Red Feather Lodge

What Red Feather Lodge does

Red Feather Lodge is a family-owned independent hotel and motel property operated by the Thurston-Fain family in Tusayan, Arizona, one mile from the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim entrance. The property offers 225 guest rooms across two accommodation tiers — a three-story contemporary Hotel building with deluxe rooms featuring modern amenities (refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, free WiFi, cable TV), and a budget-friendly Motel section — plus pet-friendly rooms, family-friendly configurations (connecting rooms, cribs, children-under-17-stay-free), and a seasonal heated outdoor pool and spa.

The business generates revenue from multiple streams: nightly hotel and motel room rentals, group tour bookings with baggage handling and prearranged meals, the on-property Plaza Bonita Restaurant (Mexican/American cuisine with a 10% guest discount), small non-refundable pet fees, and event-based pricing such as 15% discounts for Grand Canyon Half Marathon participants. Distribution is direct-to-consumer across a website booking engine (book.rguest.com), toll-free and local phone reservations, and a dedicated group sales team; no proprietary technology is disclosed and the technology stack consists of standard hospitality property management and booking systems.

Customer segments include individual leisure travelers, families, pet owners, event participants, and tour operators — the latter served by group sales with bus parking, group meal coordination, and proximity to the park. Strategic partnerships with the National Park Service (park pass sales, free shuttle alignment), Shaka App (GPS driving tours), Canyon Adventures Bike Tours, the IMAX Theater, and the Foodie Club create an on-property and walking-distance activity ecosystem. The company is private, family-controlled since 1964, has approximately 17 employees, and operates solely within the Southwest United States.

Name

Red Feather Lodge

Legal name

Red Feather Lodge

Website

https://redfeatherlodge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Red Feather Lodge is a family-owned 225-room hotel and motel in Tusayan, Arizona, one mile from the Grand Canyon South Rim, serving leisure travelers, families, pet owners, and tour operators through direct booking, group sales, and an on-site restaurant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hotel and Motel Lodging Services

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (721110)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAGAIAI

National Park & Conservancy Lodges

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Lodges (Nature, Safari, Wilderness)

SECONDARYTHAGAIAB

Wilderness & Backcountry Lodges (Remote/Off-Grid)

Travel & Hospitality/Lodging & Accommodation/Lodges (Nature, Safari, Wilderness)

Keywords

• Hotel lodging services
• Motel accommodations
• Grand canyon lodging
• Group tour bookings
• Pet friendly hotels

Headquarters

HQ city

Tusayan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Hotel/Motel Room Rentals: Primary revenue from 225 guest rooms across hotel and motel sections. Rooms include standard hotel rooms with amenities and budget-friendly motel options. Revenue from nightly stays with varying rates based on season and room type.
2. Group Tour Bookings: Dedicated group sales operation for tour operators. Group bookings include baggage handling and prearranged meals. Website bookings are not commissionable for group operators.
3. On-Property Restaurant (Plaza Bonita): Mexican/American cuisine restaurant located on property. Guests receive 10% discount when showing room key. Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with American breakfast buffet and Mexican dinner buffet available for groups.
4. Pet-Friendly Fees: Pet-friendly guest rooms available for small non-refundable fee, generating additional revenue from pet-owning travelers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Red Feather Lodge is a family-owned hotel and motel property offering 225 guest rooms split between a three-story hotel building with contemporary deluxe rooms and a budget-friendly motel section, located one mile from the Grand Canyon South Rim entrance in Tusayan, Arizona. The core offering also includes pet-friendly rooms, group tour accommodations with baggage handling and prearranged meals, and the on-site Plaza Bonita Restaurant serving Mexican and American cuisine with a room-key discount for guests. The property sells nightly lodging as its primary product, targeting individual leisure travelers, families, pet owners, and group tour operators visiting Grand Canyon National Park.

