City votes to move ahead with Great Wolf Lodge plans

El Paso City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with plans to bring The Great Wolf Lodge to the city.

Alfonso de Gortari, managing director of international development for Great Wolf Resorts, said that although this is just the first step in a process, he’s pleased at the progress made in a year and a half.

“Let me say for this project to happen we need a lot of work with the community so we have to think the City of El Paso, the county and the state,” said de Gortari,

Great Wolf Lodge, which has 17 locations in the U.S., is part of the largest family of indoor water parks in the country, but the brand offers more.

“Actually, we have a big space that is a family entertainment center,” said de Gortari. “You have mini golf, zip lines, restaurants, an arcade, but they (guests) can go and really enjoy the Great Wolf without entering the waterpark.”

The resort would have at least 350 rooms that will start at $250 a night, which includes access to the waterpark.

“A couple two- or three-night stay here is an inexpensive kind of ‘staycation’ that you can take advantage right in your backyard,” said City Manager Tommy Gonzalez.

Rooms hold about four people, and meal package options are available, as are guest passes to the water park. According to de Gortari, plans are in place to possibly offer packages, and discounted rates for area residents.

“We have those plans to really encourage the community and to help the community to really try Great Wolf Lodge and enjoy it.” he said.

The lodge also brings incentives to the city, as it has its own communication and sales team working to bring business to conference centers at the resort, which would bring more visitors who would spend money and boost the local economy.

City leaders and Great Wolf Lodge management said they are both expecting many visitors from Mexico.

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“We still need to secure to secure the state incentives, and then we’ll start proceedings making sure the great Wolf Lodge, and secure their financing and then that will give us the opportunity to set a date for construction,” Jessica Herrera, the City of El Paso’s director of economic development, told ABC-7