Skiing in Texas?

Howdy!
I'm here today to discuss a new development that would allow Texans to hit the slopes without ever leaving the state. And I'm not just talking about Mount Aggie. Rather, I'm talking about this, a new proposed indoor ski resort and many other things tentatively set to open in Grand Prairie, Texas in 2018.

I think this project is fascinating, yet also worrisome. Let's get the interesting things out of the way first. Obviously, this is an indoor ski resort, an idea which is in and of itself very very cool. I'm sure there are at least a couple dozen of them around the world, but the only other one I've ever heard of is the one in Dubai, which made quite a few headlines several years ago. Additionally, this resort will diversify its revenue streams by also including retail, a movie theater, and a Hard Rock Hotel. The affiliation with Hard Rock is especially interesting in that it will allow the development to get business from people who want to stay at the hotel without necessarily using the ski slope. This helps to widen the potential audience. Its also interesting that the project has already raised over $200 million, which, while seemingly a large amount of money, only covers half of the projected costs. And that's not taking into account any overruns that are typical of such a complex project. I also think its interesting that Dallas, of all places, was the first place this company chose to build a ski slope in America. I would love to see the feasibility study that made them choose Dallas over more typical resort towns like Orlando, Los Angeles, or San Diego.

In addition to the things that interest me about the project, there are some aspects of it that worry me. For one, I don't know how good it is for the development to be associated with the Hard Rock Hotels brand. Hard Rock Hotels, from what I have read, have generally struggled when they don't also include a casino. Thus, the most successful Hard Rock Hotels have been in Las Vegas, Florida, and Oklahoma. Since Texas doesn't allow gambling, I don't think that's a good sign for the hotel. Additionally, I don't know that Hard Rock Hotels have any particular demand over any other luxury hotel chain, but perhaps it does have its loyal customers. Also, having spent a good deal of time in Dallas, I know that the movie theater market is pretty well saturated. Every mall in the Metroplex has a movie theater, on top of the countless other theaters and specialty theaters that are able to differentiate their products. I don't know that this theater would be able to compete with others well enough to warrant the additional cost to build it. Lastly, I feel like the specialty resort market in Dallas is fairly saturated, especially considering Dallas' status as being a less attractive tourist destination than many other cities in America. With Great Wolf Lodge, the Gaylord Texan, and the Hilton Anatole already well-entrenched in the area, I don't know if a new place such as this will be able to gain enough traction to be truly successful.

Overall, however, I must say that this is a very exciting project, and one I will keep my eye out for news on in the coming years. I very much look forward to being able to go skiing without having to go to the mountains.