Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

Company Profile: Who We Are

Xanterra Parks & Resorts’ operations span the country — from the subtropical wetlands of the Everglades to the stark desert of Death Valley. The company’s legacy of hospitality leadership extends more than a century, back to when the Fred Harvey Company began providing quality hotels and restaurants for weary travelers making their way West.

 

Today, the Fred Harvey Company is known as Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the largest national and state park concessioner in the United States. Xanterra properties offer a wide range of recreational facilities and experiences. From conference centers with golf courses, tennis courts and spas, to historic park lodges and cabins, Xanterra facilities are ideal for spending quality time with family or getting back to nature with hiking, fishing, camping or simply exploring wilderness and natural settings. The company’s 8,200 employees operate 33 hotels and lodges with more than 5,000 guest rooms, 53 retail stores, 66 restaurants, three marinas, five golf courses, and 1,800 campsites within national and state parks.

Each year, more than 18 million people visit the national and state parks operated by Xanterra. These include the national parks at Yellowstone, South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain, Petrified Forest, Everglades, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, as well as facilities at seven Ohio State Parks and two privately-owned resorts, Silverado Resort in Napa, CA, and the Grand Canyon Railway. “Nature is our home. And just as we take care of our house, we also must take care of nature. But nature takes care of us too. Nature cleans our air and water, makes the soil that grows our food and provides the resources to make all our material goods. Unfortunately, with six billion of us now living under one roof, we are gradually eroding the services nature provides – even though we depend on them for our quality of life and our future.” David Suzuki, Environmental Scientist

Changes at Xanterra

New to Xanterra operations in 2007 are Rocky Mountain
National Park and the Grand Canyon Railway. The Rocky Mountain facilities include retail and food operations. The Grand Canyon Railway facilities include retail, restaurant and hotel operations, but primarily passenger train operations. Here, visitors take a historic train ride 65 miles from Williams, AZ to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. These two new operations combined add 400 more employees to Xanterra.

In late 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma effectively wiped out Xanterra’s Everglades operations for nearly a year. The facilities there are still only 10 percent of what they were prior to these hurricanes. As of January 1, 2008, Xanterra no longer operates the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. All Ecologix data in this report includes the North Rim; all other statistics do not.
 

Corporate Structure

Xanterra Parks & Resorts is a privately held company governed by a President/CEO, along with an Executive Team comprised of Vice Presidents of the company. Xanterra’s Vice President of Environmental Affairs is on the Executive Team and reports directly to the CEO on all environmental matters. The Executive Team is updated regularly on environmental issues at monthly meetings as well as through monthly written reports.

Xanterra has had a fully staffed environmental team for nearly six years, with environmental managers and directors hired at all major national park locations. For smaller properties, such as Petrified Forest or Rocky Mountain National Park, oversight has been assigned on a regional basis. The Ohio State Parks’ environmental programs are also under regional management.