Grand Canyon Lodge updates reservation booking process
Booking a room at the historic Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim has never been easy, even in the best of times. As the only lodging inside the national park, and with a short MayOctober season, the much sought-after rustic cabins and motel rooms at the landmark 93-year-old lodge can often be booked over a year in advance.
This year, demand for rooms has been so high that the lodge had to revamp its reservations process.
Forever Resorts, the company that has operated the Grand Canyon Lodge since 2008, normally offers guests a chance to book their reservations 13 months in advance. This year, booking will be offered in shorter time periods.
In April 2020 the company halted online reservations for the 2021 season due to uncertainty about what facilities would be available during the pandemic.
When Forever Resorts finally reopened bookings for 2021 on Jan. 29, its online system was so overwhelmed with interest that they had to immediately shut it down and change course.
Now, blocks of rooms will be made available on four dates: Feb. 12, March 12, March 26 and April 9.
Each of the four booking dates will correspond with a specific block of dates available. For example, if guests want to book a cabin for stays from May 15 through June 30, that reservation window opens on Feb. 12. The March 12 window will include dates for all of July. On March 26, guests can book dates in
August, and the final booking window on April 9 will have dates from Sept. 1 through Oct. 15.
“We believe shortening the start of the booking period down to as little as four months prior to arrival ... created more demand for just the 2021 season, aside from considering the COVID-19 impact,” said Bill Butts, senior vice president of resort operations for Forever Resorts, said via email.
Butts told The Arizona Republic that the strong demand isn’t just because of the shorter lead time for reservations. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has reduced the lodge’s capacity by 20 percent because it used the motel rooms to provide socially distant lodging for its employees. He also
said the inflated interest is a reflection of people’s desire to be outdoors as a result of pandemic lockdowns.
“The strong demand to get out of doors and participate in activities such as camping, boating and visiting our national parks has been well documented the past nine months or so,” Butts said. “Not only are people ready to get out, but many want to avoid crowds, and ensure they are recreating in a safe, responsible way with family and close friends.”
North Rim dining and tours
Tourists visiting in 2021 will be able to participate in many of the lodge’s popular activities but should expect some services to be scaled back because of COVID-19 safety protocols.
The main dining room will offer a served buffet for breakfast. After a long morning hike, guests can grab a takeout lunch at the Deli in the Pines and take their food into the main dining room, where they will sit at socially distanced tables. For dinner, along with the to-go options at the deli, the lodge is offering full-service dining with socially distanced seating.
As for popular outdoor activities like mule rides and guided hikes, all services will be available but slightly curtailed to follow social distancing practices.
The overall experience for guests will remain relatively unchanged, Butts said.
“We have taken every recommended measure to safeguard our staff and guests’ health and facilitate a smooth reservation process. We want everyone to know a visit to the Grand Canyon North Rim continues to provide an extraordinary, bucket-list experience, and we can’t wait to welcome this season’s visitors.”
When is the North Rim Lodge open?
In 2021, Grand Canyon Lodge at North Rim will be open May 15-Oct. 15. After Oct. 15 the lodge is closed but the park remains open for day use until mid-November.
How much does it cost to stay at Grand Canyon Lodge?
Three types of cabins are available at Grand Canyon Lodge in 2021.
● Frontier cabins: $161 plus tax.
● Pioneer cabins: $186-$189 plus tax.
● Western cabins: $260-$299 plus tax. Some Western cabins have rim views; the rest are set in the pines.
Motel rooms are not available this year.
Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim reservations
On each new booking date, online reservations open at 7 a.m. MST and phone reservations can be made starting at 8 a.m. MST.
Online: https://www.grandcanyon forever.com.
By phone: 877-386-4383.
You can connect with Arizona Republic Culture and Outdoors Reporter Shanti Lerner through email at shanti. lerner@gannett.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @ShantiLerner.