Prior to the pandemic, it seemed as though travel to the various national parks was a steady flow for investors and owners of hotels and various forms of hospitality located within the area(s). Since the pandemic, it has taken time for travel activity to build back up.
This makes it understandable that new investment and construction for hospitality near national parks has not been "popular" over the past five years. It's nice that we are finally seeing that trend starting to pick up. The below linked article is about a new hotel for California's Joshua Tree area.
However, the lead story of this project is that it is the first new hotel to the area in 15 years. As a specialist that is research oriented, I find this news perplexing. How had it gone ten years without new hospitality development before the events of 2020?
Either something changed drastically recently, or no one carried through on an opportunity for a very long time. If it was a drastic change, research was part of it. If no one carried through the opportunity, it will show how being "the only one" with the right research could result in a life-changing experience for and investor and/or developer behind the project. It would result from them executing while the situation was ripe.
Right now, if there is another developer hospitality development within minutes of Joshua Tree National Park in progress, they are going to be months behind the new competition, along with the existing competitors for the traveler dollar. Was Joshua Tree selected for a specific reason ahead of other national parks? Are there other such opportunities ripe for picking?
All it takes to get the answer is valuable research.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/joshua-tree-national-park-new-hotel-20814873.php