DNR Launches New Alaska State Park Reservations Website
Chilkat State Park near Haines.
Photo 37826335 © Sergey Uryadnikov – Dreamstime.com
A new Alaska State Parks reservations website offering improved customer service, including an Alaska-staffed call center offering telephone support to customers, went live January 5.
The new website—alaskastateparks.reserveamerica.com—deals only with Alaska camping and public use cabin (PUC) facilities, is supported by a call center staffed by Alaska-based employees, and should be significantly easier for Alaskans and visitors to navigate, says Wendy Sailors, development specialist with the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation.
“After four years of working with the last system, we put our reservations system contract out for bid this fall,” Sailors says. “We received several responses, and we’re super excited with the quality of the winning proposal by Aspira that will allow for a much better experience for Alaska State Park campers and PUC users.”
Until 2016, those seeking reservations for Alaska State Parks camp sites or PUCs had to call parks offices or state public information centers. Although the division eased its workload and modernized services by contracting with Reserve America for the last four years, the company’s nation-wide, one-size-fits-all web-based services had some issues that caused frustration for many of those booking Alaska’s unique facilities.
Current Issue
April 2024
The division recently signed a new five-year contract with Aspira, a global online reservation company which absorbed Reserve America in 2017. Users of the new, Alaska-specific reservation system will see significant improvements in service:
- The new reservations website is designed to deal only with Alaska state camping sites, public use cabins, gift certificates, and other services.
- Customer support will be provided by five Alaska-based reservations agents, staffing a call center that will operate 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. AST, seven days a week. The call center phone number is (844) 351-9733.
- Transaction fees will be standardized to a flat $5 for all reservations, plus $3 for cancellations and $4 for changes.
- The popular Serenity Falls Hut in Chugach State Park will be available to reserve online by the end of January.
Sailors says the Alaska-specific website and call center will make it easier to learn about Alaska-specific camping and PUC opportunities or to get help with special requests or questions outside of normal business hours.
“For example, you can call in for a quick reminder of the cabin access code you got months earlier in an email, but can’t quite put your hands on as you’re heading outside for a weekend camping or PUC trip,” she says.
Those with existing Reserve America accounts may continue to use them for camping or PUC reservations in Alaska or in other states. Reservations already made through the Reserve America website will be retained and will remain accessible through the new website.
In their company kitchens, the Corporate 100 blend wholesome ingredients with exquisite utensils to create the scrumptious ambrosia that keeps employees gratified and contented. Meet the top Alaska employers ranked by number of Alaskans on their payroll, and learn the recipe for success. This issue also includes a focus on economic development initiatives in Anchorage and Kodiak.