Hot Springs State Park Requests for Proposals released

Forty-five page Requests for Proposals (RFP) are now ready to be released to the public for both the Days Inn and Star Plunge in Hot Springs State Park.

A meeting last Thursday with the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Committee on Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources held in Thermopolis included a review of both RFP’s and there have been no changes to either document since first proposed.

The committee hopes the documents will be out in the next week or two so those who are interested in a contract with the state for either of the properties can begin filling out the paperwork necessary for acceptance.

The RFP’s will be open for 90 days before the committee reviews them. The current contract with both entities expires December 31.

While the state will be advertising the RFP’s on social media and the state’s website, they will not be going out of their way to advertise them nationally.

Anyone may submit and RFP for either property as all will be reviewed. There will be no preference given to the current owners.

A sticking point for most is the portion of the documents that reverts the properties to the State of Wyoming at the end of the contract. While the state would benefit from the contract they would not actually be running either property in the end, rather, they would hire a management team to take over the businesses.

Owners of the Days Inn, said the initial investment group that built the Days Inn is getting older and they have been trying for several years to sell the hotel.

While they have been trying to get a long-term lease from the state, they do have a good working relationship with the state and they have been very transparent about their actions.

They do question whether or not anyone will actually fill out and RFP as it will take a professional to work their way through the entire thing. In addition, they are concerned no one will bid because of the caveat that the property reverts to the state at the end of the contract term.

Even the members of the committee are concerned 90 days is not enough for anyone to complete the RFP.

Mike Messenger, counsel for both the Days Inn and the Star Plunge, said they would actually like to see the time extended until June 30, 2021.

Committee chair, Ogden Driskill, said the RFP is coming out now, but he would like to see a five-year agreement with the two entities and give them time to make a good attempt at filling out the RFP.

Messenger told the committee there has been no one who has expressed interest in the properties at this point so it will probably come back to the original concessionaires, adding the Days Inn had an interested party, but after looking at the RFP they were scared off.

“The RFP is going forward,” Driskill said. “If there is not an acceptable RFP, we will create a bill that will be more effective. We’re not here to force them out of business and I am very open about this. Whatever comes out, it will be enforceable from both sides.”

Some members of the committee felt it was unfair that two of the park properties have contracts that go into 2043 and 2047 while the remaining ones have nothing.

“All four were offered the same contract,” Driskill said. “Two accepted it and two turned it down. They signed a contract knowing what the outcome would be.”

Agreement negotiations are always on the table, even after a contract is signed. If either party is not following the contract, it will be up to the legislature to do something about it.

Star Plunge owner, Roland Luehne said he just wants a fair lease.

“The RFP is a monster,” he said. “Its very unfair. If we do what the state wants here, no one is going to want to put another dollar into these places.”

State Parks Deputy Director Nick Neylon pointed out the term of the agreement is part of the RFP. Anyone filling one out can put in how many years they want the lease for and then it is up to them to figure out what they need to put back into the business to make sure they get their money back.

“Profit is up to the winning bidder,” Neylon said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, committee members embarked on tours of the two properties to see how things stand with improvements before calling it a day.