Xanterra Travel Collection, the North Greenwood Village, Colorado-based hospitality operator for Yellowstone National Park, has broken ground on a new housing development for park employees, developed in partnership with the National Park Service, according to a press release shared with Multifamily Dive.
The Arnica Housing Development, which started construction in early July, will be located near the Old Faithful area of the park in Wyoming. Once complete in spring 2027, the three-story building will house 180 employees in 90 double-occupancy rooms.
Arnica takes the place of the previous Laurel Dorm at Old Faithful, which has been closed for rehabilitation. Employee rooms will include built-in closets, a shared full bathroom and a partial divider for privacy. Laundry facilities will be available on each floor, and lounge areas will be included on the upper levels. The property will incorporate efficient electric systems and sustainable materials wherever possible, owing to infrastructure limitations on the site.
“Arnica not only replaces the housing we lost with the decommissioning of the aging Laurel Dorm, but it also improves quality of life for our employees and enables us to better serve our guests,” Mike Keller, vice president and general manager at Yellowstone National Park Lodges, said in the release.
Approximately 740 employees are housed in the Old Faithful area, according to the national park’s website. Dining halls, a pub and a recreational facility are located within walking distance of all employee housing.
Sixty-six of the Old Faithful area’s guest cabins are currently occupied by employees. Once Arnica opens, Xanterra will be able to return these buildings to guest use.
Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 2.2 million acres of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Xanterra currently operates nine guest lodges and hotels in the park, totaling over 2,000 guest rooms. It also manages housing at Glacier National Park in Montana, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and Death Valley National Park in California, among other parks and memorials, according to its website.
“These are not buildings we own,” said Matt Davey, director of engineering at Xanterra, in the release. “These are National Park Service facilities, and by extension, they belong to the public. But we see it as our responsibility — and our privilege — to invest in them. We’re committed to being a good partner to the Park Service, to our employees, and to the millions of guests who visit Yellowstone each year.”
The company has completed two employee dormitories under its current contract, as well as 66 seasonal housing improvement projects, with 41 more planned in the next five years.
