NISSWA-"Grand View does it again. It's as simple as that."
With a nearly $50 million expansion project in the works, Nisswa's Grand View Lodge stands out as one of the top tourist destinations in the lakes area, according to John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota tourism.
"This certainly is very unique for Minnesota. It's a one-of-a-kind place," Edman said of Grand View. "It really brings forth the concept of a resort, but in a new and a different way, providing all the amenities that consumers are looking for today."
Those amenities will soon include a new recreation center, wedding chapel, luxury hotel and a series of new cottages, creating not only new products for customers but a slew of new jobs and economic boosters for the community as well. Grand View General Manager Mark Ronnei expects the expansion to generate 60-100 more year-round and seasonal jobs at the resort, which means big things for Nisswa.
"It's the largest economic development at any time that the city has ever seen," said Shawn Hansen, Nisswa Chamber of Commerce president. "The fact that they're going to have almost as many guests stay at Grand View as our population is of the city is huge for us. We know that that just means our restaurants, our downtown, every part of all the attractions around here will see an increase based on that development project going on."
ADVERTISEMENT
The 2016 census puts Nisswa's population right about 2,000 people. Ronnei said Grand View will be able to sleep 1,500 guests when the expansion is complete.
The hotel-set to officially open July 1, 2019, although guests are already booked for late June next year-will add 60 rooms, 20 with two queen beds and 40 with one king. Lower level rooms will have a sliding door opening to a patio, while Romeo and Juliet-style balconies will complement the upper level rooms.
The goal of the hotel, Ronnei said, is to better accommodate guests staying at the resort for business conferences.
"We've been pretty successful in selling what we have, but it appeals to a market that would never look at a cabin or a condo or a townhome," he said, noting Grand View is already a popular location for business conferences, but many of those guests would rather stay in a single upscale hotel room rather than cabin shared with others.
"It's that really nice upscale hotel with every room having a view. So there's no parking lot views in this baby. It's all park and golf course and trees and ponds," Ronnei said. "The hotel itself is going to be more modern than anything we've done in terms of decor."
Those picturesque views and modern decor will make for luxury hotel rooms comparable in cost to those in Minneapolis, Ronnei said, though no definite price points have yet been set.
High-tech conference rooms, gathering spaces, a coffee shop and additional room for wedding guests and modern spaces for out-of-towners who aren't accustomed to cabin living is another benefit of the hotel.
And for larger groups that may want the more signature "up north" feel of the lakes area, two new residential communities are available. Twenty Craftsman-style two-, three- and four-bedroom cottages will overlook The Pines Golf Course in the Fairway Pines community, while 21 similarly styled four-bedroom homes will sit in the Garden Course Cottages community.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ronnei said the latter will be able to comfortably sleep up to 14 people.
With plenty of room to lodge guests for big events like weddings, the resort should get plenty of use out of its new wedding chapel. Adorned with stained glass, working chimes and the must-have steeple, the quaint little white building sits among the trees. One couple already made use of the chapel with a ceremony over the weekend, and Ronnei said future brides and grooms will be able to enjoy a wedding lawn next door for outdoor activities. The tennis courts there now will be relocated to space by the new recreation center.
With more room for guests and more attractions drawing them in comes higher demand for activities, and Grand View has that covered, too, with the addition of the recreation center-set to open in February-outfitted with matching indoor/outdoor lap pools, a line of treadmills, room for yoga and spinning classes, and space for children's activities.
Both Ronnei and Director of Marketing Frank Soukup said the demand for wellness opportunities is growing in the tourism industry. Surrounded by tennis, volleyball, basketball and pickleball courts, along a soccer field, climbing wall and cornhole stadium, the rec center's goal is to fit that need. Guests interested in yoga and spinning will be able to take classes with both in-person and virtual instructors.
"We want to be able to have ... a lot more on-demand, so people don't need to bend to our schedule," Ronnei said. "We can accommodate their schedule. And that's the key to vacation, being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it."
The resort's new website www.gvlfun.com-also available next month in a mobile app-aims to let guests do just that.
"It's your ability to plan your whole vacation, every activity you want to do, all your dining reservations," Soukup said. "You have your itinerary set for when you arrive, and that's pretty awesome. Sign up for your boogie board, your banana boat rides, your fishing trips with the kids. And if you don't decide to do any of them, you just cancel and sit around at a campfire and drink wine. And that's OK, too."
While some customers like to make strict plans, Edman noted another kind of vacationer, too.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Some people just want to have the option. Whether or not they're going to do it, that's another question," he said. "But you go to a place like this, you have so many different opportunities of things to do. They may just end up sitting in their cabin and reading a book or going for a stroll in the woods or whatever. They may not use all the facilities, but they want to come here because they know it's an option."
With so many options, Edman thinks Grand View is going to attract many different vacationers, but he has one particular demographic in mind.
"A lot of travelers, particularly younger travelers, are looking for experiences. They're looking to invest in activities. They're looking to invest in the memories more so than things," he said. "The discretionary money that they have, they're willing to invest in something that's going to last a long time."
The trend of millennials chasing exciting experiences is seen around the world, Edman said. And they're swaying away from popular travel sites to find that excitement.
"They're willing to venture into other destinations a lot more so than they have before," he said, "which really gives us an opportunity as a state-which isn't really necessarily your New York, Vegas, California kind of thing-to really hold that niche of something new and unique and authentic."
Grand View certainly fits the bill as a unique destination, ready to capture the hearts of travelers in any stage of life and instill memories for years to come.
"There's so many different types of people and what they expect out of vacation," Soukup said. "We're just trying to cater to them all."
