It has been 17 years since Great Wolf Lodge opened its doors in the Poconos and the 400,000-square-foot complex in Pocono Township, has reached its capacity, according to Murray Hennessy, CEO of Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains.

In March, the corporation announced plans to build 30 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom villas, along with an updated grand lobby, a toddler pool and three new full-service dining concepts.

“Our focus has always been toward family and by building the villas, with a full kitchen that will sleep 12 to 14, it allows larger families to be together on vacation,” said Jason Lasecki, vice-president of the Great Wolf Lodge Corp.

“Then, in addition to the plans announced in March, Great Wolf Lodge broke ground Thursday and announced they broke ground to add a 40,000-square-foot addition to the water park that will include two new slides that are unique to the Great Wolf Lodge and 202-room tower that will bring the total number of rooms to 632,” he said.

“We are also adding a camping-themed restaurant that is intended to give families the feeling of eating under the stars,” Lasecki said.

The larger Pocono resort will also add about 350 jobs, bringing the resort’s number of employees to more than 1,000.