8
74
Pocahontas AR 2 Perris CA 3 Pooler GA 5
White
Seven municipal and 8 private waterparks are slated to open in 2014. We expect to learn of more municipal park openings throughout the year since sometimes they are only announced shortly before opening. As is typical, the private parks are significantly larger, with an average of 9 large slides planned compared an average of 3 large slides at the municipal parks.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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Four of the 8 private outdoor waterparks will open in Texas. Two of the private parks will open in the Southeast, one in the Midwest, and one in the West.
In all, 98 new large slides at outdoor waterparks are slated to open in 2014. Smaller slides are often not announced prior to opening but contribute to a larger number of total slides reported by year-end.
2013 Outdoor Waterpark Openings
Park Location
Total Slides
Private
Municipal
Holiday Springs Waterpark?SoakYa (Lake Winnepesaukah waterpark) Seven Peaks Waterpark?Wet ‘n’ Wild?Splash Kingdom Wild West?Total
Clarksville Aquatic Center?Rogers Aquatics Center?Chilli Bay?Schifferdecker Aquatic Center?Lions Water Adventure?Donald W Reynolds Recreation and Aquatic Center The Euless Family Life Center Aquatic Park Heights Family Aquatic Center
Nessler Pool Aquatic Center?City Parks of Clarksburg Splash Zone Splash Central Waterpark?Total
Texarkana Rossville Porter?Las Vegas Hudson Oaks
Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors
AR 8 GA 8 IN 13
NV 17 TX 15 61
Clarksville?Rogers?Chillicothe?Joplin?Kinston NC 6 Pauls Valley OK 4 Euless TX 6 Richardson TX 4
Texas City Clarksburg Huron
TX 5 WV 6 SD 4
57
AR 5 AR 7 MO 4 MO 6
The majority of private waterparks that opened in 2013 were larger than the municipal ones that opened, averaging 12 slides each versus 5 slides at municipal parks. The outdoor waterparks opened with 118 total slides in 2013. The largest of these by number of slides was the Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas waterpark. Other significant outdoor waterpark openings in 2013 include the 15 total slides at the Splash Kingdom Wild West in Hudson Oaks, Texas, and the 13 total slides at Seven Peaks in Porter, Indiana.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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Resorts with Outdoor Waterparks: Outdoor waterparks can enhance a hotel’s amenities and attract additional guests. They may be the deciding factor when it comes to family lodging options. Three resorts with outdoor waterparks are slated to open or expand in 2014.
| Resorts with Outdoor Waterparks to Open in 2014 |
| ResortLegoland California Resort Legend of Chima Waterpark AdditionDoubletree addition of 129 rooms and waterpark Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLCLocationCarlsbad CA Gilbert AZ Orlando FL
Features Wave pool, slides, interactive splash features Waterslide, lazy river, wave pool Waterslides, lazy river, splash zone |
Legoland California opened as an amusement park in 1999, added a waterpark in 2010, and added a hotel in 2013. In 2014 it will expand its waterpark with a theme from its latest product line, Legends of Chima, where animal tribes battle in a fictional land for control of the energy source. The park will center on an interactive wave pool. There will also be a hands-on water play area with slides, cannons and water jets, and a build-a- boat area.
| Resorts with Outdoor Waterparks that Opened in 2013 | ||
| Resort Location FeaturesLegoland California Carlsbad CA The park added a 250 room hotel | ||
| Marriott Orlando World Center | Kissimmee | FL 3 large slides and a splash pad |
| Santa’s Splash Down at Lake Rudolph?Campground and RV Resort Santa Claus IN 22 cabins, five new waterslidesHyatt Hill Country Resort Waterpark?Expansion San Antonio TX Slide, FlowRider, wave machine | ||
| Schlitterbahn Beach Resort | 5 large slides, 4 water coasters, surf simulator, lazy river, South Padre Island TX splash structure,splash pad, and sea trek | |
| Source: Hotel & Leisure Advisors, LLC | ||
Marriott and Hyatt hotels and Lake Rudolph campground added outdoor waterparks to their properties in 2013. Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort in Indiana also added 22 cabins along. Legoland California and Schlitterbahn Beach Resort added hotels to existing waterparks.
Conclusion: The waterpark industry is showing real growth not only in the number of openings but also in the sizes, number of slides, and types of amenities. In 2014, we are finally beginning to see new project numbers that reflect those prior to 2009. The continued desire for fun, safe, family activities with a bit of adventure is reflected in the increasing demand for waterparks. More families are planning weekend getaways with their children’s desires in mind. Indoor waterpark destination resorts provide fun weekend and vacation getaways for families while outdoor waterparks typically attract more day guests from the surrounding area.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921
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Although outdoor waterparks are less expensive to build, they are weather dependent and poor weather during the summer season can negatively impact financial results. Successful indoor waterpark resorts can yield much higher profits. However, not all ventures are successful, and funding is still challenging to obtain. Lack of funding is the main reason many proposed projects never see the light of day. Many factors contribute to a project’s success, and proper feasibility and economic impact studies, and planning are a must for any waterpark development. The development of an indoor or outdoor waterpark requires extensive research of supply and demand factors, demographics, income and expense levels, potential per capita spending, potential attendance, and profitability levels.
Author
David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC, is President of Hotel & Leisure Advisors, a national hospitality consulting firm. Mr. Sangree’s expertise is in the appraisal and analysis of hotels, resorts, indoor waterpark resorts, outdoor waterparks, amusement parks, conference centers, ski resorts, and golf courses. He has performed studies on more than 2,000 existing and proposed hotels in more than 46 states and internationally in all price ranges, including economy, full-service, extended-stay, and luxury hotels and resorts including indoor waterpark resorts. He has been an active appraiser/consultant since 1987 and also has 10 years of work experience in the hotel/restaurant industry, including management positions with four Westin Hotels properties.
Mr. Sangree is a nationally recognized expert on waterpark resorts and has visited most of the open waterpark resort properties in the United States and Canada. He has completed more than 400 studies of waterparks resorts since 1999. Mr. Sangree was named one of Aquatics International Magazine’s “Power 25”. In its profile, Aquatics International named Mr. Sangree as one of the first consultants serving the waterpark resort industry and credited him with shaping some of the latest industry trends through his expertise and experience in the waterpark resort market. Mr. Sangree has appeared on Good Morning America and CNBC on special reports concerning resorts and waterparks. He can be reached via telephone at 216-228-7000 ext. 20 or via e-mail at dsangree@hladvisors.com. The author wishes to acknowledge Hollie Gibbs for her assistance with the article.
Cleveland, Ohio ? 216-228-7000 www.hladvisors.com San Antonio, Texas ? 210-319-5440 Corporate Headquarters: 14805 Detroit Avenue, Suite 420, Cleveland, Ohio 44107-3921