JACKSON — No one knows who made the Rusty Parrot folk art piece that inspired the name of one of Jackson’s first luxury boutique hotels.
But one thing is certain: There’s now more to add to the legend behind the 4-foot-tall rusty metallic parrot. It has proven itself a survivor in more ways than one.
The sculpture is one of several pieces of metallic art from the hotel that were salvaged after a 2019 fire destroyed the popular Jackson hotel, leaving it a pile of rubble and burned wood that cut a scar against the sky.
The iconic art piece and several other metallic sculptures will have new places of honor once the new Rusty Parrot opens July 1 — albeit their new places will be “reminiscent” of their old spaces.
“The whole objective of our rebuild was to honor the character of the original building so that it had the feel and is reminiscent of the old,” General Manager Brandon Harrison told Cowboy State Daily on a recent, behind-the-scenes tour of the new Rusty Parrot. “We did not try to recreate the floor plan exactly though. We tried to incorporate and improve on all the things we learned after the first 30 years of business.”
That means there will be lots of new features, and despite all the construction still underway, the vision is becoming clear.
Among the new features is a grand staircase that sculpts an interesting, almost labyrinthine, shape leading up and away into the hotel. It says as clearly as anything could that mystery and adventures await upstairs.
Guests can still take an elevator if they want, Harrison said, but he thinks most will want to take the stairs, especially since hotel employees will take guest luggage to their rooms.
A huge elk chandelier is on the way to complete the entryway, as well as a USGS marker with the Rusty Parrot’s coordinates, which will go into a stone that looks almost like a baseball home plate near the entryway desk.
Standing in the entryway, guests can see another new feature that’s going to be a lot of fun. An arched glass window looks into the kitchen so guests can watch the Wild Sage Restaurant’s chefs preparing food.
“The kitchen is part of the home,” Harrison said. “And we really want to recreate the homey vibe that we had before.”
The center of the dining space has a beautiful fireplace with each end anchoring racks for wine bottles.
The new dining room is larger, with seating for 48 people instead of 36.
Surprises Still Await
Among of the hallmarks of the Rusty Parrot are surprises that only guests know about.
They include the legend behind the hotel’s name, which is only shared individually with guests by the owner.
“The old building had some secret, little hidden spots you could explore and discover on the property,” Harrison said. “And we’re kind of going for that here as well.”
Among these surprises are a little wildlife viewing area in a quiet corner of the hotel and a refreshment station that will be located near a reading nook.
There’s also going to be a rooftop deck looking out over Jackson, where people can enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres after skiing or, perhaps, for those who aren’t skiers, a la sunset.
Guests are going to find larger rooms at the new Rusty Parrot, and a few more of those larger rooms as well.
There will be 40 rooms instead of the former 32.
Keeping to a small number of rooms is a Rusty Parrot hallmark, offering a more intimate experience.
“We really kind of pioneered boutique and luxury lodging here in Jackson,” Harrison said. “And it was really before boutique was even a term in the travel and tourism industry.”
Brandon Harrisburg talks about the rooftop terrace at the Rusty Parrot. It's going to have a heated floor. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The view from the entry way at the Rusty Parrot. Construction has about 1 more month to go. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The garage has stackers so cars can be parked on top of each other. That saved space so that the Rusty Parrot could expand both the number of rooms and room sizes, as well as have more space in the dining area, plus a huge courtyard. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Six more bikes have been added to the fleet, and the new ones were painted in green to match the old ones. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
More of the "Submarine Room" at the Rusty Parrot. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Hidden in the basement, the guts of the Rusty Parrot resemble a submarine. That's already earned it the nickname "Submarine Room." (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
One of the spa treatment rooms. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Construction equpiment floats around the center of the entry way of the Rusty Parrot while workers rush to complete the new hotel by July 1. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The kitchen will have a glass window so customers can see food being prepared. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Wine bottle racks are going to be on the ends of the fireplace, Brandon Harrisburg explains during a recent tour of the Rusty Parrot, which will be opening July 1. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The bathroom of a new Rusty Parrot room. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
This room at the Rusty Parrot is just awaiting its mattress and the unwrapping of a chair to be complete. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
A hottub, covered with the red tarp, in the back of the courtyard will be screened by trees planted in front. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The courtyard includes patio dining space. The chairs ringing the fire pit below will be replaced with Adirondack chairs. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Rooms in the Rusty Parrot are nearing completion. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
Growing Up In A Hotel Room
Harrison’s father, Ron Harrison, started building the hotel in the summer of 1990, after an almost two-decade search for the right property, at the right time.
Brandon Harrison worked on the construction crew building the hotel that summer, then lived in the hotel all through his high school years.
He eventually went away to college, earning an MBA from University of Wyoming, always with the intent of returning to run the hotel, while his sister Heidi ran the spa.
Brandon ran the hotel for about 29 years until the fire in 2019, which destroyed it.
Investigators determined that a seat cushion blew into one of the fire pits. The fires had been put out and the pits had been covered, but they were still very hot. The deck had recently been varnished or stained, according to news media reports at the time, and vapors could have affected the flammability.
The fire traveled quickly into the attic and down the walls, even as guests were sleeping.
No one was hurt, and everyone was rescued.
The fire didn’t burn the structure to the ground, but water and smoke damage ruined the hotel, making almost everything unsalvageable. But the cool metal sculptures were saved, among them a Kent Ullberg sculpture of a cougar’s head, and the rusty parrot.
The Beat Of A Different Drummer
Without any prior hotel experience, the Harrisons have always done things just little bit differently than standard industry practice.
But it was an informed difference, because they traveled to many hotels while deciding what they wanted their hotel to be.
“Having high-end, very nice food service in a small hotel was pretty unique at the time,” Harrison said. “And when we started, the idea was actually just to make it feel homey. My dad wanted it to have the smell of fresh-baked goods like grandma’s house kind of thing.”
Initially, there were just going to be freshly baked muffins and cookies.
“But our staff found a great chef, and he said we could pull off some interesting things with breakfast cuisine,” Harrison said. “So, we sort of took the bed and breakfast concept to the next level with the breakfast that we were offering.”
When their breakfast hit the cover of Gourmet Magazine, the Harrisons knew they were onto something, so they decided to add lunch and dinner as well.
While breakfast is mainly for the hotel guests each day — there are a few unadvertised spaces for those in the know — the general public is welcome for dinner.
“We really want our guests to experience all those like dining options of the town, because it is kind of a foodie destination,” Harrison said. “So, we make a point of being able to get dinner reservations for our hotel guests at least one night during their stay here, but we also encourage them to go to the other restaurants for the other nights of their stay here.”
