Rainier Guest Services has been awarded a 10-year contract to continue running the lodging, food and beverage, and other commercial services within Mount Rainier National Park The contract coves Paradise Inn, National Park Inn and a general store at Longmire, and services at Sunrise. Rainier Guest Services is a subsidiary of Guest Services Inc., which is based in Fairfax, Va. and has run commercial services for more than 40 years at national parks. Besides Mount Rainier, Guest Services operates hotels or resorts in New York, West Virginia, Florida and California, as well as the Lodge at Stehekin, near North Cascades National Park. Bids for the contract at Mount Rainier, submitted to National Park Service officials in a competitive process, were evaluated on how concessionaires would preserve and maintain buildings, incorporate visitor services with the park's interpretive themes, help greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste, and implement a healthy-food program. "Winning this bid is a huge accomplishment and ensures that we will continue to provide services to our guests for at least the 10-year base period of the new contract," said Gerry Gabrys, chief executive officer of Rainier Guest Services, a longtime concessionaire at Mount Rainier. Private companies have promoted national parks and served visitors since Yellowstone National Park was designated in 1872. Their business services aren't provided directly by the parks system, but they employ more than 25,000 people during peak seasons.
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