The pool and spa area will be closed for approximately eight weeks, starting March 30th and continuing through the end of May, for upgrades.
The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel is located in Williams, Arizona, approximately 54 miles from the South Entrance Station to Grand Canyon National Park. It is approximately 53 miles from Tusayan, Arizona, and 36 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona.
HOTEL:
Check-in time: 3pm
Check-out time: 11am
RV PARK:
(At RV store)
Check-in time: 1pm
Check-out time: 11am
KENNEL:
Check-in time: Any time after kennel is open
(subject to availability)
Check-out time: 11am
Children 15 and under stay free.
Cancellation policy is 3 days prior to arrival date.
Click here for a list of facilities & services at Grand Canyon Railway Hotel / RV Park / Kennel.
♦ Elevation – 6,800 feet in Williams, AZ
Williams, Arizona is in the Mountain Standard time zone, and they do not observe daylight saving time. In winter (early Nov-mid March) they are in the Mountain time zone (same as Denver). In summer (mid-March to early Nov), they are in the Pacific time zone (1 hour earlier than Denver).
♦ PHONE NUMBERS & WEBSITES
| RESERVATIONS | LOCAL CONTACT INFORMATION | WEBSITES |
|---|---|---|
| Primary: 800-TheTrain (800-843-8724) Outside the U.S. 303-TheTrain (303-843-8724) Polar only: 888-848-3511 AAA travel agents: 877-222-4522 Hospitality partners: 888-484-7245 Corporate Employee Discount only: 866-422-9724 | Front Desk: (928) 635-4010 x3000 Williams Depot: (928) 635-4010 x1000 South Rim Depot: 928-638-2471 RV and Pet Resort: (928) 635-4010 x 3300 GCR Pet Resort Email: gcrpetresort@thetrain.com Maximum # of rooms bookable by CRes at any one property is 9. If guest is booking more than 9 rooms at the same property, they must contact group sales. Banquet space or Meeting rooms for groups can be inquired via Groups email for more info/rates. Group sales email: groups-gcr@xanterra.com Group sales phone: 800-843-8723 FIT email: fit-gcr@xanterra.com FIT phone: 800-376-6629 Business Office: 928-773-1976 | www.thetrain.com GCR Brochure requests: Guests can go on the www.thetrain.com page under PLAN there’s a link to Requests from Travel Agents/AAA Agents for brochures & password resets should be referred to |
♦ GPS COORDINATES & ADDRESSES
♦ FORMS OF PAYMENT, TAXES, SURCHARGES, COMMISSION
| FORMS OF PAYMENT | TAXES | UTILITY SURCHARGE | TRAVEL AGENT COMMISSION | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card Cash Travelers’ check Personal check | Rooms | 17.9% effective 5/7/24 | N/A | Standard 10% Commission* Click here for GCRR TA commission inquiries |
| Food | 11.4% effective 1/1/15 | |||
| Gifts | 10.4% effective 1/1/15 | |||
| Train | 10.4% effective 1/1/15 | |||
♦ PROPERTY INFORMATION
| 1 Main Hotel building 2 floors, with elevator | 1st floor | front desk, lobby, Spenser’s Pub, meeting rooms, guest rooms |
| 2nd floor | guest rooms, game room, fitness center | |
| 1 Train Depot Located directly across from hotel | Ticketing windows, gift shop, GCR offices | |
| 1 Restaurant building Located near hotel and train depot | Restaurant and gift shop | |
| 1 RV Resort Store & Kennel Located near hotel | RV Resort store, RV Resort and kennel front desk, kennel | |
| Total # of rooms | GCR Hotel has 298 rooms, made up of:201 standard rooms 86 deluxe 10 standard suites 1 Rail Baron Suite Includes 10 ADA rooms (4 standard, 4 deluxe, 2 suites) RV Resort has 124 sites, made up of: 65 pull through sites 51 back in sites 8 buddy sites No ADA sites Kennel has 44 kennels, made up of: | |
| Pet Policy | No pets allowed in any rooms, Service Dogs only. Kennel located on site. | |
| Gun Policy | Guns are not allowed on Grand Canyon Railway property, including the train. | |
| Minimum Age for Check-in | Guests must be 18 years of age or older, or emancipated, to check in to a room or ride the train alone. | |
Where is Grand Canyon Railway Hotel?
Grand Canyon Railway Hotel History
Quality lodging for passengers was an important part of the Santa Fe Railway system during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As the railroad expanded west, a chain of hotels and restaurants run by the Fred Harvey Company opened along the Santa Fe rail lines. The hotels and restaurants were known as Harvey Houses, and they became famous for their quality food and service.
Hotel of Yesteryear
The Fray Marcos Hotel located inside the Williams Depot was one of the original Harvey Houses, and was named after Spanish missionary Marcos de Niza, who explored the Southwest in the early 16th century. (The Fred Harvey Company often named its hotels after early explorers.) The hotel and adjoining depot opened to the public in 1908 with 22 guest rooms. In 1925, 21 additional rooms were added.
Being in a town full of railroaders, ranchers and lumbermen, the Fray Marcos Hotel was a true diamond in the rough. It contained what was then considered modern amenities such as a lunch room, formal dining room, news and photograph room, and an Indian Room with a beautiful fireplace and cigar stand. There were even “Harvey Girls” to serve the rugged bunch. Dressed in their signature black and white dresses, the ladies brought some civility and charm to the frontier.
Harvey Girls
The Fred Harvey Company recruited women via newspaper ads from towns and cities across the United States. The women had to be of good moral character, have at least an eighth-grade education, display good manner and be neat and articulate to work in his restaurants. In return for employment, the Harvey Girls would agree to a six-month contract, agree not to marry, and abide by all company rules during the term of employment. If hired, they were given a rail pass to get to their chosen destination. Harvey Girls were the women who brought further respectability to the work of waitressing. They left the protection and poverty of home for the opportunity to travel and earn their own way in life, while experiencing a bit of adventure.
Hotel of Today
The current Grand Canyon Railway Hotel was built in 1995 and was designed to resemble the historic Fray Marcos Hotel. The hotel opened as, and continues to be, the finest in Williams. In keeping with the reputation and tradition of the original Fray Marcos Hotel for quality and service, a 107-room addition was completed in early 2000, doubling the size of the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. An indoor pool, hot tub and exercise room was also added, while a third renovation was completed in March of 2004, adding 92 rooms and 10 suites.
Today, both the Williams Depot and the Fray Marcos Hotel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the old hotel is no longer used for lodging guests. Parts of the original structure house the Grand Canyon Railway gift shop and company offices, while the historic depot is in use and open to the public. The current Grand Canyon Railway Hotel is located right across the lawn from the original hotel.
