Living & Working in Great Places
Delaware North In Yellowstone
I was wondering if anyone on here has had experience with Delaware North in Yellowstone National Park. Are they different then how they are in Yosemite? I worked once for Yosemite and was not impressed with the attitudes or policies. Since they, Delaware North took over the general stores inside the park I was curious as to personal experiences and so on. I spoke with a lady yesterday and she will be sending me an application in the mail. The lady seemed very pleasent to speak with and I am hoping that is the general attitude of most of the employees inside Yellowstone for the general stores.
Was also wondering if anyone has worked at St. Mary Lodge in Glacier? What it's like and so forth.
Thanks for the help.
Was also wondering if anyone has worked at St. Mary Lodge in Glacier? What it's like and so forth.
Thanks for the help.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by joe stephens on
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Worked at Old Faithfull store 2 years ago, Dorm housing, 2 per room,clean. Cafeteria food good. I had no complaints, everyone very nice. Occasional supervisor impressed with his or her position. Worked at Glacier last year Lake McDonald, Lodging bad, should have brought a tent. Food, its a great place to go on a diet.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on -
I was at old faithful myself two years ago working for Xanterra. Worked as a Houseperson in the lodge.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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How are the Dorms at old faithful, small. I did work at lake a few years back and stayed in that one little dorm they had but it was the same season that Delaware got the contract so I was under Hamiltons.
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Permalink Reply by Coly Hope on -
I worked for Delaware North at the Balsams when they took over management at the hotel. Some things they did that did not impress me:
1. They did was give us a small raise but they took away our year end bonus and head count pay so in the end we lost money.
2. They treated their managers better than the employees or the guests. If a guest room needed attention and a managers house or room needed attention then their manager got helped first.
3. When they first took over they said they would not fire anyone including the managers who were already there but gave the original managers so much work that they eventually had to quit and thats when Delaware North put in their own people.
4. The Balsams is a resort hotel which is like a second home to families and these families go there knowing when dinner is served, when they have concerts, when the swimming pool is open, where different rooms are, etc,. They came in and changed everything. For guests who had been going there or years it was like someone had come in and re-arranged their home.
5. One of managers loved moving furniture around and he did it all the time and it never looked right. Not only that he would choose to move the furniture around right at lunch or when we were very busy. The place was like his own personal fun house and he liked to see us stressed.
I will not work for Delaware North again.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Well every company has it's decent and it's idiotic employee's and some of them are in the position of management. I decided awhile back that I would not judge a place solely on one location alone.
Thanks though for your input.
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Permalink Reply by donald murphy on
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Branda, My wife and I have been accepted at Yellowstone doing Hospitality. As a houseperson did you feel a lot of pressure. How many rooms did you have to do a day. Would you do it again. What were your accomodations like.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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You don't do rooms if your a house person.. You clean the common areas. Only time I was under pressure was when the geyser rush was happening. Then the minute old faithful ended her eruption everyone would flood into the lodge and it would be elbow to elbow. The lines for the bathrooms would be really long. I was house person at the lodge, not the Inn or the snow Lodge so because it was the closest lodge to the geyser it was madness. The housing was decent. Beds, your own bathroom so on.
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Permalink Reply by Jim on -
I worked a summer at the Old Faithful general store for DNC. It was awful. Crabby old people (people my age) and terrible housing: thin walls, over the store, very small work crew, nowhere to go, no privacy. Boring beyond belief. The people across the road at Xanterra seemed to have it better. I've worked a few summers in Yosemite for DNC; a very different environment and in many ways so much better. I know what you mean about employee attitudes, but at least there were so many employees and therefore an opportunity to seek out like-minded, nice people. Also, I found Yellowstone very eerie: the burned out skeletons of trees everywhere and the rotten smell of sulphur from the hot springs. It was creepy.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Oh I could go on and on and on about the nastiness of Yosemite. The deplorable conditions of there housing, there work ethics and who was hired was just disgusting. Crabby, so what if thats all they are, thats no big deal. The smell of sulpher is a tradition and comes with the terratory of "OLD FAITHFUL". You live atop a volcano thats what you get. And thats a super volcano and very active at that. You must of only did one season at Yellowstone. As for the Burned out skeletons of trees, its called regeneration. Apperently, we have very different views of the two parks. I seen the awsomeness as well as the ugly and after 8 yrs in Yellowstone I'll take Yellowstone any day. The yr I worked in Yosemite, believe it or not everything was dried up. Bridal vail falls, every thing. That was errie to me. Oh they had some beautiful looking parts and I got some great shots of the place like half dome so on but Curry Village was a nasty place to work. How would you like to have a neighbor that was a well known pimp in the neighboring town. To top it off he was my team leader. Every weekened he had a different girl in his room and they did nothing about it. And yes he admitted what he was, and seemed to be proud of it. I worked for Axterra across the road as you put it. Yes it was decent. The only problem was to many Young. Not enough mix. Corse I have alwas done better with the older group. Now that I am heading into the older group, not quite there yet but close enough I prefer a bit older group.
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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Jim I do want to point out that though we may have had very different situations in both parks each year could be very different. It changes all the time and different staff with a few hear and there that return. So Yosemite might of changed drastically from when I worked there.
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Permalink Reply by Jim on
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As you said, it all depends on your work crew and manager mix. I had a very difficult group last year in Yosemite while my friend had the proverbial "dream team" to work with in her department.
But it's all worth it for the beauty of Yosemite. I spent most of my time in the Merced River. I'm a swimmer and water person, so I really felt lost in Yellowstone, plus the lack of trees. Just had to rub that in one more time! ;))))
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Permalink Reply by Brenda on
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You wanted tree's you were in the wrong location. Grant Village is completely covered in forrest. Full grown, non burned out tree's. You wanted swimming there is 1 spot in the park you can swim. That was your own fault you made it boaring with, in your own words "no where to go". You didn't have a vehicle thats easily rectified. Many others do. Think I'll jibe at you as well, sounds like you were the crab, not the others. You made your summer a boar. No one said you could not socialize with the Xanterra people, you just can't go into there lodging. When I worked for the other company I even made a few friends with the others that worked Hamiltons. Anyway, Have a great day.
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