Business

As the promise of revenues from retail is fading, the face of tourism in and around Gilroy continues to evolve and become more important to the city coffers. Gilroy Welcome Center Director Jane Howard has taken out ads around the world to let people know about all that Gilroy offers and has high hopes for new tourist attractions.

The Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove is huge—with nine stories, 603 rooms, a full water park, seven restaurants, an arcade, shops, animatronics and a hotel-wide interaction action-adventure video game.

Gilroy city officials visited the Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California and days later a representative from the national water park hotel group came to Gilroy seeking feedback from locals.

Within minutes, the mind wanders off to distant forests and worries melt away, if only for a while. Dawn Culp at The Zen Room, may have the cure for the work-a-day blues. And for a reasonable price too.

Total employees, 678 – most part-time, seasonal

The owner of Union Taxi Company of Gilroy says ride-sharing companies like Lyft and Uber have been killing his business. Pedro Virgen, 50, who has owned the company since 2006, has seen his business shrink from eight taxis and a dozen employees to three cabs and two drivers.

True or false: The City of Gilroy owns a tourist attraction business called Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park. That’s false.

There’s a new buzz and excitement going around downtown Gilroy these days. Several new businesses have either recently opened or will open in the very near future alongside businesses who are expanding their offerings.

As Gilroy grows so does tourism to the Garlic Capital and when visitors arrive, they need someplace to stay. To accommodate that Ace Construction and Blue Diamond Hospitality are building a Hampton Inn at Travel Park Circle near the Garlic Farm Travel Center and Highway 101.

Dear Red Phone: It’s been a year since the Longhouse Restaurant was closed due to fire. Will it ever reopen?