Park Service receives bids for Lodge concession

By Ralph Berrier Jr.

Roanoke Times/Landmark News Service

The National Park Service announced that it received multiple bids from hospitality management companies to operate the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Wednesday was the deadline for bids to manage the Bedford County lodge, which closed in November after the previous management company opted not to renew its contract. The 63-room lodge and restaurant opened in 1964 and had been open year-round since 1977.

Laura Nelson, a concessions specialist for the Blue Ridge Parkway, said that the park service will soon begin the process of selecting the best offer and will award a 10-year contract.

Nelson, who said she could not release the number of bidders, wrote in an email that the park service is "confident that the lodge will reopen for the 2013 summer season."