Waterton, a Chicago-based national real estate investor and operator, launched its Outbound Hotels brand, a collection of locally minded hotels offering differentiated lodging options for lifestyle travelers seeking outdoor-inspired experiences in boutique settings. From Yosemite National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to the vistas of Mammoth Lakes, California, and the bucolic Green Mountains of Vermont, every Outbound Hotels-branded property gives visitors a curated connection to the outdoors.
“Outbound Hotels expands the traditional hospitality model,” says David Schwartz, CEO and chairman of Waterton, in a prepared statement. “Our portfolio of hotel properties creates lifestyle-oriented lodging options in destinations that provide year-round opportunities to connect adventure-minded visitors and locals to the outdoors. Local ambience is often lost in today’s lodging products, so we’re flipping the script to create authentic, experience-based destinations in select markets where contemporary, boutique options don’t exist.”
The vision for the Outbound Hotels brand began with Waterton’s acquisition of The Virginian Lodge in Jackson Hole in 2020. Acquired in partnership with Jackson-based Orion Cos., it has been rebranded as The Virginian Lodge, an Outbound Hotel. The Outbound portfolio—operated by Springboard Hospitality—was expanded in 2021 with the acquisition of Outbound Mammoth (formerly the Sierra Nevada Resort) in Mammoth, California, and Towne & Country Stowe in Stowe, Vermont, acquired by Waterton in March 2023.
Most recently, Waterton partnered with Argosy Real Estate Partners to bring its repositioning and redevelopment acumen to a 17-acre Qualified Opportunity Zone site in Oakhurst, California, just south of the main gate to Yosemite National Park. The property will be developed as Outbound Yosemite Resort, a 135-key outdoor-inspired, lifestyle hotel consisting of 108 vacation rental cabins and 14 hotel rooms located above an expansive 12,500 square-foot clubhouse, in addition to the 13-key boutique hotel currently on the site.
“Outbound Hotels properties are well-positioned to meet the aesthetic and local-activity-focused millennial and Generation Z cohorts while appealing to a broad demographic of travelers,” says Matt Mering, executive vice president of hospitality at Waterton. “Additionally, the long-term fundamentals and market dynamics in the selected markets are well-suited for our lodging strategy, as outdoor-inspired travel has become an increasingly attractive option. Together with our partners, we are committed to creating a compelling lodging experience that we believe will surprise, delight, and connect visitors to some of the most attractive national park, mountain, beach, and ski towns.”
Every Outbound Hotels-branded property is a place for travelers to disconnect so they can reconnect with nature and offers an alternative lodging option that embraces its surroundings. Located near town centers and cultural hubs, each property immerses guests in the surrounding community where they can hike, bike, ski, climb, swim, or just unwind with a local flair creating a cohesive connection between the guest, the property, and the surrounding area. From music, art, and culture to sought-after outdoor experiences, Outbound Hotels brings a thoughtful suite of amenities—on- and off-property—to every traveler.
