Welk Resorts Embraces Creative, Socially Distanced Activities to Help Customers Find Adventure
Although travelers may be staying closer to home with staycations and road trips, Welk Resorts continues to take guests on far-reaching adventures through new offerings added to its popular INSPIRED For You activities program. The new line up of customized vacation experiences blends spirited, memory-making fun through underwater virtual reality, escape rooms and curated outdoor experiences while emphasizing health, safety and social distancing. What’s more, everything can be done right on property.
Still from their Inspired For You video, all rights reserved to Welk Resorts, Inc.
“Welk Resorts has always strived to help guests connect through inspiring, innovative and fun activities” says Patrick Dolan, chief fun officer for all seven Welk Resorts. “Rather than turning off the fun this summer, we adapted, stepped it up and created new experiences that would create joy for our guests in private settings and in our beautiful outdoor property locations.”
Prior to the pandemic, Dolan attended an amusement park conference where underwater virtual reality was highlighted as an emerging trend not yet embraced by resorts. Following the conference, Welk Resorts became one of the first resort companies to offer DIVR®, the thrill-inducing activity offered by Ballast VR, which also happens to be naturally socially distant. Currently offered at the San Diego and Palm Springs locations, the 30-minute virtual adventure takes place in the pool and offers four different experiences including skydiving, walking on the moon, a journey to the deep-water city of Atlantis and finally an adventure swimming around the Great Barrier Reef, meeting some spectacular marine life along the way. “My favorite Underwater VR experience is definitely sky diving.” Dolan said. “You are in your bathing suit, floating in the pool but the simulation makes you feel like you are darting past mountain tops, barely missing waterfalls and shooting through natural arches, before pulling your parachute and landing on the beach. It is truly an exhilarating experience”
Customers can drift among marine life in our ‘Ocean’ experience.