Canadian hospitality company to buy Alaska ski resort

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A ski resort near Anchorage has agreed to sell its properties to a Canada-based hospitality company.

Pomeroy Lodging has entered a contract to buy Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.

Alyeska said it will “sell substantially all of its resort assets,” including the 300-room hotel and the popular Girdwood ski area. The resort is about 40 miles southeast (64 kilometres) of Anchorage.

The sale is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, Alyeska said.

Pomeroy Lodging is based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and operates 18 hotels in western Canada.

When asked about plans for the Alaska resort, Pomeroy President Stefan Nasalski said the company is still “early in the process.” The company plans to make more announcements later this year.

“As our plans firm up, we’ll be in a better position to talk,” Nasalski said.

Nasalski declined to disclose the sale price.

The resort and related property appraised at $45.8 million this year for tax purposes, according to the Anchorage Property Appraisal Division. About $34 million accounts for the value of its land, buildings and other structures.

The resort is nearing its 60th year of operation, Alyeska spokesman Eric Fullerton said. He declined Tuesday to say who initiated the sales discussions. Nasalski also declined to say.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com

The Associated Press