The Inn at Furnace Creek has opened its doors for its 85th season and will remain open through Sunday brunch May 12.
The elegant hotel features 66 rooms, including two suites, and is a favorite for many people who return on a regular basis. The resort also offers a variety of packages featuring golf, discounts for seniors and rental Jeeps and bicycles along with accommodations.
“The Inn is like an old friend for guests and employees alike,” said Phil Dickinson, director of sales and marketing for Furnace Creek Resort. “Many of the property’s staff members have been there for several seasons and have developed strong friendships with each other and a familiarity with the needs of our repeat guests. It’s not unusual to hear our guests asking employees about their world travels during their summer breaks.”
The Furnace Creek Inn opened on Feb. 1, 1927 with 12 guest rooms, a dining room and lobby area. Room rates were $10 per night and included meals. Over the following eight years, additions were constructed and improvements made. In 1928, construction crews added 10 guest rooms, and in 1929 the Travertine Springs were tapped for electricity and water for a new swimming pool. The spring water is still used for irrigating the Inn’s gardens and flow-through pool. More rooms were constructed until the inn reached 66 rooms in 1935.
Tourism in Death Valley boomed after the federal government designated the region a National Monument in February 1933. This designation resulted in paved roads to and throughout the monument, thus heralding automobile and tourist access to the site. In 1994, the area was designated a National Park and expanded to 3.3 million acres, making it the largest park in the continental United States.
The dining room at the Inn at Furnace Creek serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a highly popular Sunday brunch. The menu features an array of items made from local ingredients such as prickly pear cactus along with continental selections. The brunch is especially popular with private pilots who fly their planes to the nearby landing strip and catch a complimentary shuttle to the inn. Reservations are highly recommended for dinner, and the dinner dress code is “casual elegance with no shorts, T-shirts or tank tops.”
Room service is also available at the Inn.
The Inn is centrally located in Death Valley National Park and convenient for day trips to Scotty’s Castle, Badwater, Sand Dunes, Devil’s Golf Course and other geologic wonders.
The inn also features a spring-fed swimming pool, tennis courts and meandering gardens. Just a short shuttle ride away is the Ranch featuring the world’s lowest golf course at 214 feet below sea level, general store, the Borax Museum and the Wrangler Steakhouse and ‘49er Café.
Rates start at $345 per night at the Inn at Furnace Creek. For more information about facilities in Death Valley National Park or to make reservations, call toll free at (800) 236-7916 or (303) 297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com.
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