Aramark Kicks Off Summer Travel Season with New Partnerships, Upgraded Amenities, Centennial Celebrations

PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2016 /3BL Media/ - With travelers finalizing their summer vacation plans, Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the award winning food and hospitality partner for national and state parks and other leading leisure and cultural attractions across the country, is kicking off the travel season by celebrating new and continuing partnerships, debuting enhancements to its portfolio of properties and attractions, and introducing promotions to celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial.

Each year, Aramark welcomes more than 40 million visitors and guests to the parks, zoos and museums and other tourist destinations in which it operates across the United States. This vacation season, travelers will enjoy the full scope of Aramark’s hospitality and diverse interpretive, educational and sustainable programs, as well as benefit from additional attractions, amenities and events.

“We are excited for the upcoming travel season and look forward to hosting new and returning families, friends and visitors to the numerous parks and cultural attractions we serve across the country,” said Bruce W. Fears, president, Aramark’s Leisure division. “With the National Park Service celebrating its 100^th anniversary, this summer promises to be especially exciting for travelers visiting the national parks, including the newest addition to our portfolio Yosemite National Park. Aramark is a proud sponsor of the National Park Service’s Centennial Celebration and we encourage everyone to visit America’s parks to experience the wonderful natural surroundings and vast educational and recreational opportunities.”

Among the new programming awaiting visitors this season:

New Properties and Attractions

• Yosemite National Park -- Earlier this year, Yosemite Hospitality, LLC, a subsidiary of Aramark, began managing concessions operations at Yosemite National Park. Last summer the National Park Service awarded Aramark the 15-year contract to manage Yosemite’s hospitality programs encompassing lodging, food & beverage, retail, recreational and transportation service. Future plans call for upgrades and improvements to lodges and other concessioner operated facilities in the park. There will also be enhancements to nature programs provided by the concessioner and outdoor recreational activities.

• OdySea Aquarium -- OdySea Aquarium, opening this summer in Scottsdale, AZ, named Aramark its food and beverage partner for what is being called the largest aquarium in the Southwest. Spanning 200,000 square feet, the two-level aquarium will hold more than 2 million gallons of water and accommodate up to 15,000 visitors daily.

• Patagonia Lake State Park – This off-season, Aramark partnered with Arizona State Parks to manage concessions at Patagonia Lake State Park, including the campgrounds, grocery and fishing stores. A new fleet of watercraft was added to the existing offerings.

• Sol Duc Tent Campgrounds – Within Olympic National Park, Aramark has expanded its operations and now manages the Tent Campgrounds at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort in addition to the RV Campground, Lodge and Hot Springs. Reservations are now being accepted.

Upgrades and Improvements

• Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) upgraded the Lakeview rooms with new paint, carpet and fixtures. The 48’ Navigator houseboats were also refreshed with new furnishings, flooring and paint. WIND, a new casual dining concept offering custom coffee creations and tea by day and wine and small plates by night, was launched.

• Far View Lodge (Mesa Verde National Park) converted all standard rooms to upgraded Kiva and Kiva Deluxe View Rooms. All of the park restaurants, including the award-winning Metate Room, have new menus. The Metate Room is showcasing their ongoing support of local food producers with a new Farm to Table program every Friday and Saturday night in which one special will be prepared each evening using only local ingredients.  Meanwhile, Spruce Tree Terrace is also offering a new onsite BBQ dining option Thursdays through Mondays. New activities in the park include the Far View Explorer Tour and a new interpretive campground program called Morefield Explorer.

• Denali Park Village (Denali National Park and Preserve) added 48 new rooms to its property. A portion of the diesel in-park bus fleet operated by Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture has been replaced with propane fueled buses in order to reduce greenhouse gases. Additionally, tour guests will now be provided with aluminum water cans (www.cannedwater4kids.com) that help fund and deliver clean water programs while also making recycling easier and less labor intensive.

• Lake Tahoe Cruises (Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest) is scheduled to complete major renovations to the Tahoe Queen paddlewheeler, which includes interior design renovations, exterior deck and paint improvements as well as the installation of new engines which are compliant with the enhanced Tier-3 emissions standards. Similarly, the Tahoe Paradise recently underwent a remodel and new exterior paint job. New speed boats and a pontoon boat have also been added to the marina’s fleet.

• Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds (Pacific Grove, CA) will welcome guests on Friday evenings throughout the summer for “Sunsets on the Deck” which features live music, local California wines and food specials.

Renewed Partnerships

• Far View Lodge (Mesa Verde National Park)
• Glacier Bay Lodge (Glacier Bay National Park)
• Denali National Park Joint Venture (Denali National Park and Preserve)
• Charles F. Knight Education and Conference Center (Washington University, St. Louis)
• The Fluno Center (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Centennial News

On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service celebrates its 100^th birthday. As a longtime partner of the National Park Service and America’s national parks, Aramark is proud to be a sponsor of the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign. The sponsorship will help reintroduce the national parks and the work of the National Park Service to a new generation of Americans, inviting them to visit and get involved. For more information about the National Park Service’s Centennial, visit www.nationalparks.org/centennial.

To honor the occasion, Aramark has introduced various promotions for visitors and guests.

• Specials - Aramark is offering a free night's stay to those who share a birth year with the National Park Service. Centenarian's (those who are or will be one hundred or more years old in 2016) and their guest may stay free at any of the following properties:  Denali Park Village, Glacier Bay Lodge, Togwotee Mountain Lodge, Log Cabin Resort, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, Lake Crescent Lodge, Lake Quinault Lodge, Far View Lodge, Lake Powell Resort, Half Dome Village, Big Trees Lodge.

• Retail – Aramark has added a new line of Centennial retail items to their gift shops at their properties across the country. Centennial items include glassware, Moscow Mule mugs, playing cards and made in the USA apparel.

• Online – Aramark will be counting down the last 100 days to the National Park Service Centennial with weekly Centennial merchandise giveaways on each National Park property’s Facebook page.

Aramark proudly delivers innovative hospitality, recreational and interpretive programs inside and around America’s top travel destinations and vacation spots, such as Denali National Park & Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Mesa Verde National Park, Olympic National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Olympic National Forest, Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest, Yosemite National Park, Field Museum, Gettysburg National Military Park, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Zoo and many more.

For a full list of Aramark’s travel destinations and offerings, visit www.aramark.com.

About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) delivers experiences that enrich and nourish people’s lives through innovative services in food, facilities management, and uniforms.  United by a passion to serve, our 270,000 employees make a meaningful difference each day for millions of people in 21 countries around the world.   Aramark is recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE, rated number one among Diversified Outsourcing Companies, as well as among the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.