According to their recent sneak peek press release, Coco Key will be “New England’s first and largest indoor water park” and “promises to be a major tourism destination for families, groups and vacation travelers.” Ignore the superfluous superlative in the first half of that statement and what’s left is an intriguing and confidently optimistic claim. The question is: Will it hold water? Or is it, in fact, all wet? (It should go without saying that this is both a figurative and a literal concern.) 

On paper, Coco Key reads like your local YMCA on hydrobolic steroids: four full-sized body and raft waterslides totaling almost a quarter mile in length; an interactive play island teeming with water cannons, twisty slides and spray nozzles, not to mention a periodic drenching from a 300-gallon dump bucket; giant whirlpools and an indoor/outdoor spa for adults; a dip-in movie theater that the kiddies can enjoy right from their tube; a meandering 321-foot adventure river; plus an arcade, multiple snack bars, and private cabanas and birthday/group party rooms; and all of it housed in a single facility measuring more than 65,000 square feet — 7,000 square feet more than an entire football field.

Throw in the 190,000 gallons of water that pump through the park’s filtration system every three hours and the balmy 84 degree temperature guaranteed inside the resort year round, and you’ve got yourself every budding statistician’s, ahem, wet dream. But if the raw numbers are impressive, seeing Coco Key in person is something else entirely… mostly because, at this point, it looks almost nothing like it will once construction has ceased.

Other than the blue spaghetti strands twisting their way in and out of the $20-$30 million facility and the four-story staircase leading to said strands, the only real clues that the building will soon be home to a season-proof tropical paradise “inspired by historic Key West” are a few pool-shaped impressions in the concrete and the presence of the aforementioned 300-gallon dump bucket, standing silent guard outside Coco Key’s still non-existent gates. 

Splish splash — taking a bath, or swimming in cash?

Although two-thirds of the Sheraton Ferncroft hotel is located on the Danvers side of the Danvers/Middleton border, the entirety of the Coco Key Water Resort will be situated in Middleton. As Middleton Town Manager Ira Singer explains with a grin, not only are Middleton’s taxes lower than Danvers’s for commercial properties, “we are also a little bit friendlier.”

However, while only Middleton will benefit from the increased tax revenue such a venture provides, not-so-historical precedent indicates that there should be plenty of, well, trickle down.

Firstly, the water park will generate an additional 150 jobs or so for the various employees required to keep the aquatic adventure flowing smoothly. Lifeguards, chefs, and one really large Scarlet Macaw — each plays an important role in keeping the park afloat.

Secondly, with $15 million in renovations being made to the hotel itself, the Sheraton Ferncroft is well on its way to achieving Singer’s goal of “being restored as an economic center on the North Shore.” And it’s not just him saying so.

Arthur Levine, the theme park guide at About.com and someone who has been covering the indoor water park trend since its inception in the early ’90s, cites the Polynesian Hotel in Wisconsin Dells as an example of what an indoor water park can potentially mean to a local economy.

For a long time, “hotels in the Dells” relied primarily on the summer tourist trade to make it through the lean winter months when occupancy would fall to a bare minimum. Then in 1994, the owner of the Polynesian added a small water park attraction to his indoor swimming pool to try to generate a little more business in the shoulder season of late spring and early fall. He was astonished, however, to see people suddenly begin making reservations in the dead of winter, just to play on his indoor water play station. After that, the race was on, with more and more hotels competing to boast the best indoor water attraction in the area. 

The overall result? “An incredible upswing in tourism,” says Levine. “The Wisconsin Dells has essentially become a destination resort area.” He thinks the same thing could happen here in New England where, given the short summers and blustery winters, the concept of an indoor water park inspires the ultimate Duh! Why didn’t I think of that? moment in those who first hear it. 

Edward Carey, director of sales & marketing for Coco Key, echoed Levine’s optimism during the press conference at the official Media and VIP hardhat tour last week. Relating his visit to one of the other branded Coco Key Water Resorts and the effect it had on nearby establishments, Carey gushes, “The hotel was sold out, the restaurants were busy, and it really gave me a clue as to what Coco Key was all about.” 

Later on, Sage Hospitality Resources’ vice president of sales Brad McCreedy picked up the economic rallying cry, touting the success of the first few Coco Key Water Resorts in raising occupancy rates at the affiliated hotels. “What we are seeing is a double-digit increase in occupancy percentages, and we are growing where the market isn’t growing as fast.”

Despite the obvious boon to the hotel itself, McCreedy is quick to point out that “we’re not just selling hotel rooms; we’re selling a family experience.” While that sentiment may come across as a little too Disney Channel for some, it’s likely to be borne out in practice.

 As Levine explains, “It’s not necessarily that a lot of these places think of themselves as indoor water parks, so much as hotels with an indoor water park feature … During the week they might have people coming in for business meetings; but now their families can join them for the weekend.” 

 So how does this influx of hotel guests benefit the surrounding towns? Levine breaks it down. “People are coming primarily for the indoor water parks, yes, but they still need a place to eat, a place to go shopping, and certainly that’s the hope here at Coco Key in Danvers. People will come to the hotel and take advantage of the other venues on the North Shore.” 

Making waves

 Depending on whom you ask, the one down side to the Coco Key Water Resort is that you must be a registered guest at the hotel to use its facilities. Though the park will be able to accommodate approximately 700 people at a time, guests must book a room or a birthday cabana in order to take advantage of it, no matter where they’re coming from.

 In fact, before construction even began, the town of Middleton stipulated that there be no general admission, period, in order to keep motor traffic in the area to a minimum.

Town Manager Singer has said that there will be a limited number of day passes available, though the circumstances by which they can be had have not yet been finalized. For now, the hotel is offering packages ranging from $159 to $259 for a family of four, which will include one night at the hotel and full water park access for the duration of one’s stay.

 The no general admission policy is nothing new. According to Levine, more than half of the existing indoor water parks in America don’t offer day passes, including the Great Wolf Resorts, the biggest chain in the country.

“If people are driving a long distance and staying at the hotel, the hotel naturally wants the guest experience to be as good as it can be. They have to weigh the benefit of making more money versus making their guests happy.” 

 Regardless, he doesn’t think the policy will prove much of a hindrance to Coco Key’s success. “With a full complement of typical indoor water park rides, the people around here are probably going to go bonkers for it.” 

So with a haughty indifference to weather conditions that would make the post office blush and a perpetual atmosphere of “Swimmy Buffet” bliss, only one question remains: Water you waiting for? 

For more information on indoor water parks and other theme parks, visit themeparks.about.com.

Trevor Macomber is a freelance writer.