WILLIAMS, Ariz., December, 2012 – Grand Canyon Railway (GCR) has completed a $400,000 renovation including upgrades to 10 suites in its hotel in Williams, Ariz., a new saline pool system and enhanced landscaping surrounding the hotel.

“Our goal is to enhance the whole experience for our guests who want to travel to the Grand Canyon and explore the many offerings in this region during the day and unwind at night,” said Bruce Brossman, Arizona regional director of sales and marketing for Grand Canyon Railway. “When you factor in the recent introduction of our luxury dome service and our renovation to the Grand Depot Café in early 2013, we expect both groups and families to be pleased with our new look and feel.”

The new saline pool system works by using salt in the pool and spa water to sanitize the water.   Swimmers enjoy the natural therapeutic health benefits of the mild salt water with no negative effects usually suffered with manually chlorinated systems. Some of those advantages are no red eyes, irritated skin or damaged hair and bathing suits.
 
GCR offers a variety of packages featuring accommodations, meals and train travel to and from Grand Canyon National Park. The train trip from Williams to Grand Canyon National Park and back takes approximately two hours and 15 minutes each way and runs 65 miles through ponderosa pine forests and scenic desert landscapes. The train offers five classes of service – coach, first class, observation dome, luxury dome and luxury parlor.

The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel was designed to resemble the historic Fray Marcos Hotel and Williams Depot structures that stand nearby. The hotel is comprised of 199 standard rooms, 87 deluxe rooms, 10 suites and one luxury suite as well as a large enclosed crescent-shaped pool, a spacious meeting room, a large courtyard with, a game room, hot tub and an exercise room.

Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724).

Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of several affiliated Xanterra entities) operates lodges, restaurants, tours and activities at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country’s largest park concessioner. Xanterra Parks & Resorts has operations in the following locations: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Crater Lake, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park and five Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio’s Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also operates Windstar Cruises, Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va. and Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been committed to the preservation and protection of the environment for many years. Through its environmental program, “Ecologix,” Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been recognized repeatedly for environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association of America, American Hotel and Lodging Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.