Delaware North Companies has good news to share on the travel front, despite the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. The $2 billion global leader in hospitality and food services owns and/or operates 15 lodging properties in unique places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Harrison Hot Springs, a town that traces its roots to the Gold Rush of the 1900s.
“We have long referred to them as special places,” said
Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. “What we’re learning now is that our guests agree.”
According to the U.S. Travel Association, the number of domestic travelers this summer will be at a five-year low. In addition, U.S. Travel Association expects nearly 10 percent fewer international travelers will arrive on U.S. soil this year.
Yet some of Delaware North’s locations are bucking the trend. At the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, an Ohio state park hotel, booked room nights are up 13 percent for April through June. In fact, the lodge’s occupancy in April was the highest in its six-year history. What makes the story more powerful is the fact that the nearby Cleveland market experienced an 11-percent decline in its occupancy from January through April, according to Smith Travel Research:
January 2009 – April 2009
| | Occupancy | Avg. Rate | Rev. Per Available Room |
| The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake | + 2.8% | + 1.3% | + 4.2% |
| Cleveland Market | -11.4% | - 4.0% | -14.9% |
Source: Smith Travel Research
News is positive as well in Yosemite National Park, where Delaware North handles virtually all guest services, including the management of eight lodging properties that range from wilderness camps in the High Sierra to The Ahwahnee, a lavish four-diamond hotel that is widely considered the sweetheart of national park lodges. If visitation over the Memorial Day weekend is any indication, the company is poised for a good season. And that was before the U.S. National Park Service announced it is sponsoring three fee-free weekends this summer at Yosemite and 146 other parks. Delaware North is further enticing guests with a $5 online coupon that is good on retail, recreation and dining.
Tenaya Lodge, a four-diamond property located a stone’s through from Yosemite’s southern entrance and the giant sequoia trees, is projecting a 9-percent increase in business over last year. Delaware North has owned and operated the resort since 2001.
“Research is telling us that the need to escape the stress of our current economy makes our locations ideal retreats,” said Kelly, adding that none of Delaware North’s hotels is found in a metropolitan area.
“Surrounded by natural beauty, guests have the ability to focus on what is truly important (friends, family, relationships, self). In addition, Delaware North has many affordable options for people who are reluctant to break the bank in such a shaky economy.”
To wit: The Lodge at Yosemite Falls is $207/night. Rooms at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, which USA Today dubbed the best bet for lodging in the Ohio wine country, go for $119 to $189/night. The Lake Erie shoreline and indoor and outdoor pools sweeten the deal at Geneva.
It’s wise not to count your chickens before they’re hatched, but given how many guests are following through on their vacation plans, Kelly is looking closer than ever at reservations.
“From January through May, we experienced 43 percent less no-shows and fewer cancellations than we did during the same period in 2008.”
He again cites guests’ strong desire for R and R, also giving credit to his marketing team.
“We use a highly targeted approach with a strong use of guest profiling for our marketing efforts. In other words, we know who is likely to book, so we focus our efforts on those audiences.”
