Located 6,000 feet above sea level on a nunatak just 10 miles from the summit of the tallest mountain in North America, the Sheldon Chalet is Denali National Park’s first and only luxury hotel. The chalet is located in the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, a natural valley carved by the ice of the Ruth Glacier and named after a famous Alaskan bush pilot and the man behind the Sheldon Chalet.
Sheldon received a patent to start building the Chalet back in the 1970s, but the plans were put on hold due to his sudden death. Decades later, Don’s son, Robert, has now finally completed the project.
The chalet is anchored deep into the granite, iron, and titanium of the nunatak and is equipped with a runoff-powered water supply, electricity, and a Finnish fireplace in a common room that doubles as a high-efficiency, clean-combustion heating system.
Inaccessible by car, guests must take an hour-long helicopter ride to arrive at the five-bedroom chalet. Each room can sleep two guests and is arranged around the central Commons. Amenities include a sauna, viewing station, observation deck, kitchen, and dining area. Marvin windows were installed to give guests 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks. The windows were designed to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Outside of the hotel, guests can go snowshoeing and glacier trekking and visit remote hot springs and a Mastodon bone yard. Rates for the luxury experience start at $2,300 per person, per night. BEK of Alaska built the Chalet.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020
2020 Hotel Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. hospitality sector
Gensler, Jacobs, and Suffolk Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest hotel sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.
AEC Tech | Nov 12, 2020
The Weekly show: Nvidia's Omniverse, AI for construction scheduling, COVID-19 signage
BD+C editors speak with experts from ALICE Technologies, Build Group, Hastings Architecture, Nvidia, and Woods Bagot on the November 12 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 3, 2020
Hotel made from CLT opens at Fort Jackson, S.C.
This project used over 4,100 pieces of cross-laminated timber. It's the fourth CLT hotel in the Army's housing portfolio.
Hotel Facilities | Oct 27, 2020
Hotel construction pipeline dips 7% in Q3 2020
Hospitality developers continue to closely monitor the impact the coronavirus will have on travel demand, according to Lodging Econometrics.
Smart Buildings | Oct 26, 2020
World’s first smart building assessment and rating program released
The SPIRE Smart Building Program will help building owners and operators make better investment decisions, improve tenant satisfaction, and increase asset value.
Hotel Facilities | Sep 22, 2020
‘Lifestyle’ is adding new color to the select-service hotel sector
A new WATG Strategy white paper examines the design characteristics of the blending.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Coronavirus | Aug 25, 2020
Video: 5 building sectors to watch amid COVID-19
RCLCO's Brad Hunter reveals the winners and non-winners of the U.S. real estate market during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 14, 2020
5 strategies for creating safer, healthier hotel experiences
As hotels begin to reopen, the focus on health and safety takes priority while working to preserve the guest experience.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 5, 2020
Renovations could be hospitality’s stopgap for next few years
Modular and prefab construction are already more prominent.