BUFFALO, N.Y., and GARDINER, Mont. (June 11, 2019) – Delaware North today announced it has acquired the Best Western by Mammoth Hot Springs in Gardiner, Mont., a hotel near the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The 86-room hotel is located on the banks of the Yellowstone River and features stunning mountain views. It’s only 1.3 miles from the Roosevelt Arch and the north entrance to Yellowstone, the only park entrance open to vehicle traffic year-round.
The property includes the 23-cabin Jim Bridger Motor Court, The Yellowstone Mine restaurant and the Rusty Rail Lounge & Casino, which offers a variety of video poker and keno machines. The complex also features an indoor heated pool, hot tub, saunas and gift shop. The hotel’s meeting room accommodates up to 40 people.
Delaware North began operating the hotel and cabins on Monday, June 10, after the purchase from owner Jim Kemp was finalized.
Delaware North is also expanding its Yellowstone Vacation Tours, which currently run only from West Yellowstone, Mont., at the park’s western entrance, to also originate from the hotel in Gardiner. The summer bus tours feature interpretive guides and include tours of Yellowstone’s upper and lower loops, as well as a wildlife viewing tour to Lamar Valley. Snowcoach tours to Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone will be available from the hotel in winter.
The acquisition expands Delaware North’s portfolio in the region to owning and operating five lodging properties. The company’s other four lodging properties are located in West Yellowstone: the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, Gray Wolf Inn & Suites, Yellowstone Park Hotel and the Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone. Delaware North also operates the 12 general stores in Yellowstone National Park under a contract with the U.S. National Park Service.
“The multifaceted Best Western property in Gardiner is a perfect fit for the type of curated and inclusive hospitality experience that Delaware North is already providing for travelers to Yellowstone National Park,” said Scott Socha, president of Delaware North’s parks and resorts division.
“Because Delaware North is such a strong believer in the Yellowstone region and its appeal as a must-visit destination for travelers from around the world, we’ve chosen to make these investments. This is the fourth hotel that we’ve acquired since 2009, and we developed the Explorer Cabins in 2013, which have been incredibly successful and became a model for similar Delaware North developments near state and national parks,” Socha said.
With the hotel, Delaware North plans to integrate its core business systems and processes, such as its highly regarded customer service program, GuestPath®, and its environmental management program, GreenPath®, into the operations.
Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the United States, is a nearly 3,500-square-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It's also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.
From the north entrance in Gardiner, it’s only 5 miles to Mammoth Hot Springs, a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine near Fort Yellowstone. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate.
About Delaware North's parks and resorts business
Delaware North Parks and Resorts is a global leader in the hospitality industry, operating lodging, food and beverage and retail services, recreational activities, and educational programming at destinations in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Delaware North operates in many of the United States’ iconic national and state parks, including Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Niagara Falls State Park, as well as at cultural attractions such as Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. Its portfolio also includes luxury resorts in Australia. In all, Delaware North owns and operates more than 30 lodging locations. To learn more about Delaware North’s hospitality management expertise, visit http://www.delawarenorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.
About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 55,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue of about $3 billion. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality, at http://www.delawarenorth.com/.