DENVER - Xanterra Parks & Resorts® is the largest park and resort management company in the country. Operations span the country from the desert of Death Valley National Park to the swamplands of Everglades National Park.
Xanterra's mission is to be recognized as the leader in park and resort hospitality. Whether guests are seeking a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Phantom Ranch, located on the floor of the Grand Canyon, or a luxurious spa vacation at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif., they can be assured of professionally managed hotels, restaurants, tours, activities and shops.
President and CEO of the group is Andrew N. Todd, who orchestrated the company's acquisition in 1995 of TW Recreational Services, a move which added several management contracts to Xanterra's portfolio. Prior to being appointed as president and CEO, Todd was senior vice president of portfolio management for Chicago-based JMB Realty Corporation, an affiliate of Xanterra's parent. Other top executives include: Stephen W. Tedder, vice president, national parks; Richard D. Morrissey, III, CHA, vice president of resorts; Judith L. Lages, vice president, sales & marketing; and Michael F. Welch, vice president, finance.
The company employs approximately 100 people in its corporate headquarters and central reservations office that books accommodations for facilities at the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and Death Valley and some 7,000 people during the peak season at parks and resorts nationwide.
Xanterra is recognized for being an aggressive and innovative protector of the environment, and its programs were enough to garner the attention of both the U.S. Department of Interior and the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in 2001. The Department of Interior recognized Xanterra's environmental stewardship efforts by presenting the company with its 2001 Environmental Achievement Award. Xanterra was the only concessioner - and one of only 13 winners in three categories - to receive the award. Just 24 hours later, the Travel Industry Association, representing the $582 billion travel industry, presented Xanterra with its 2001 Odyssey Award in the Environment category in recognition of "excellence and exceptional achievements in travel and tourism."
With continued emphasis on environmentally friendly tourism, Xanterra's environmental preservation and recycling programs at national parks have achieved widespread acclaim. More than 200 tons of material is recycled at Yellowstone alone.
The company's long and renowned history of hospitality began in the late 1800s with the Fred Harvey Company, known throughout the West for its well-managed hotels and restaurants along the route of the Santa Fe Railroad, including the Grand Canyon. Harvey devised a system of warning restaurant kitchen staff of the imminent arrival of train passengers via the telegraph wire, thus allowing the kitchens to feed hundreds of travelers in a short period of time.
The company showed its innovative side time and again. "Harvey Girls," adventurous young women recruited to provide service at the company's restaurants along the railroad, brought refinement and friendly smiles to rugged and remote areas of the Southwest.
In the early 1900s, the company's hiring of female architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was a bold move in its own right at the time. Colter was charged with the creation of structures throughout the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Among her creations is the award-winning Hopi House, a gift shop patterned after Hopi dwellings in Arizona.
In 1968, Fred Harvey Company was purchased by Amfac Parks & Resorts. In 1988, a privately held Chicago company, Northbrook Corporation, purchased Amfac. Following the acquisition of TW Recreational Services in 1995, the company relocated from Flagstaff, Ariz. to the Denver area. It was renamed Xanterra Parks & Resorts® in April 2002.
In recent years, Xanterra has emerged as a leader in orchestrating effective, efficient partnerships with the National Park Service. For example, the company funded the construction of a 10,000-square-foot gift and foodservice facility at Mount Rushmore. Xanterra funded the $18 million Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the $3.7 million Dunraven Lodge in Yellowstone National Park.
Following is a brief description of each Xanterra operation:
Grand Canyon National Park (North and South Rims), Arizona
Xanterra operates eight hotels and 11 restaurants as well as retail outlets, a museum, observation stations, motorcoach tours and the popular mule rides to the foot of the canyon. The El Tovar Hotel, constructed in 1905, is considered the architectural crown jewel of the park.
Architect Colter created many of the buildings including the Hopi House; Lookout Studio, overlooking Bright Angel Point; Bright Angel Lodge; Hermit's Rest Gift Shop; Desert View Watchtower; and Phantom Ranch, at the foot of the canyon.
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon’s vistas, foliage and wildlife on its North and South Rims vary dramatically because the North Rim is more than 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Xanterra-operated lodging includes The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins, Old Faithful Inn, Grant Village, Canyon Lodge and Cabins (including the Dunraven and Cascade Lodges), Lake Yellowstone Hotel, Lake Lodge, Roosevelt Lodge and Cabins, Old Faithful Lodge and Cabins and Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Cabins. Restaurants and gift shops are located in most hotels. Among the most popular dining experiences is the Cowboy Cuisine Old West-Style cookout, accessible only by horseback or wagon.
In addition to lodging offerings, Xanterra operates a full-service recreational vehicle park, four campgrounds, guided horseback riding excursions, guided fishing and a marina.
The expansive 2.2-million-acre park is best known for its geysers and wildlife, including bear, moose, bison and elk.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Congress designated this 36,000-acre land of red rock spires, pillars and temples in Southern Utah as a national park in 1928. Xanterra-managed facilities include the Bryce Canyon Lodge, with 70 guest rooms, three deluxe suites and 40 log rustic cabins; a year-round visitor center; the Bryce Canyon Lodge Dining Room; gift shop; general store, van tours, horseback rides, and shower and laundry facilities.
Zion National Park, Utah
With more than 146,000 acres, this national park is noted for the striking cliffs and rocks that form Zion Canyon and the box-shaped Kolob Canyons, with sheer, 1,500-foot walls. Open year-round, the Zion Lodge offers 81 guest rooms, suites and 40 Western-style cabins.
Everglades National Park, Florida
A subtropical swamp area in Southern Florida, Everglades National Park is recognized for its wildlife, especially crocodiles, alligators and egrets. The Flamingo Lodge, Marina & Outpost Resort offers guest rooms and cabins, a restaurant and full-service marina and rental houseboats, boat tours, canoe rentals and fishing guides.
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Xanterra manages the gift shop at this 94,000-acre national park which features Indian ruins, petrified wood and colorful desert land.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Xanterra operates the 71-room Crater Lake Lodge along with the restaurant, campgrounds, gift shops, boating and gasoline station at Crater Lake National Park. The country's fifth national park, Crater Lake is an extinct volcano in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon. The caldera that resulted when Mount Mazama erupted some 7,700 years ago has filled with water to create the deepest lake in the country at 1,947 feet.
Death Valley National Park, California
Designated a national monument in 1933 and later a national park, Death Valley features the lowest point in the Americas, 282 feet below sea level. Xanterra's Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort and nearby Stovepipe Wells Village together offer six lighted tennis courts, natural spring-fed outdoor pools, an 18-hole golf course, nine restaurants, a general store, RV camping spaces, horseback riding, hiking, a museum and Scotty's Castle, a $2 million Moorish-style mansion.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills near Keystone, S.D., features the dramatic, 60-foot-high sculptures of four U.S. presidents - Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The monument, visible from 60 miles away, was carved by sculptor Gutzon Borglum from 1927 to 1941. In 1996, Xanterra opened a new 10,000-square-foot gift shop, cafeteria and fast-food facility at the memorial.
Ohio State Parks
Xanterra operates resorts within seven of Ohio’s lush state parks. The resorts offer a variety of lodging choices, restaurants, recreational amenities and meeting space. The Ohio State Park System has been ranked the top state park system in the country.
Salt Fork Resort & Conference Center (Cambridge, Ohio) offers 148 guest rooms, 54 furnished two-bedroom cabins, full-service restaurant and lounge, eight meeting rooms, 18-hole championship golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, sailing, canoeing, fishing, boat rentals, basketball and billiards.
Punderson Manor Resort & Conference Center (Newbury) features 31 guest rooms, 26 cabins, restaurant, lounge, three meeting rooms, business services, 18-hole championship golf course, outdoor pool, tennis, basketball, cross-country skiing, sledding, hiking and bicycle trails, boating and fishing.
Burr Oak Resort & Conference Center (Burr Oak) offers 60 rooms, 30 cabins, restaurant, lounge, five meeting rooms, business services, indoor pool, game room, tennis, basketball, boating, fishing, hiking trails, hunting and pontoon boat rides.
Shawnee Resort & Conference Center (Friendship) is located along the Ohio River a short distance from Cincinnati and Columbus. The property features 50 rooms, 25 cabins, seven meeting rooms and an 18-hole championship golf course adjacent to the river.
Maumee Bay Resort & Conference Center (Oregon) features 120 guest rooms overlooking Lake Erie, 20 cabins, restaurant, lounge, gift shop, fitness center, 11 meeting rooms, business services, 18-hole championship golf course, racquetball, tennis, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, whirlpools, boating, fishing, beach, amphitheater, hiking trails, nature center, basketball, volleyball and marina.
Mohican Resort & Conference Center (Perrysville) offers 96 guest rooms with private balconies, lake-view restaurant, lounge, gift shop, meeting rooms, bike rentals, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, lighted tennis courts, basketball, ice-skating, sauna and fishing.
Hueston Woods Resort & Conference Center (College Corner) offers 94 lakeside guest rooms, 58 cabins, full-service restaurant, lounge, six meeting rooms, business services, 18-hole championship golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, fitness facility, boating, fishing, hiking trails, cross-country skiing and game room.
Silverado Country Club & Resort, Napa, California
Situated in the breathtaking Napa Valley, this resort and country club offers studio, one- , two-, and three-bedroom condominiums, two Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed championship golf courses, three restaurants, tennis courts, outdoor pools and full-service spa. The main clubhouse was built as an elegant residence in the 1870s by Civil War hero General John Franklin Miller.
Gideon Putnam Hotel & Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, New York
Located in the center of a 2,000-acre park near Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the Gideon Putnam Hotel & Conference Center features guest rooms and suites, a Conference Center with 20 private function rooms and a Grand Ballroom with space for up to 500 guests, restaurant, 18-hole championship golf course, nine-hole par 3 course, eight tennis courts, three outdoor swimming pools, jogging trails, ice-skating, cross-country ski trails and dog-sledding, horseback-riding and world-famous mineral baths.
Within walking distance is the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York City Ballet and Opera companies. The Saratoga Harness Track is just a short distance from the hotel.
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Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts®, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® is the country’s largest national park concessioner. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone National Park, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Death Valley National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Everglades National Park, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L. C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts'® environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® was selected as a member of the EPA “Environmental Performance Track” program in 2003. Also in 2003, Xanterra Parks & Resorts'® Grand Canyon operations received the Arizona Tourism Award for Preservation and its operations at Mount Rushmore received the prestigious ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard Certification. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® was the recipient of Environmental Achievement Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 and from the Department of Interior in 2001 and 2002. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® also received the Travel Industry Association’s Odyssey Award for its environmental initiatives in 2001.
For more information about Xanterra and links to individual properties, visit: www.xanterra.com. For reservations and more information about Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion or Death Valley, call (1) 303-297-2757 or toll-free at (1) 888-297-2757. For reservations and more information about Yellowstone, call (1) 307-344-7311. For reservations and more information about Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park, call (1) 800-600-3813 or (1) 239-695-3101. For reservations at Crater Lake Lodge, call (1) 541-830-8700. For reservations and more information about Ohio State Park Resorts, call (1) 800-282-7275.
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