From Paper to Personalized Praise
The solution was to evolve its existing paper-based program into a lightweight, tech-driven platform. The result is a system that stands out for its simplicity. With no app to download or logins to create, guests and employees can send a “High Paw” recognition in seconds via a web-based portal, which immediately delivers the praise via text or email.
“If you want to engage your frontline teams, make it easy,” Minjares-Rauschenberg advised. “For us, that meant meeting our frontline pack members where they are—on their phones, via text. When your people are constantly on the move, simplicity is everything.”
Surprising Results and Tangible Impact
This “leader-led and employee-centered” implementation, which followed a successful two-lodge pilot in 2024, has yielded surprising and powerful results since its full rollout in March 2025. Pack Members have sent over 40,000 peer-to-peer recognitions—roughly one per employee per month—while guests have submitted more than 20,000 “High Paws.”
Perhaps most impressively, the feedback has illuminated the efforts of employees in roles that traditionally have less direct guest interaction. “It’s been great to see how guests have had such positive interactions – even with departments that traditionally have less direct interaction like housekeeping, maintenance, and security – and that they take the time to share personal recognition,” Minjares-Rauschenberg noted.
This direct line from guest to employee is also creating tangible business outcomes. Hylite includes a feature that allows guests to instantly copy their positive message to a public Google Review. The impact was immediate. Since the rollout, Great Wolf Lodge attributes approximately 20% of all 5-star Google Reviews across its 22 U.S. locations to the High Paws program.
Closing the Feedback Gap
Marissa Fetter Hochster, CEO and Founder of Hylite, says this approach fundamentally shifts the dynamic for frontline workers. “Research shows the most effective feedback is immediate and specific,” Hochster stated. “In corporate settings, that kind of feedback often happens naturally. For frontline teams, it’s much harder to come by. Real-time recognition delivered via text helps close that gap–giving frontline employees the kind of timely, specific feedback that’s often only possible in an office environment.”
This shift not only empowers employees but also makes managers’ jobs easier, allowing them to lead with positive reinforcement based on real examples from guests and colleagues.
For other hospitality brands wrestling with labor challenges and evolving guest expectations, Great Wolf Lodge’s experience offers a clear lesson. In an era of “survey fatigue,” a simple, positive-only feedback mechanism can generate more authentic engagement than traditional methods. As Hochster noted, “asking less of guests often results in more feedback overall.”
By focusing on a tool that “adds energy, not complexity,” Great Wolf Lodge has done more than launch a new platform; it has reinforced its people-first culture. “A single High Paw can reframe how someone sees their role,” Minjares-Rauschenberg shared. “Employees say they feel more valued, more motivated, and more connected to their purpose.”
While still tracking key metrics like employee retention and eNPS, the early results and heartwarming stories signal they are on the right path, setting a new standard for how the industry can celebrate the people who create guest magic every day.
