A giant stone carving of four early U.S. presidents, Mount Rushmore is a major historical tourist attraction bringing in an average of between two and 2.5 million tourists in a given year.
Most will either drive to the National Memorial located in the Black Hills of South Dakota from thousands of miles away as part of a wider cross-country road trip or come in through a standalone trip to the area over several days.
The nearest town of Keystone is home to more than 100 hotels, motels and vacation rental property accommodations while the larger Rapid City is also just a 24-mile drive away. Despite the consistent flow of tourists, a dip in visitors in a given year could spell trouble for what can be an oversaturated market in an area defined by only one site.
Rushmore Hotel and Suites near Mount Rushmore files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
On Aug. 13, the company behind the Rushmore Hotel & Suites resort in Rapid City filed for bankruptcy Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The petition first dug up by financial data firm Bondoro was signed by hotel managing director Adam M. Hendry and reports company assets of between $10 and $50 million with an equivalent amount of debts owed to various creditors. It is operated by the Best Western BW Premier Collection brand.
Related: 105-year-old historic hotel by national park files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Tzadik Mount Rushmore Hotel, LLC operates the 177-room hotel in Rapid City that has been open since 1981. The name specifically markets to guests who are in the city to make the trip out to Mount Rushmore but, without an official statement and confirmation of the filing from the company, it is unclear what led to the bankruptcy or the full extent of the hotel’s financial troubles.
The top creditors listed in the filing include a local fire protection agency, the local county and various food and electrical service vendors. Fort Lauderdale-based bankruptcy attorney Jesse R. Cloyd was listed as representing Rushmore Hotel and Suites.
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These other hotels filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2026
Another recent hotel Chapter 11 filing occurred when Lake Tahoe-area Boatworks at Tahoe LLC shopping mall and hotel operator filed for protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California after defaulting on a $14.4 million bank loan and property taxes earlier in the year.
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The owners of the 105-year-old Hotel Charlotte outside Yosemite National Park also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a string of power outages in northern California disrupted the hotel’s tourist season in 2025 to a point from which it could not recover.
The historic hotel built in 1921 by Italian immigrant Charlotte DeFerrari to call back to the area’s earlier Gold Rush period indicated its intent to stay in operation as the owners restructure their finances. The property is located 24 miles, or approximately a 30-minute drive, from Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat entrance and is also highly dependent on the seasonal flow of tourists for its business.
Related: 38-year-old theme park to close forever after summer season
