About the Panelist
David J. Sangree is president of Cleveland-based Hotel & Leisure Advisors. He is a hospitality consultant and appraiser specializing in hotels, resorts, waterparks, golf courses, ski resorts and other leisure properties. A graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Sangree is a member of several professional organizations and has performed studies on more than 1,000 existing and proposed hotels, waterparks and other leisure properties.
Kalahari Resorts combines what’s billed as the nation’s largest indoor waterpark, with a variety of resort amenities appealing to all ages.
Located on 140 acres of land, the African safari-themed resort’s most unique features include Safari Adventures Animal Park, a recently expanded convention center, a large arcade, multiple food and beverage venues, retail stores, birthday party rooms and a spa.
The 173,000-square-foot indoor waterpark has a state-of-the-art FoilTec roof system, which lets in natural light, allowing guests to achieve a suntan any time of year. The 23 water rides and attractions include two surfing attractions; a zipcoaster uphill water roller coaster; family raft rides; body slides; tube slides; a children’s area with more than 10 rides for small children; a large wave pool; indoor water basketball; a lazy river; and an indoor/outdoor hot tub.
There’s also an outdoor waterpark area with activity pools, hot tubs, a dry play area, an expanded sun deck, sand volleyball courts and shuffleboard courts. Opened in May 2005, this mix of attractions is clearly successful.
Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, has achieved the strongest performance level of any resort in the region covering Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. This enabled owners to expand from a 308-room property to its current size, offering more than 880 rentable units, including a mixture of hotel rooms and condominiums.