At the Office

The job started for real last Friday when Old Faithful Inn opened for the new season. It opened with a bang; sold-out,329 rooms. It will be that way just about every day of the season until closing mid-October. 

Old Faithful Inn Entrance

This is my new office, the Old Faithful Inn. The Inn is one of the iconic symbols of Yellowstone National Park right up there with the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the bison, grizzlies, wolves. It opened more than a century ago (1904), was built in less than eighteen months from logs and stone harvested in the Park. Its all-log Old House is anchored by an open atrium that rises almost 100 feet, centered on a massive stone fireplace. Two wings added in the 1920’s provide traditional hotel rooms.



Lobby View in the 85-foot high all-log atrium

Every railing & bannister is lodgepole pine, hand-chosen to fit

 Xanterra, my employer, contracts with the National Park Service (NPS) to operate the Park’s nine lodging facilities. NPS is in charge of everything in the Park having to do with mission and philosophy. For Old Faithful Inn, this means no TVs in the room, no air conditioning(“there’s a fan in the closet, ma’am, and an open window will allow our cool Rocky Mountain air in”) or wi-fi, and minimal lighting that imitates candlelight a century ago. Most guests understand this; it’s what they come for. A few guests did not expect such minimal amenities and are disappointed.

It is a stunning piece of architecture. Something like it could never be built today...safety codes and finding artisans to craft it. It's in amazing good shape, considering it sits atop one of the most active volcanic basins on the planet; is 7,365 feet above sea level pounded by Rocky Mountain weather year-round.

 It is a delight to watch the guests seeing the Inn for the first time. They stand in the lobby and just gaze around. They sit for long times just soaking in the atmosphere. They take closeup photos of the impossible stair and railing supports that were hand-chosen lodgepole pines custom-fitted to each position.

 Quite an office. 

I am one of 20 on the Front Desk team: one of 17 Guest Service Agents, plus 3 managers. The Front Desk is staffed 24 hours; mercifully, there are two Night Clerks who rotate the graveyard shift.

The Front Desk; that's Patty & Sue, two of my coworkers

We make reservations, do guest check-in & check-out, make dining reservations, sell activities, and take the myriad guest requests for housekeeping and maintenance.