Jackson Hole's Snake River Lodge Gets A New Name And Ultra-Luxury Makeover

JACKSON HOLE — Out with dusty old taxidermy, and in with curated burl wood and marble.

The kitschy log-pole and taxidermy look that defined Snake River Lodge since roughly 2000 has been systematically dismantled to make room for a new but fictional resident: A cowgirl named Hattie Quinn. 

She is framed as a fifth-generation homesteading maven, bridging the gap between Jackson Hole’s rugged history and the ultra luxury expectations of the modern travelers who visit today.

Quinn serves as a creative muse for guests during all their journeys, both near and far, from Faraway Jackson Hole — the name the hotel’s new owners, Blue Flag Capital, have given the Teton Village landmark the group bought in 2023.

Snake River Lodge was built on the site of the former Sojourner Inn, which opened in late 1965 and was later razed to make way for the new Snake River Lodge that opened in 2000.

Blue Flag Capital also owns and operates Faraway Martha’s Vineyard in Edgartown, Massachusetts. Although this and the nearby Aspenhof Lodge that was bought at the same time are the company's first Wyoming properties, they likely won’t be the last. 

Hotel staff told Cowboy State Daily the company is actively seeking new locations and planning expansions into other markets.

Get Lost, Come Back

Guests of Faraway Jackson Hole are encouraged to “get lost and come back,” in true Quinn fashion.

It’s often said a picture is worth a thousand words, and the hotel has provided just that to illustrate this core philosophy.

Hanging in the lobby area near guest check-in is a massive portrait of a cowgirl, lying back on her horse with her head resting against its neck as the animal amiably wanders a mountain meadow on a spring afternoon. 

The same image decorates room notepads, postcards, and even the little stickers sealing toilet paper rolls. It is a pervasive reminder to keep on exploring, operating on the hotel’s Hattie Quinn theory that only when you are truly lost can you find something truly new.

A stone-like horse’s head greets guests at the entrance of the hotel’s new flagship all-day restaurant, Sure Hand — which happens to be the name of Quinn’s fictional horse. 

You won’t find any kitschy cowboy tropes from Wyoming’s past in the restaurant, or the hotel for that matter. Instead, the walls are decorated with framed vintage Western jackets and old belt buckles.

There’s also a bronze sculpture of several horsemen by the late Frederic Remington, well-known for his depictions of the West. 

Weaving all these elements together is a color palette pulled straight from Wyoming’s landscape — sage green, pale sky blue, earthy rock and burnt sienna. 

The restaurant offers western breakfasts, ranging from corn griddle cakes to biscuits with gravy. But there’s lighter fare, too, such as a farm egg frittata or a bowl of honey-sweetened yogurt with berries.

Lunch and dinner menus shift to chicken, wagyu, bison, and trout. The hotel aims to source as much produce and meat from local vendors as possible. 

Farther into the hotel, a carefully curated library encourages guests to sit for a spell. A fireplace awaits with plush chairs and sofas scattered about, as well as a large communal table equipped with charging ports. 

That Hattie, it seems, is one smart cowgirl.

Something Old, Something New

Despite the sweeping overhaul, remnants of the past do remain.

The Remington statue of the horsemen in the restaurant is a case in point. The Snake River Lodge’s old elk antlers still hang outside, too, and large log timbers here and there remain as well. More notably, perhaps, the old iron-gate elevators have been meticulously preserved.

They are refreshingly simple, running quieter and smoother than modern versions, even if the cage door strikes one as quite quaint. 

The careful curation of preserved history pays a little homage to the legacy of the Snake River Lodge, hotel staff told Cowboy State Daily. 

History Of Snake River Lodge

Before it was Snake River Lodge, the location was home to Sojourner Inn, one of three original alpine-style lodges in Teton Village, when the ski resort area was established in the 1960s.

Sojourner was a classic, rustic gathering place near the slopes, catering to Jackson Hole skiers and other tourists. 

Around 2000, developers decided to transform the aging Sojourner Inn into the upscale Snake River Lodge and Spa, creating Teton Village’s first resort spa facility.

The expansion included a 17,000-square-foot spa as well as a heated indoor-outdoor pool with a cascading rock waterfall and high-end mountain decor.

The redevelopment kicked off a modernization wave across the Teton Village base area. It was followed closely by construction of neighboring properties, including Teton Club, Teton Mountain Lodge, and the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole.

Faraway Jackson Hole didn’t immediately start tearing things apart after buying Snake River Lodge, Faraway’s Area Director of Sales and Marketing LB Haney told Cowboy State Daily. 

“They did things strategically,” Haney said. “They ran the Snake River Lodge for about a year and a half, two years first. They got to know the rest of our competitors, and then they were very tactical.”

They also sought feedback from the community to get a read on anything people felt should remain. 

“One thing that we will keep that everyone loved about the Snake River Lodge was the grotto,” he said. “So we’re going to keep the grotto outside. That will be an homage to the Snake, because everybody absolutely loved that.”

The updated aesthetic will fit Quinn’s taste — which means a comfortable atmosphere that encourages people to gather and hang out. 

A Tried And True Playbook

Blue Flag’s patient approach to the Snake River Lodge’s updo somewhat echoes how it developed Faraway Martha’s Vineyard. 

Just as in Teton Village, Blue Flag didn’t start from scratch. It acquired a landmark — the Kelley House — that had been operating under various names for more than two centuries. 

They then master-planned a cohesive campus by combining six separate historic buildings into a unified luxury footprint interconnected by lushly landscaped pathways. 

In Jackson Hole, Blue Flag appears to have a similar playbook.

It has also acquired the next-door Alpenhof, another of the original three alpine hotels in Teton Village. The Alpenhof is slated for a thorough two-year renovation before reopening in 2028. While it will remain a separate facility, the neighboring hotels can easily share infrastructure and resources, as appropriate. 

To maximize space, the spa tower at Snake River Lodge is being converted into additional guest rooms. The formal spa and wellness center at Alpenhof will be expanded. 

“We feel that the brand equity of the Alpenhof and how it’s tied to the history of the village is too important to rebrand,” Haney said. “So more of what they’re going to keep true is on the Alpenhof., rather than Faraway.”

At each of its unique properties, Blue Flag likes to create a fictional muse like Quinn to guide the design narrative. That’s still being decided for Alphenhof.

As its first hotel in the American West, the Jackson Hole expansion is a major geographical leap for Blue Flag, which has rapidly doubled its national footprint of Faraway locations.

The brand built its reputation almost entirely on coastal New England mainstays, beginning with Faraway Nantucket.

Today, its luxury portfolio stretches across the Eastern Seaboard to include Faraway Sag Harbor in the Hamptons and Hotel Corduroy in Montauk, and now Faraway Jackson Hole.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.