Publisher's Profile: Resort gives manager chance to settle down

Virginia Business
April 2005

Name: Curtis Brown
Position: General Manager
Company: Great Wolfe Lodge
Education: Majored in business and psychology at Central Michigan University

Tell us about your background in the hospitality industry.
I began my career with the Hilton operation — starting in Boston and spending time at properties in Washington, D.C., New York City and Orlando, Fla. I was also at the Charlotte property, which I left to become general manager of a NASCAR team. However, I soon realized that wasn’t for me and was recruited to start a new theme hotel in Madison, Wis. The company [Great Lakes Cos. Inc.] really impressed me with its approach to business, and I liked the fact that I was getting in on the ground floor of an exciting opportunity.

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What brought you to Virginia?
The company identified Williamsburg as a prime location, and after running [its] Wisconsin property for four years I was looking to get back to a warmer climate. And after all the moving around we did with Hilton, I was looking for a place to finally settle down with my family. Williamsburg is a great place, and I plan on being here for a long time.

Tell us about the property.
The Great Wolf Lodge is a full-service, family destination resort. We offer a host of amenities including 301 family-sized suites, a 66,000-square-foot indoor water park, an arcade with ticket redemption center, several theme restaurants and a gift emporium.

Do you have meeting and conference space?
Yes, we have a meeting symposium that is large enough to seat 100 people theatre-style. Each seat has Internet access and state-of-the-art facilities for training, lectures and seminars. We also have two additional breakout rooms and an executive boardroom. One of the rooms can seat as many as 200 banquet-style for a lunch or dinner function. One of our properties has put in a conference center, and once we are up and running, that is a possibility. We have plenty of room for expansion with more than 83 acres.