Parks and Resorts
April 2022
Delaware North debuts Courtyard by Marriott Titusville – Kennedy Space Center
Delaware North in April 2022 debuted the five-floor, 152-room Courtyard by Marriott Titusville – Kennedy Space Center, fulfilling a long-held vision of the company to own and operate a hotel near the famous space port.
The hotel features a rooftop bar and restaurant, The Space Bar; a resort-style pool; and other amenities in a convenient location closest to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, including its launch pads and adjacent visitor complex.
May 2022
Jim Bridger Explorer Cabins offer immersive Yellowstone National Park experiences
Located at Delaware North’s The Ridgeline Hotel® at Yellowstone, an Ascend Hotel Collection member, the Jim Bridger Explorer Cabins debuted in May 2022, and are minutes from Yellowstone National Park’s North Entrance.
Building on the success of the company’s Explorer Cabins concept, guests have access to modern conveniences in a secluded natural setting that truly elevates the idea of an outdoor vacation. Each of the nine private cabins offers a second-floor balcony to view iconic sights, including views of the Roosevelt Arch.
January 2022
Delaware North to continue providing services at
Niagara Falls State Park
Delaware North in January 2022 announced it will continue to operate concessions and visitor services at Niagara Falls State Park after it was awarded a new long-term contract by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The new 13-year contract extends Delaware North’s service at the world-famous park, where the company has been since 1995. As part of the agreement, the company has committed to making more than $12 million in capital investments.
June 2022
The future has landed at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex with Gateway™: The Deep Space Launch Complex
An attraction that has been years in the making was cleared for takeoff in June 2022 at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Gateway™: The Deep Space Launch Complex features the spaceport of the future, Spaceport KSC, and an all-new restaurant, Space Bowl Bistro.
With a focus on the present and future of collaborative space exploration, guests to Gateway can experience the interstellar travel of tomorrow while celebrating everything happening right now within the space program. It features a showcase of NASA and commercial spacecraft hardware with immersive displays, as well as a “journey” through space.
Delaware North’s contract to continue to operate the visitor complex was extended in 2021.
October 2022
Delaware North acquires Colorado adventure tour company Nova Guides
Nova Guides, a premier full-service outdoor recreation and adventure tour company in Colorado that also has exclusive wedding and lodging offerings, in October 2022 was acquired by Delaware North. Perfectly situated near Vail, Colo., Nova Guides’ expansive grounds include a main lodge featuring a restaurant and retail shop, as well as a selection of lodging offerings.
Nova Guides, which has been in operation for more than 35 years, is well known for its summer ATV/UTV guided tours and rentals, winter snowmobile and snow coach guided tours and rentals, and private fly fishing and archery instruction. The tours operate under special permits in and around the White River National Forest.
On the campus, Delaware North will also operate Camp Hale Weddings, a highly popular destination wedding business located on 80 privately held acres.
November 2022
Thousands of guests view Artemis rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center
Thousands of guests at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida witnessed history in November 2022 when the Artemis 1 rocket roared off a Kennedy Space Center launchpad headed to orbit the moon.
The long-awaited launch, featuring an uncrewed Orion capsule aboard NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket, followed three months of technical and weather delays. But at the visitor complex, which Delaware North operates for NASA, guests were thrilled to finally see the launch.
About 2,000 guests viewed the launch from the visitor complex’s main campus, and another 300 guests looked on from the NASA Causeway, the first time in several years that site was made available for launch viewing.
January 2023
Squire Resort at the Grand Canyon grows Parks and Resorts portfolio
Delaware North in early January 2023 announced its continued expansion in the parks and lodging sector through the acquisition of the Squire Resort at the Grand Canyon, a part of the Best Western Signature Collection.
The 322-room hotel and resort is perfectly situated in Tusayan, Ariz. – only 7 miles from the South Rim entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, making it one of the closest lodging options to the park.
The charming desert property boasts five food and beverage offerings, including a fine-dining restaurant and a casual eatery, along with a banquet facility. The property also features both an indoor and outdoor pool, a fully equipped fitness center, a bowling and arcade area and employee housing.