Arthur Keith simply could not contain his excitement.

Beaming with pride, an endless bounce to his step and smiles all around, the general manager of Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos was living his “dream big” weekend to the fullest.

“Our business is about building relationships,” he told a crowd of about 125 people who had gathered for a hardhat tour of a massive meeting space expansion at his property. “We’re going to be here for a long time and it’s very special seeing something coming together that we envisioned a long time ago.”

The vision of more than doubling the size of the convention center at Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos is coming to fruition as the $30 million expansion is expected to be completed by the end of year, giving Kalahari Resorts much-needed space to meeting a growing demand for group business.

Keith led the group through the themed “Dream Big” tour of the expansion, which will add 105,000 square feet of meeting space to the convention center at the property located Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, increasing the total meeting space to 205,000 square feet.

Included in the expansion are two new ballrooms, one at 38,000 square feet, the other at 12,000 square feet, giving the property four ballrooms; the current ballrooms measure 25,000 square feet and a 9,000 square-foot junior ballroom.

There will be 18 new meeting rooms, increasing the overall total to 33, an executive conference center for up to 400 people, and enhanced outdoor event space.

This is the second expansion of the Poconos property since it opened in 2015 and reflects the growing demand for a unique property that offers meeting space along with the leisure amenities of the largest indoor waterpark resort in the US. There are nearly 1,000 guestrooms on property, which is about a 40-minute drive from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

“The catalyst was twofold,” said Tifani Jones, corporate director of sales for Kalahari Resorts. “We have groups that need more space and it enables us to bid on new business in the group space. We’re able to add a lot more flexible space with this expansion.”

Meeting the Demand for Bleisure Resorts

The mix of business and leisure in a resort setting is proving to be a successful model for Kalahari, which currently has two other properties open, one in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., the other in Sandusky, Ohio. Earlier this year, Wisconsin Dells unveiled its $35 million convention center expansion, adding 112,000 square feet of new space.

Next year, Kalahari will open a property in Round Rock, Texas, just north of Austin, that will include about 200,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,000 guest rooms.

The expansion in the Poconos is reflective of the organization’s belief that leisure and business can work hand in hand and that location, in the case of the Poconos, for example, works to Kalahari’s advantage.

“If you look at location and factor in value, then we are an extremely cost-effective option,” Jones said. “So many more of our meeting attendees like that they have an option for their families and are able to combine all those activities.”

There’s no escaping the destination’s appeal to families due to it 220,000 square foot indoor water park and numerous other activities. The property gets about 1 million visitors annually.

The property has also added new dining options—B-Lux Grill & Bar, for example—that will resonate with meeting attendees along with other restaurants such as Sortino’s Italian Kitchen and Double Cut Charcoal Grill. Kalahari Resorts reports that the family friendly resort amenities combined with convention space leads to an average 20 percent increase in meeting attendance. 

Kalahari’s African-themed décor is filled with artifacts and photos, including in the meeting space. One of the new commissioned works for the expanded convention center will focus on Nelson Mandela.

“We’re a great fit for group needs and the family-friendly aspect is a benefit,” Jones said. “We believe attendance goes up because of our brand.”