Melissa Blettner
Melissa Blettner is a visionary hospitality executive and CEO of Boyd Hollow Resorts, where she leads the development of immersive, purpose-driven destinations, including the acclaimed Ancient Lore Village. With more than three decades of experience in hospitality and destination-based attractions, she has built a distinguished career transforming bold concepts into thriving, story-driven experiences that foster connection, inspiration, and a deep sense of belonging. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that hospitality can go beyond service to become a powerful vehicle for human connection, personal transformation, and meaningful shared experiences.
Melissa’s journey in hospitality began at just 16 years old, working at a country club, but it was a formative high school trip to Hawaii that truly defined her path. While staying at the Hyatt Regency Ka'anapali, she was inspired by the idea of creating environments where people could experience joy, connection, and unforgettable moments. She pursued hospitality education and began her career with an internship at a modest rooms-only property in Madison, gaining foundational insight into hotel operations. Over the past four decades, she has worked across nearly every facet of the industry, including front office, sales, catering, marketing, brand development, business development, and human resources. During her 20-year tenure at Great Wolf Resorts, she helped scale the company from a small, family-owned business into the largest owner, operator, and developer of indoor water park resorts in the world. Serving in multiple executive roles, including Senior Vice President of Creative Kingdoms, she led the development of innovative guest experiences such as MagiQuest, while championing a leadership approach centered on empowering experts and fostering high-performing teams.
In 2019, Melissa met Tom Boyd, the visionary founder of Boyd Hollow Resorts, whose mission to create transformative hospitality experiences deeply resonated with her. In 2020, she and her husband relocated from Wisconsin to Tennessee, navigating a period of transition during the pandemic before breaking ground on Ancient Lore Village. Since opening, the destination has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and has become a model for purpose-driven, story-based hospitality. As CEO, Melissa now focuses on strategic growth, business development, and expanding the Boyd Hollow Resorts portfolio, including new concepts such as Bokee’s Trek Experience and a wellbeing retreat centered on longevity and holistic wellness. Passionate about servant leadership, she is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of hospitality leaders and building experiences that inspire people to slow down, connect, and leave the world a little better than they found it.
• University of Wisconsin-Stout - HRM
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - BS, General
• Woman in Hospitality and Tourism
• 40 Under 40
• EWomen Network
• WXO
• FemCity
What do you attribute your success to?
When I think about what I'm most proud of, it's bringing very unique, lasting hospitality products to life. This last September, I went to the original Great Wolf Lodge and stayed for a weekend with my grandchildren, and to see them engaging with the characters that I helped create, to watch them howl with the others - that feeling is indescribable. I have a lot of nieces and nephews who have grown up with the Great Wolf brand because I always worked there, and I always get pictures from them with the wolf ears. Being able to see that lasting impact of what we did and what we were building - it was tough work in times to open up a $600 million resort with 600 rooms and 700 pack members, and we would get that thing running in like 3 days. But to see that impact of how you can create something for generations to come, and to see the consistency of the brand and that heartfelt service - that's what we're doing again with Boyd Hollow Resorts. People may not know what Ancient Lore Village is right now, or they may not have heard of Boyd Hollow Resorts, but they will. I know in my mind that that brand will be just as big, if not bigger, than Great Wolf Lodge. I was fortunate enough to land with Great Wolf when there were only 100 employees, when it was a family-owned company, and I really had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of that whole corporation that brought Great Wolf to what it is today - the largest owner, operator, developer of indoor water park resorts in the world. When this opportunity came about with Boyd Hollow Resorts, I thought, wow, can that opportunity come twice in a lifetime? And that's why I relocated from Wisconsin down to Tennessee - to bring this fabulous experience and product to the world. It's really about the people that you surround yourself with and allowing them to shine, not taking credit for what they do, but really knowing that it's the entire team that puts things together.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say and I think it doesn't even just apply to hospitality, it applies to women in all careers - find something that you're passionate about and make it your superpower. Step into it and know that you are capable and you have everything inside of you that you need. As long as you've got that passion, and you continue to learn and be humble - you know, coming down to Tennessee, I thought, oh well, I've done all of this, I know exactly what to do, I'm going to help them out so much. But really being humble, I've learned so much in these six years that I've been down here doing this. It's been a huge challenge where I walked in and thought, well, I'm seasoned, I know exactly what to do, and I don't. And so you're always learning, and it's really about the people that you surround yourself with and allowing them to shine, not taking credit for what they do, but really knowing that it's the entire team that puts things together. The one thing I think is know that you've got everything inside of you, but also you've got to be humble. My management philosophy is basic human kindness. And the human part of it is important because we don't always get it right because we're human, but if you're humble enough to know that that's okay - it's okay to make mistakes, just don't keep making the same one over and over and over. Women should know that they can stand right alongside their peers. At Great Wolf Resorts, 75% of the people in our senior management room were female, and they stepped into the power, and we knew how to work together, and we respected one another. Right now I'm doing a lot with capital raising and investment, and we're coming into a time when a lot of the private wealth is transferring into women-owned or women-led family offices and women-led influential people. There's a huge wealth transfer that's happening right now, a transition that will take place over the next 10 or 15 years. And those women need to know that they can step into their power and they have what they need to be able to run their family business and keep it going and make those smart decisions and lead with the heart.