Resort expands company’s list of special places
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It is the fourth hotel Delaware North has acquired since 2001 and is part of the nearly 100-year-old hospitality and food service company’s growing portfolio of owned and managed assets.
“We took interest in Holiday Inn West Yellowstone because of its attributes, its position as the West Yellowstone market leader and its location at the gateway to one of the most beloved of America’s national parks,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. “It fits our profile of a special place.”
The Holiday Inn West Yellowstone was built in 1994. One of nearly 40 lodging properties in and around West Yellowstone, it offers guests a 175-seat restaurant; a 125-seat lounge; 10,000 square feet of function space; and an indoor pool, hot tub, dry sauna, fitness room and guest laundry.
Holiday Inn West Yellowstone was built by Montana businessmen Clyde Seely and Bill Howell. The men were looking for the right buyer for their hotel. Their pride of ownership was obvious, Kelly said.
“The craftsmanship that went into the building and the maintenance of the property are excellent,” he said. “It is obvious why the hotel is considered the best choice by tens of thousands of guests every year.”
The lodge will remain a Holiday Inn property for at least 10 years. Kelly said the decision was a strategic one. By keeping the name, he wants to reassure guests that the quality for which the hotel is known won’t be compromised. Still, he plans on making some changes. For example, Delaware North will bring its culinary expertise to the operation, as well as GreenPath®, its award-winning environmental management system.
Delaware North entered the hotel management arena in 1993 when it began operating in Yosemite National Park under the terms of the largest concessions contraction in the National Park Service. Delaware North’s first hotel acquisition – Tenaya Lodge near Yosemite – was made in 2001.
Similarly, Holiday Inn West Yellowstone borders another of Delaware North’s major national park operations. Delaware North operates 13 retail stores in Yellowstone for the park service.
The company’s proficiency as a hotel owner/operator is well-known. It has been recognized by Conde Nast, Hotel Motel Management, Travel + Leisure and USA Today.
Delaware North owns and/or operates 15 other distinctive lodging properties in North America, including eight in Yosemite: The Ahwahnee, Wawona Hotel, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Curry Village, Housekeeping Camp, White Wolf Lodge, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and the High Sierra Camps. In addition, Delaware North owns and operates Tenaya Lodge and the Apple Tree Inn at the south entrance to the park, and built and operates for the National Park Service Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park.
The company also owns and operates Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa in British Columbia, Canada, a historic hotel that dates back to the Gold Rush. Finally, under contracts with state parks departments, Delaware North operates Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, Calif.; and The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio.