JUNEAU, AK – The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) announced it has closed on and acquired the Driftwood Lodge property located in the Aak’w Village District in Juneau.
The 48,179 square foot (1.106 acre) property is located at 435 West Willoughby Avenue, across the street from Tlingit & Haida’s Andrew Hope Building and two other commercial office buildings acquired in 2021. The purchase includes the three-story hotel, adjacent building currently occupied by the Sandpiper Café, and surrounding parking lot.
The lodge operations were transferred to Tlingit & Haida in February after the deed was signed. There are currently 10 employees operating the Driftwood Lodge and all have been on-boarded through Tlingit & Haida’s Human Resources department as employees of the Tribe.
Chief Development Officer Will Ware oversees the Tribal Development branch of Tlingit & Haida, and his team led the property acquisition.
“This was a solid investment with sustainable profit projections and an important land acquisition as the Tribe continues to develop its campus in the downtown area,” said Ware. “The business will immediately provide training and employment opportunities for tribal citizens, as well as future development potential.”
Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson said this is part of the Tribe’s continued effort to get lands back into Indigenous hands.
“This acquisition checked all of the boxes for the Tribe’s strategic plans for growth and economic sovereignty,” said President Peterson. “Not only are we getting land back in the old Juneau Indian Village, but the acquisition also made perfect sense once we completed our due diligence process.”
Tlingit & Haida will continue running the Driftwood Lodge as a hotel and occupants should not notice any change in service.
The Driftwood Lodge offers 62 rooms and suites with kitchens with four separate floor plans, complimentary transportation and internet, and paid on-site laundry facilities.
