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DENVER, CO. – As most national parks wind down their busy vacation seasons, several in-park lodges are offering reduced rates and packages.
“Accommodations in national parks are already good deals, and with peak season behind us, they get even better,” said Judi Lages, vice president of sales and marketing for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Xanterra operates lodges, restaurants, gift shops and activities in those and many other U.S. national parks and resorts.
Some packages can be booked online. For complete information including reservations numbers, visit the web sites indicated. Here are some examples of special winter deals:
At the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, both the Maswik and Yavapai Lodges (www.grandcanyonlodges.com) offer reduced rates. The Winter Value Rate is $78 per night plus tax at Maswik South and Yavapai West, and $94 per night plus tax at Maswik North and Yavapai East Lodges. The Winter Value Rate is available from Nov. 25, 2007 through March 6, 2008, excluding Dec. 21, 2007 through Jan. 5, 2008 and Feb. 15 through Feb. 17, 2008. The rates are good for single or double occupancy. The cost for each additional person in the room is $9. Children 16 and under stay at no extra charge. Lodge and room type are subject to availability and seasonal closures. Summer rates at these hotels range from $78 to $139 per night.
Visitors to the Grand Canyon can also arrive via Williams, Ariz. on the Grand Canyon Railway (www.thetrain.com). The two-night “Canyon Limited” package features roundtrip coach-class train travel between Williams and Grand Canyon Village, one night of accommodations Grand Canyon National Park, one night of accommodations at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, a motorcoach tour of the Canyon’s South Rim with lunch, one breakfast and one dinner per person. Rates now through March 14, 2008 are $209 per person.
From Dec. 1, 2007 through March 13, 2008, travelers can experience Zion National Park’s winter season at special “Zion in Winter” rates. The nightly rate for a Sunday-through-Thursday stay at Zion Lodge (www.zionlodge.com) is $81 for a standard room, $91 for a western cabin and $111 for a suite. On Fridays and Saturdays, the rate is $91 for a standard room, $101 for a western cabin and $121 for a suite. The rates are $10 higher than weekend rates during the holiday periods of Dec. 21-30, 2007 and Feb. 15-19, 2008. The “Zion in Winter” rate includes breakfast and is based on double occupancy and does not include taxes or gratuities. Each additional person in the room is $10 (room only). This offer is not available on Dec. 31, 2007 or Feb. 14, 2008. Other packages, however, are offered on these special occasions. Guests should mention the promotion code “WNTR” when making reservations.
In Yellowstone National Park, the focus in winter is on combining accommodations and specific experiences. Because most of the park closes to wheeled vehicles in the winter, many visitors prefer the convenience of Xanterra’s “Winter Getaway” and interpretation-based “Lodging & Learning” packages (www.travelyellowstone.com). The park’s winter season begins Dec. 19, 2007 with the opening of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel opens Dec. 21, 2007. The lodges provide the only wintertime accommodations within the park. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will close for the season March 2, 2008, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge will close March 9, 2008. Winter Getaway packages are valid Jan. 1 through March 2, 2008 at Mammoth Hot Springs and through March 9 at the Snow Lodge.
“Trail of the Wolf” in Yellowstone is a package featuring guided snowmobiling in the interior of the park and wildlife watching by van in the park's Northern Range. This package includes three nights of lodging split between Old Faithful and Mammoth, a round-trip guided snowmobile tour between Old Faithful and Mammoth, a “Wake up to Wildlife” tour of the Lamar Valley and more. Rates start at $359 per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy for two nights at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and one night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Rates start at $489 per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy for two nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and one night at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
The Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort (www.furnacecreekresort.com) in Death Valley National Park is offering the “Stay & Play” package. The package is for two people and includes overnight accommodations at the Furnace Creek Inn or the Furnace Creek Ranch, unlimited golf for one day, golf cart and club storage.
The package is available at the Ranch and the Inn with rates starting at $216 at the Ranch and $358 at the Inn through Nov. 21. From Nov. 25 through Dec. 20, rates start at $195 at the Ranch and $320 at the Inn. From Jan. 2 through Feb. 14, 2008 rates start at $199 at the Ranch and $328 at the Inn. Rates are for two people based on double occupancy and do not include taxes. Some blackout dates apply.
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 park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, 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. Xanterra operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.
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 has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.
Media contact:
Mona Mesereau
(1) 720-842-5271
mona_mesereau@msn.com