The National Park Service hands out its first grades to the private concessioner at the Oregon landmark.

2026 Seasonal Positions - Make your next summer adventure be Crater Lake! Make your next adventure at Crater Lake! Some of the 2026 seasonal positions we offer are 1. Maintenance Associate -…

ExplorUS has integrated six separate systems into Cloudbeds' single platform to manage hotels, restaurants, retail, camping, and marinas at 30 parks nationwide, aiming to improve operational efficiency across its multi&asset portfolio.

🚨 We have to get LOUD about this! >> Private Equity is creeping into our National Parks, and it’s changing our experiences.👉 SHARE: Most people DON’T realize private equity is profiting off our parks and public lands.‼️ What’s Happening:The Playbook: Private equity firms buy companies with borrowed money, load them with debt, cut costs, raise prices, and sell for profit.💰 Profit Over Preservation: In 2019, Nolan Capital bought a family-owned park concessionaire, rebranded it ExplorUS, and started expanding rapidly. National parks are a prime target for private equity — millions of visitors and long-term government contracts make them a goldmine. With a CEO experienced in buying and selling hospitality and healthcare businesses, it’s a winning formula.🌍 The Expanding Empire: ExplorUS now operates in nearly 80 locations across 15 states, including a massive 12-year deal at Olympic National Park. But you’d never know it. They use local-sounding names for some contracts, while ExplorUS locks down others. In the end, all profits flow back to ExplorUS and ultimately Nolan Capital.🌍 The Impact on Your Visit — From booking your stay to buying a coffee, Nolan Capital is controlling more of your national park experience. And it’s not always for the better. One visitor at Mammoth Cave National Park shared: “Been going here since the 1980s for family reunions. Worst experience EVER!!! NEVER AGAIN!!”Some examples of parks under ExplorUS management:📍 Great Smoky Mountains�📍 Acadia�📍 Hawaii Volcanoes�📍 Carlsbad Caverns�📍 Olympic National Park�📍 Mammoth Cave💸 Taxpayer Dollars at Risk — A 2017 report showed $389M in deferred maintenance. At Mammoth Cave, taxpayers funded a $6.6M structural rescue that ExplorUS now profits from. Meanwhile, the maintenance backlog has grown to $23 billion, and the Trump administration proposed a 37% cut to NPS funding.🛑 Our parks are struggling, and private equity is profiting.📣 Take Action:📌 FOLLOW @beersandbeans for more on how private money is shaping your parks.�📌 SHARE — Let’s get LOUD about who’s really profiting off of our National Parks.📣 Sources: Link in bio @beersandbeans

An anonymous complaint about misconduct and lax safety and training procedures at Colossal Cave Mountain Park led the county to notify its management contractor, which made personnel changes to addres...

Public Records show Casa de Reyes, Barra Barra Saloon and The Cosmopolitan in San Diego's Old Town are entering a long-term operating partnership with Kansas-based national park hospitality company ExplorUS, marking a significant new chapter for one of the city’s most visited historic destinations. Casa de Reyes, Barra Barra Saloon, and the historic Cosmopolitan Hotel & Restaurant in Old Town San Diego are poised to enter a new phase of management following the filing of liquor license transfer applications and the subsequent disclosure of a long-term operating partnership involving a national park hospitality company. While initial public records suggested a wholesale change in operators, a newly released press release sent in response to SanDiegoVille's request for comment indicates a more complex transition that keeps the Ross family involved while introducing outside management beginning in 2026. Liquor license transfer applications filed with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control show the licenses for Casa de Reyes, Barra Barra Saloon, and the Cosmopolitan Hotel & Restaurant being transferred away from Old Town Family Hospitality Corp., the company long led by restaurateur Charles “Chuck” Ross. The incoming licensee listed on the filings is Charger Hospitality LLC, with operating documents naming management ties to Ortega National Parks LLC. Ortega National Parks LLC lists Frank Pikus as a manager and chief executive officer, placing him in the chain of management connected to the licenses. Pikus is the CEO of ExplorUS, a national hospitality services company that operates food, beverage, lodging, retail, and recreation concessions in parks and historic destinations across the United States. While ExplorUS was not initially named directly on the liquor license applications, the management overlap between Charger Hospitality LLC, Ortega National Parks LLC, and ExplorUS drew attention as public records surfaced, prompting questions about whether Old Town’s largest concession was shifting away from local control. The press release clarified that Old Town Family Hospitality Corp. has entered into a definitive partnership agreement with ExplorUS, under which ExplorUS will assume operational responsibilities beginning January 1, 2026. According to that announcement, the Ross family will retain an ownership stake and continue overseeing day-to-day operations, positioning the transition as a long-term partnership rather than a sale or full exit. The liquor license transfers, however, remain a key mechanism by which operational authority is being restructured. The properties involved sit at the heart of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, one of California’s most visited state historic parks. The Cosmopolitan Hotel dates back to the early 19th century and has operated in various forms as a hotel, saloon, and restaurant since the 1820s, making it one of the oldest continuously operating hospitality sites in San Diego. Casa de Reyes and the surrounding Fiesta de Reyes plaza occupy land that has cycled through multiple concession operators over the decades as the state sought to balance commercial activity with historical preservation. Before Ross took over the concession in 2009, the site was operated by Delaware North, the current hospitality and retail partner at Petco Park. Delaware North’s tenure in Old Town was marked by declining attendance, community backlash, and revenue losses, ultimately leading the company to exit the contract early. Ross, a local restaurateur with experience in national chains and independent restaurants, was recruited to take over the struggling concession, inheriting a complex that had lost much of its local support. After assuming control, Ross rebranded the plaza as Fiesta de Reyes, renovated Casa de Reyes and what became Barra Barra Saloon, and oversaw a major restoration of the Cosmopolitan Hotel intended to return it to its 19th-century character. His tenure emphasized locally owned shops, live music, folklórico dance performances, and high-volume dining, helping reestablish Old Town as both a tourist destination and a community gathering place. Over time, Fiesta de Reyes grew into a complex of 19 specialty shops, multiple restaurants, and a boutique hotel, operated largely as a family business with Ross’s sons taking on leadership roles. The introduction of ExplorUS into the operating structure represents the first major outside partnership during Ross’s stewardship of Old Town. ExplorUS operates concessions at nearly 180 locations nationwide, including dozens of national and state parks, and is positioned as a large-scale operator with experience navigating government contracts and long-term concession agreements. The company has emphasized continuity and expansion rather than immediate changes, though details about staffing, programming, and operational control during the transition period remain limited. While the Ross family has stated that current operations will continue unchanged in the near term, the liquor license transfers underscore a formal shift in how the businesses are structured and managed. In California, liquor licenses are closely tied to operational control, making the movement of licenses from Old Town Family Hospitality Corp. to Charger Hospitality LLC a significant indicator of change, even as ownership and day-to-day involvement remain partially in place. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and any concession changes are subject to state oversight and approval. At the time of publication, the liquor license transfers have not yet been finalized, and state officials have not publicly commented on the status of the concession agreements. SanDiegoVille has reached out to the Department of Parks and Recreation, Old Town Family Hospitality Corp., Charger Hospitality LLC, and ExplorUS for additional clarification. As the transition unfolds, the situation highlights the ongoing tension between local stewardship and national operators within California’s state park system, particularly at high-profile, revenue-generating sites like Old Town. Whether the partnership preserves the locally driven character Ross helped rebuild - or signals a gradual shift toward nationalized concession management - will likely become clearer as the 2026 operational changeover approaches. **_Originally published on December 13, 2025.  _**