Category Archives: News & Updates

Happy 100th Birthday, National Park Service!

On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) is proud to celebrate 100 years as “America’s Best Idea.” To celebrate such a great feat, we think it’s the perfect time for a #ThrowbackThursday.

With 100 years of service, comes a lot of change and decades of fantastic memories. We have been privileged and honored to steward many of these historic sites over the years, including Great Falls Park, Thompson Boat Center, and Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Do you recognize any of these NPS locations? Let us know if you have any old NPS pictures and tag Guest Services when you share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram, and, we’ll share your pictures!

C&O CanalC&O Canal

We can’t get enough of this picture of an old boat tour on the C&O Canal. Take a look at the mules pulling the boat! How times have changed… Back in the old days, mules would take “towpaths,” or paths beside the canal, and tow the boats down the canal. This certainly makes us more appreciative of the modern (and more efficient) technology we have today! Do you know anyone who took a horse-drawn boat tour on the C&O Canal? Share with us on social media!

Visit: C&O Canal’s Website

 

Carter BarronCarter Barron Amphitheater

Carter Barron Amphitheater was packed full for this ballet performance years ago! Do you recognize this performance? We would love for you to share the performance name and year with us! All these years later, Carter Barron Amphitheatre still hosts excellent concerts, movie nights, and fun performances like this one.

Visit: Carter Barron Amphitheater’s Website

 

 

GreatFallsGreat Falls Park, MD

Just a glimpse into years past at what appears to be a welcome center at Great Falls Park, MD. Take a look at guests enjoying a beautiful afternoon at Great Falls. A relaxing day at Great Falls is a timeless classic that never grows old!

Visit: Great Falls Park’s Website

 

 

TBC

 

Thompson Boat Center

We think it’s amazing that Thompson Boat Center has been hosting droves of visitors all these years! It was just as packed and popular venue then as it is today. Share your fun memories of an afternoon on the water, and don’t forget to visit and continue to make more great memories with Thompson Boat Center!

Visit: Thompson Boat Center’s Website

 

Join the Conversation!

Do you recognize anyone in these pictures or know the year a picture was taken? Please let us know! As we said above, we’d absolutely love to see all the fun pictures you have from visits to America’s beautiful national parks. Here’s to another 100 years of memories from all of us at Guest Services!

Explore Iconic Destinations with Guest Services, Inc.

Water Sports Concessionaires Join Forces; Potomac River Boathouses in DC Open Today!

EASY TWEET: @GSISocial @boatingindc & @boatinginboston partner to create the #bestboatingexperience in US

(Fairfax, Virginia) Guest Services, Inc., the legendary hospitality management firm and national and state park concessionaire, announces the acquisition of Boston Outdoor Recreation (d/b/a Boating in Boston and Boating in DC), a watersports concession management company headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts.  Boston Outdoor Recreation currently operates six boathouses in metropolitan Boston and two in Washington, DC (Boating in DC at National Harbor and the Ballpark Boathouse on the Anacostia River).

This strategic new partnership adds to Guest Services’ national recreation portfolio, further positioning the company as the premiere water sports concessionaire in the United States.  Currently, Guest Services operates water sports facilities for national and state parks in Washington, DC, Virginia, New York, Missouri and Washington State.

Michael Aghajanian, President of Boston Outdoor Recreation, states “We feel honored to now be part of the Guest Services family and look forward to bringing our successful ‘Boathouse Life’ culture and operating environment to waterfronts throughout the US.  We’ve worked hard to grow our business and reputation over the years, and, by partnering with Guest Services, our collective passion for excellence in water sports and commitment to delivering a memorable visitor experience will now have the potential to reach every waterway in the United States.”  Gerry Gabrys, CEO of Guest Services, Inc., welcomed Boston Outdoor Recreation to the Guest Services family:  “Michael and his team are outstanding and they’ve earned fantastic reviews over the years for delivering fun and excitement to hundreds of thousands of water loving guests; we are delighted to bring them into our fold so that, together, we can serve boating enthusiasts across the country.”

To learn how to join us on the water this season:

For nearly a century, Guest Services, Inc. has earned the reputation as a premier hospitality management company and national and state park concessionaire that has taken great care and pride in delivering best-in-class food, lodging, retail and recreation services. The Fairfax, Virginia-based company and its subsidiaries employ over 3,500 staff at more than 250 facilities, which welcome approximately 30 million guests annually across the United States. Guest Services, Inc. is proud to welcome visitors at Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in Washington, several parks in the Washington, D.C. area, and state parks such as Bear Mountain in New York, in addition to Missouri’s newest state park in the Ozarks – the much anticipated Echo Bluff State Park. To learn more visit www.guestservices.com.

Contacts:

Scott Shepherd
sshepherd@guestservices.com
703-849-9300

Michael Aghajanian
m.aghanjanian@boatingin.com
703-849-9300

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