SimpleManToo

I find it quite interesting that Marriott does not have any properties near several National Parks (IE: Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc). The closest ones are really no where near by (+50 miles). I am curious which National Parks Marriott does have properties by other than say the Smokey Mountains. Does anyone know?

nacho

+1 We usually travel to the US to visit the national parks and it's so difficult to find a Marriott hotel nearby. Last time we visited the Grand Canyon we had to stay at Flagstaff in order to stay at a Marriott hotel.

bhatnasx

Most of the hotels target the business travelers - less biz travelers to national parks.

That said, I love the Residence Inn in Harrisonburg, VA - it's about 30 minutes to Shenandoah Nat'l Park. There's also several that near the Smokey Mountains in TN. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and the like are more "remote" areas that are so big that there's not a lot of surround infrastructure to support year round business (other than National Park business, which is very seasonal).

craz

there used to be a Fairfield in West Yellowstone but it was Deflagged some yrs ago

Since there will be little to no business people staying at these places Id think that the fees being associated with a Marriott or Starwood or Hilton would be the difference between making a nice profit and just getting by.With most folks not wanting to ante up what they would have to charge in Peak season to make up for no biz most of the year or being closed most of the year, that either those staying there would do so on pts or theyd go to the no name to save $$$. Its a Lose Lose situation

SCEflyer

I had never thought about this until reading the OP's inquiry, and can't offer a definitive response, other than to suggest that the remote locations of the major National Parks, at least in the west must be a contributing factor.

Here in the east, I know of at least three that are reasonably close to Marriott properties; Acadia in Maine, Valley Forge and Everglades. There is also Gettysburg, but I am not certain whether it is a US or state site. In either case it is worth a visit.

TimF1975

There are no major chains near many of the National Parks. My guess is that they don't think it's a profitable place to put a hotel. I visit NPs frequently and camp or stay in one of the lodges.

NJUPINTHEAIR

That is mostly true, I believe, but there is an IHG property near Yellowstone on the Montanna side of the border.

nacho

There is a HIE right outside the Grand Canyon NP's entrance - stayed there and it was bad. I know there is a BW there too.

There used to be a FFI in Williams - south of Grand Canyon on 64, but it was not part of the chain when we visited there in 2011.

socrates

It all comes down to economics - developers need a workable ROI for their projects and destination locations have a terrible time making national branded lodging work well especially if there's a very short "season"

jrsinpdx

IMHO, this is a niche that Best Western fills very well. I have had some great stays at BW's; near Bryce & Zion in particular.

jerseyfinn

Yes, especially the relative remoteness of those western NPs makes it tough for most of the chains to set up shop.

For those who want to visit the Grand Canyon and still get their MR points, Flagstaff is only 90 miles distant which combined with 75 mph speed limits on chunks of the drive ( and the vista views along the way ) makes the south rim a very doable day trip. You'll find a FI, CY, & SHS all clustered together just off the Interstate. They're located in a restaurant cluster as well. That said, if you stay in Flagstaff, do breakfast or lunch at Brandies which is in town in a strip mall.

Perhaps Socrates has some info about what happened to the RI in Flagstaff which rebranded between our May visit to Flagstaff and our early October return visit. I really liked that RI as it's more isolated location made for a nice visit while still retaining proximity to sights such as the Grand Canyon, Waputki, Meteor Crater, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, and Sedona to name a few northern Arizona sites.

Barry

SkiAdcock

There is a Marriott property in Visalia, CA, which is 30 minutes from the entrance of Sequoia National Park (and a very pretty drive for those 30 minutes, especially as you get closer to Sequoia). There's also a Best Western in Three Rivers, which is close to the entrance of Sequoia. BTW - once you enter Sequoia, it's still 45 minutes 'up the hill' to get to a lot of the popular areas. On the other side of Sequoia which is King's Canyon, there are some chains in Fresno but still requires a drive to get into KC.

My sister was a park ranger at the Tetons, Sequoia, and 2 areas of the Cascades Nat'l Parks. The Tetons at least has Jackson Hole ski/golf resorts nearby to draw year-round traffic. But Sequoia & the Cascades don't draw as much in the winter (in some cases, the 'pass' is closed for the winter), and even the on-site lodges aren't open the entire time during the winter.

The 2 locations my sister lived in the Cascades, the former required a long drive to this small town where you would then catch a boat for 2 hours to a town of pop. 70 or take a "Macguver" plane, and in the latter she lived in a town of pop. 500, with the nearest large town being an hour away (which did have some Marriott properties).

There are 58 national parks in the US, with some being relatively close (within an hour) of some towns that might have national chains. But most nat'l parks are quite large/extensive in terms of geography & are seasonal, so it's not unexpected some of the larger chains can't justify a property close.

BTW - if you're near a national park & a gas station says last gas station for "xx" miles, believe them & fill 'er up!!!

National Parks:

Acadia/Maine, American Somoa/American Somoa, Arches/Utah, Badlands/South Dakota, Big Bend/Texas, Biscayne/Florida, Black Canyon of the Gunnison/Colorado, Bryce Canyon/Utah, Canyonlands/Utah, Capitol Reef/Utah, Carlsbad Caverns/New Mexico, Channel Islands/California, Congaree/South Carolina, Crater Lake/Oregon, Coyahoga Valley/Ohio, Death Valley/California-Nevada, Denali/Alaska, Dry Tortugas/Florida, Everglades/Florida, Gates of the Artic/Alaska, Glacier/Montana, Glacier Bay/Alaska, Grand Canyon/Arizona, Grand Teton/Wyoming, Great Basin/Nevada, Great Sand Dunes/Colorado, Great Smoky Mountains/North Carolina-Tennessee, Guadalupe Mountains/Texas, Haleakala/Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes/Hawaii, Hot Springs/Arkansas, Isle Royale/Michigan, Joshua Tree/California, Katmai/Alaska, Kenai Fjords/Alaska, Kings Canyon/California, Kobuk Valley/Alaska, Lake Clark/Alaska, Lassen Volcanic/California, Mammoth Cave/Kentucky, Mesa Verde/Colorado, Mount Rainier/Washington, North Cascades/Washington, Olympic/Washington, Petrified Forest/Arizona, Redwood/California, Rocky Mountain/Colorado, Saguaro/Arizona, Sequoia/California, Shenandoah/Virginia, Theodore Roosevelt/North Dakota, Virgin Islands/United States Virgin Islands, Voyagers/Minnesota, Wind Cave/South Dakota, Wrangall-St. Ellias/Alaska, Yellowstone/Wyoming-Montana-Idaho, Yosemite/California, Zion/Utah

Cheers.

socrates

I don't have any specifics on that location but I believe this was one of the locations converted to Sonesta ES brand...Sonesta and their ownership group are pushing really hard to increase distribution and a few months ago converted a decent number of hotels throughout the country (early results are showing that it'll be a long and bumpy road for Sonesta but I'm certain the results weren't unexpected going from the various established brands to a new brand)

kcaluwae

It depends on what you call major chains. If you're looking at Hilton/Marriott/IC Hotels as majors chains that's true. If you however look at the lower luxury end I find many BW's (as jrsinpdx already mentioned) as well as Choice hotels (quality inn, comfort inn, ..) near these NP's.

calitequilasippergirl

the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite used to be a Marriott. It was pretty obvious to me the first time I stayed there without knowing. I found this fact out afterwards