MANTECA, Calif. — The Great Wolf Lodge's grand opening will not be held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 500-room resort, which has a 95,000 square-foot-indoor water park, was originally scheduled to open on July 1 in Manteca, one month ahead of its original August date. The resort is now pushed back until at least March 23.
Jason Lasecki, spokesperson for the resort, told ABC10 that the lodge is postponing its grand opening day after monitoring the coronavirus situation in Northern California.
"We plan to communicate a more official opening date once we receive further clarity from government officials on this matter," Lasecki said.
It's yet another postponement from the Great Wolf Lodge, which previously put the brakes on opening days in March, June and August.
When operational, the resort is expected to provide more than 500 jobs, but the hiring for those positions has been put on pause, according to Lasecki. The resort kept a small group of employees, who are tasked with maintaining the facility and preparing it for an eventual opening.
San Joaquin County currently is in the most restrictive purple tier, which forces both hotels and lodging to open with modifications.
In February, Manteca Economic Development Manager Don Smail told ABC10 that the Great Wolf Lodge will be a "game-changer" for the city's economy.
"We're expecting this to really be a regional draw, a regional attraction for families in Manteca and throughout the Northern Valley region here to come either on their way to somewhere else or just to come to Manteca to make that family vacation stop," Smail said.
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