Product overview

Red Feather Lodge is a family-owned hotel and motel property located in Tusayan, Arizona, one mile from the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim entrance. The property offers two accommodation tiers: a three-story Hotel building with contemporary deluxe rooms featuring modern amenities (refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, free WiFi), and a budget-friendly Motel option. Additional offerings include pet-friendly rooms, group accommodations with 225 guest rooms and group booking services, Plaza Bonita Restaurant on property serving Mexican and American cuisine with a 10% room key discount, and a partnership with the Shaka App for self-guided driving tours. The property is owned and operated by the Thurston-Fain family since 1964.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hotel Rooms

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9 million annual visitors to Grand Canyon National Park (2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Plaza Bonita RestaurantcoreOthersMexican/American restaurant located on Red Feather Lodge property. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. American breakfast buffet and Mexican dinner buffet available for groups. Red Feather Lodge guests receive 10% discount when showing room key. Plaza Bonita is Tusayan's go-to spot for robust, flavorful dining throughout the day.
• Foodie Club RestaurantminorOthersModern American diner located a short walk from Red Feather Lodge. Open for breakfast through dinner with all-day breakfast options, gourmet sandwiches, burgers, salads, tacos, and pasta. Guests receive discount when showing room key.
• Grand Canyon IMAX TheaterminorOthersIMAX theater and Grand Canyon Visitor Center within walking distance of Red Feather Lodge property. Convenient for guests to combine lodging with entertainment and park information services.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Feather Lodge sells National Park entrance passes at the front desk during summer months. Guests can purchase passes and use them on the free National Park Shuttle (Purple Route) with shuttle stop near the lodge. Shuttle operates Memorial Day through Labor Day between Tusayan and the park.
• Canyon Adventures Bike Tours & CafeminorOthersBike rental and guided tour company located inside the National Park at the Visitor Center. Red Feather Lodge recommends guests rent bikes by the hour or take guided tours via www.bikegrandcanyon.com. Part of the outdoor activity ecosystem for lodge guests.
• Grand Canyon National Park AirportminorOthersLocated less than 1 mile from Red Feather Lodge property. Provides air access for visitors to the Grand Canyon South Rim area. Red Feather Lodge is the closest hotel accommodation to this airport.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Grand Canyon - Tusayan: Limited-service branded hotel in Tusayan targeting price-sensitive Grand Canyon visitors. Competes for transient and family leisure demand with similar location proximity; brand/loyalty program creates different competitive dynamics vs. an independent operator.
• La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Grand Canyon South: Branched midscale hotel located in Tusayan, AZ targeting value-conscious Grand Canyon visitors. Directly overlaps with Red Feather's motel-tier budget offering and competes for transient OTA bookings.
• El Tovar Hotel (Grand Canyon National Park): Historic luxury in-park hotel operated by Delaware North at the South Rim. Competes with Red Feather for premium leisure and group demand at the higher end of the ADR spectrum; locations differ (in-park vs. Tusayan) but customer segments overlap.
• The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon: Full-service independent hotel in Tusayan, AZ, less than one mile from the Grand Canyon South Rim. Operates with similar lodging-centric model, comparable room count, and targets the same leisure traveler and tour operator segments as Red Feather Lodge.
• Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn: Branded full-service hotel in Tusayan with rooms, on-site dining, indoor pool, and conference facilities. Directly competes for the same Grand Canyon South Rim leisure and group business; brand affiliation gives it distinct distribution advantages vs. an independent like Red Feather.
• Grand Canyon Plaza Resort: Independent resort-style hotel in Tusayan with multiple room types, restaurant, and event space. Direct local competitor on price, group bookings, and proximity to the South Rim entrance; competes for the same tour operator and leisure guest pool.
• Yavapai Lodge (Grand Canyon National Park): Largest in-park lodge at the South Rim operated by Delaware North, offering both motel-style and pine cabin rooms. Competes for the same overnight Grand Canyon visitor and competes especially hard on 'inside-the-park' convenience vs. Tusayan properties like Red Feather.
• Maswik Lodge (Grand Canyon National Park): In-park casual lodge at the South Rim operated by Delaware North, positioned similarly to Red Feather's motel-style accommodations. Targets the same walk-up and advance Grand Canyon traveler with comparable price tier.

Broad incumbents

• Xanterra Travel Collection: Largest national park concessioner in the U.S., operating in-park lodging, F&B, and tours across multiple national parks including Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Comparable as a portfolio operator of destination leisure properties, though at vastly larger scale and corporate ownership structure.
• Delaware North Companies (Travel Hospitality): Operates all in-park lodging and F&B concessions at Grand Canyon South Rim (Yavapai, Maswik, El Tovar, Bright Angel). The dominant local incumbent in the Grand Canyon lodging category; comparable as a hospitality operator at the same destination, not as a direct pricing/OTA competitor to Tusayan properties.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RedFeatherLodgeAZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/redfeatherlodgeaz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-feather-lodge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Feather Lodge