Kah-Nee-Ta Closing After More Than 50 Years, Wednesday Is The End

PORTLAND, OR – After more than 50 years in business, Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa is getting ready to close its doors. When the last customer leaves on Wednesday, the resort will be officially out of business.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council voted last week to officially shutter the property, which opened in 1954. The vote was not unanimous. Of the 11 members of the council, only three voted to close the resort. Five didn't vote and the chairman did not cast a vote.

The resort says that 164 people are losing the jobs. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

The tribe says that Kah-Nee-Ta was losing too much money to continue being viable.

As much as the property is losing, it won't be cheap to shut it down. Closure costs are estimated to be $720,000 each year.

“The shuttering costs are significant and will put a burden on an already challenging budget year,” Tribal Council Chairman Austin Green says.

Vice Chairman Carles Calica adds that the tribe is looking for other options – including financing – for the facility.

"This will be necessary to reduce costs to the tribal government," according to Calica.

Options for the resort's future include eco-tourism such as heli-skiing on Mt. Jefferson, fishing trips along the Deschutes River, and trophy game hunting.

The Confederated Tribes are also looking to the example of the Navajo Nation, which runs a permitting program allowing for commercial film and photography on their land.

Such a plan would bring in money for the Tribe and resort as well as provide jobs and opportunities for tribal members.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has more than 5,300 members from the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute tribes.

"It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve the tourism community for over five decades," the resort said in a statement.

"We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the generations of families who visited our Resort."

Photo via Kah-Nee-Ta Resort/Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs