Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
The Delaware North Yellowstone portfolio expanded with the purchase of the Best Western by Mammoth Hot Springs, as the hospitality and concessions giant adds a fifth area hotel to its holdings.
Delaware North operates 12 general stores in Yellowstone National Park (the former Hamilton Stores, for those with long memories) under a contract with the U.S. National Park Service and a Yellowstone Vacations Tours service. The Delaware North Yellowstone lodging portfolio includes Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, Gray Wolf Inn & Suites, Yellowstone Park Hotel and the Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone, all located in West Yellowstone. As part of the purchase, Delaware North will also expand its Yellowstone Vacation Tours service to include tours from Gardiner; currently the tours are offered only from Delaware North’s West Yellowstone properties,
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.
“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, in a press statement. “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.”
