Waterton, a Chicago-based national real estate investor and operator, has launched its new Outbound Hotels brand, a collection of locally minded hotels offering differentiated lodging options for lifestyle travelers seeking outdoor-inspired experiences in boutique settings.
“Outbound Hotels expands the traditional hospitality model,” said David Schwartz, CEO/chairman, Waterton. “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 ambiance 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, WY, in 2020. Acquired in partnership with Jackson, WY-based Orion Companies, 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, CA, and Towne and Country Stowe in Stowe, VT, acquired by Waterton in March 2023.
Most recently, Waterton partnered with Argosy Real Estate Partners to bring its repositioning and redevelopment experience to a 17-acre Qualified Opportunity Zone site in Oakhurst, CA, 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 new vacation rental cabins and 14 hotel rooms located above a 12,500-sq.-ft. 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 Gen Z cohorts while appealing to a broad demographic of travelers,” said Matt Mering, EVP, hospitality, 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.”
