New company expected to take over Crater Lake Hospitality’s concession contract
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Kansas-based company is eyeing Crater Lake Hospitality’s contract with the only national park in Oregon.
On Monday, the National Park Service disclosed the plans of ExplorUS to gain control of the concessions contract now held by Aramark — which does business as Crater Lake Hospitality. NPS’ Pacific West spokesperson Scott Clemans reported the agency must approve the contract before new operators take over.
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“ExplorUS says they are optimistic they will be able to transition all current Crater Lake Hospitality employees to their company and provide a full suite of visitor services at Crater Lake National Park this summer,” Clemans said. “ExplorUS says they intend to honor all reservations and deposits for future stays and services.”
According to the ExplorUS website, the company has managed hospitality services at national, state and local parks for nearly 30 years.
Clemans expects the approval process to take “a few weeks”, but the current contract with Crater Lake National Park had been under fire for much longer.
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In a letter written in December 2023, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden asked NPS Director Charles Sams to review Aramark’s contract with the agency. The contract was supposed to last through 2030, but according to the senator, an annual assessment revealed the hospitality company had mismanaged the national park “over several years.”
Wyden cited diesel spills, silenced fire alarms, unsatisfactory public health inspections and a lack of security among the issues that occurred under the concessionaire’s control.
About two months later, NPS Pacific West director David Szymanski announced the agency’s plans to terminate Aramark’s contract — an “extremely rare action” — unless the company showed officials why they shouldn’t.
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“The challenges at Crater Lake National Park are not indicative of our overall business operations, and we continue to take steps to improve the conditions,” Aramark said in a statement in February.
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