Flamingo Returns: Lessons Learned from Opening a Hotel & Restaurant in Everglades National Park
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Innovation Stage
In November 2023, Flamingo Lodge & Restaurant, the only hotel within Everglades National Park, opened to the public nearly 20 years after the original hotel was destroyed by hurricanes. Located at the southernmost tip of the Florida peninsula within the park, Flamingo is a secluded area 40 miles past the park entrance. Guest Services, an authorized concessionaire with more than a century of hospitality experience, oversaw the design, construction, and reopening of this beloved lodge and restaurant in a public-private partnership with the National Park Service. Learn from the Guest Services team about what it took to open the lodge and restaurant, lessons learned from building a unique ecosystem, and best practices for leveraging marketing and PR to spread the word about this hidden gem.