The Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark is a resort

Resort

A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....

 hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 and indoor waterpark located in Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

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Location and description

The Grand Harbor is located on the banks of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, next to the Grand River Event Center

Grand River Event Center

The Grand River Event Center is a convention center located in Dubuque, Iowa. It is on the riverfront of the Mississippi River, and is part of the America's River Campus at the Port of Dubuque. The center is located at 500 Bell Street....

. The Grand Harbor is one of the newer hotels within the city. It is managed by the Platinum Hospitality Group.

The resort features 193 rooms, 31 of which are suites. All of the rooms have a small refrigerator, microwave, and a 27 inches (685.8 mm) television. The entire hotel is equipped with high speed wireless internet. Due to its location near the river, the rooms have a view of either the Mississippi River or the City of Dubuque's downtown area. The hotel features meeting spaces, the two Platinum rooms on the second floor as well as a boardroom. In addition, the Grand Harbor is attached to the Grand River Center, a large event center located on the Mississippi.

The adjoining water park is the first indoor waterpark within the state of Iowa. The waterpark has 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²), with a tube waterslide, a regular pool, basketball pool, a lazy river, kiddie pool, hot tub, and a multi-story tree house complete with smaller slides, water guns, and an 850 gallon bucket that dumps water every 8 minutes.

The Mississippi Riverwalk adjoins the hotel. Near the hotel is the Shot Tower, the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Diamond Jo Casino, and the Dubuque Star Brewery. The Alliant Energy Amphitheater is located next to the brewery, and is the site of concerts and other events.

Impact

With the addition of the Grand Harbor, and with construction proceeding on a new Hilton hotel, many in the hotel industry have come to feel that the hotel market in Dubuque was becoming saturated. Because of this, the Dubuque Inn - which had been open since 1971 - was sold and then closed. The family that had owned the Dubuque Inn also put their other property - the Days Inn

Days Inn

Days Inn is a motel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant...

 - up for sale as well. Despite this, a number of hotel chains were still interested in establishing properties in Dubuque, and the Dubuque Inn has since been gutted and a portion of the original hotel building is being rebuilt as a Hampton Inn

Hampton Inn

'Hampton Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Hampton by Hilton are the names of a brand of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. Most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees, though a few are owned and/or managed by the Hilton Hotels Corporation...

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