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December 20, 2007
RAY ROBERTS LAKE STATE PARK’S LANTANA
LODGE HAS NEW CONCESSIONAIRE
PILOT POINT, Texas -
An international
resort company that owns Dallas’ famed
Southfork Ranch was the highest bidder
last week at an auction to take over of
Ray Roberts Lake State Park’s Lantana
Lodge. The previous concessionaire at
the park, Nature Leisure Times, LLC, had
been in bankruptcy for more than a year.
Forever Resorts of Scottsdale, Ariz.,
submitted the winning bid to take over
the six-year-old, hotel-style facility
in Denton County. Bids were based on
TPWD’s current contract for the facility
that calls for several phases of
construction that includes development
of a marina and cabins, and a conference
center expansion, according to Randy
Bell, state parks regional director for
North Texas.
Lantana Lodge, which includes 30 guest
rooms, a conference center and a
full-service restaurant, remains open
and under terms of the sale must remain
open and honor all future bookings taken
by Nature Leisure Times. The bankruptcy
trustee closed on the sale Dec. 19.
Walt Dabney, director of Texas state
parks, hailed the news of Forever
Resorts’ winning bid. He noted it would
be the company’s first operation in a
Texas state park
“This is a very exciting day for Lantana
Lodge and Ray Roberts Lake State Park,”
Dabney said Thursday. “Forever Resorts
is a nationally and internationally
recognized provider of quality visitor
services at parks all over the world.”
Forever Resorts owns four other Texas
resorts, including the Chisos Mountain
Lodge at Big Bend National Park and Lake
Amistad Resort & Marina. It also runs
the Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina on
Lake Mohave, whose operations are
similar in scope to those envisioned at
Lantana Lodge.
Lantana Lodge first opened in 2000 under
a unique private-public partnership
initiated by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department to provide a
full-service lodge to complement the
Jordan Park unit’s more traditional
campgrounds at Ray Roberts Lake State
Park.
For information contact:
Darla Cook, VP Public Relations, Forever
Resorts
dcook@foreverresorts.com
602-432-7549
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