Xanterra’s new general manager brings decades of experience to the table

Vicki Murphy has been part of hospitality management in Glacier National Park for more than 20 years. Stepping into the role of Xanterra’s general manager last year, she’s excited to continue facilitating great experiences for guests.  

Xanterra Travel Collection is Glacier’s concessioner and runs the lodges inside park boundaries, like the Many Glacier Hotel and Lake McDonald Lodge, among many others. The company also oversees the park’s famous Red Bus Tours. The company operates as a concessioner in many other national parks, including Yellowstone, Zion and the Grand Canyon.  

Murphy lights up with pride when talking about the different ways that Xanterra is part of Glacier.  

“I love the hotels and I love the park. And to be in a position now where I'm able to work with the National Park Service or the corporate office to support initiatives and changes ... To be able to see a need and work towards answering that need — I love that I get to I feel like I'm making a difference,” Murphy said.  

Murphy’s career in hospitality started south of the border. After graduating college, she was offered a job in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was hard to pass up, and in between enjoying the beautiful ocean and sunny weather — her mother would let her know of an open position for something in Northwest Montana, where her family is from. 

“I said, ‘I'm not doing winters. It's not going to happen.’ But she saw they were hiring what’s called snowbird position — it was summers in Glacier and winters in Phoenix. So I started working for Glacier Park Inc., which was the previous concessioner,” Murphy said. 

In 2014, the National Park Service ended its longstanding contract with Glacier Park Inc. and entered a 16-year contract with Xanterra to be the park’s concessioner, according to an article from the Daily Inter Lake in 2013. Murphy was hired by Xanterra after this switch and began working as director of lodging.  

“I was just super excited because the new contract with the park service had a lot of really big projects that were going to be happening in the hotels and just a lot of refurbishing and updating," Murphy said.  

There have been a lot of changes in Glacier since that contract switch, including an “overhaul” of many properties, which included needed updates to the lodges. Over the years, Murphy said she worked closely with the former Xanterra general manager, Marc Ducharme. So, even though there were some challenges in taking the new role, she said it felt like something she was very familiar with.  

“There was a lot to learn. I mean, I was lodging forever ... So now I’m learning more about the engineering, the environmental and the food and beverage departments and stuff, which has been awesome. It's been a lot of fun doing that,” Murphy said.  

The summer season in Glacier can feel like a whirlwind like it’s ending almost as soon as it begins. Murphy said the company is operating at 100% from day one until the season’s close but try to do as much as possible to prepare for next year.  

“We don't have a ton of time to get the hotels open. So, when we close in the fall, we are setting up as much as we can for the spring. Because in the fall, we know what staff will be there and the weather seems to be more predictable in the fall compared to the spring, right? So, we do a ton in the fall,” Murphy said.  

She said this work is made easier by many returning employees, and that Xanterra is “very fortunate” to have a lot of people on the team who have a long tenure with the company.  

“We do an impressive amount of work, and we accomplish an impressive amount of force with a really small team,” Murphy said.  

She said they are always impressed with the J1 employees, or international workers, who learn an immense amount before opening the doors to the public. Though they have to pass a basic language test before being hired, many learn English better on the job, in addition to learning operations.  

“We had some international students that have been here for like five years, they come back every year. So, it's been great to see where they started and where they're at,” Murphy said. “They just grow in customer service skills; their English skills and they know the property better and cash handling better as well.”  

There are a few projects Murphy is proud of from her first two years on the job. In addition to providing more mental health support for employees, she said an internship program partnering with universities across the country that offer culinary programs has been a highlight. Students can get experience cooking in a hospitality setting and are given additional industry training and the opportunity to take part in activities and outreach.  

“The hope is to continue to grow the program in the coming year and ideally attract students from Flathead Valley Community College and Blackfeet Community College,” she said.  

All-in-all, Murphy said she’s enjoyed stepping into the new position. Not only does she get the perk of driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road often, but she also gets to work with a great team at Xanterra.  

For her, team building is one of the most important aspects of her job. 

“Whether it's learning development, throwing axes, or going to a baseball game, I just love keeping that community together. And being able to be the one that's like, ‘Hey, like it's a beautiful day, let's go and have our executive meeting outside at Gunsight Saloon or something like that ... I enjoy that, and I enjoy being a leader,” Murphy said.  To learn more about Xanterra’s Glacier National Park operations, visit www.xanterra.com/our-brands-properties/glacier-national-park. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.