Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is set to expand its convention center in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains to meet demand. Between 40 and 45 percent of the company’s business comes from conventions, and demand is expected to outstrip capacity sooner than expected. Last year the company broke ground at its Wisconsin Dells resort to increase the existing convention space by 112,000 square feet to 212,000 square feet. That project is expected to be finished in September 2019. Last month, Kalahari Resorts broke ground on an addition to the Poconos Mountain Convention Center that will double the space to 205,000 square feet and create two new ballrooms—38,000 and 9,000 square feet—that will join two existing ballrooms of 25,000 and 9,000 square feet. The resort will also add 18 breakout and meeting rooms, bringing the total to 33 rooms. Travis Nelson, a member of the family that owns the company, said of the project, “The completion of this expansion will allow the company to meet the current and future projected demands for group rooms in the area.”
Located in Tobyhanna Township, about 90 miles east of New York City, the resort has 1,000 guest rooms and, at 220,000 square feet, the largest indoor water park in the United States. Another attraction unique to the area is The Arena, a free-roaming virtual reality environment that offers two different experiences: Zombie Survival, a first-person shooter game, and the Engineerium, a puzzle adventure.
Earlier this spring, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions broke ground on a new resort and conference center in Round Rock, Texas. The 350,000-acre complex will include 1,000 guest rooms and a 200,000-square-foot conference center slated to open in 2020.
