BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — More than four decades after their father started building a family motorcoach company, siblings Joe and Elizabeth Hall are expanding the business he founded — guiding the Minnesota-based tour company that introduces travelers to Alaska beyond the cruise ship experience.
John Hall’s Alaska received the United Motorcoach Association Small Operator Vision Award during the Awards Gala on Feb. 13 at the 2026 UMA Motorcoach EXPO, in Birmingham, Alabama.
The award recognizes smaller motorcoach operators that demonstrate excellence in safety, innovation, financial performance, customer service and industry leadership.
UMA Board Member Bethany Bertram, who presented the award, called the company an example of how operators can influence the industry regardless of fleet size.
“This award honors something rare,” Bertram said. “It recognizes operators who don’t just succeed in today’s environment but who actively help guide the future of our industry, proving that size does not determine impact.”
Bertram said John Hall’s Alaska demonstrates that growth and innovation can coexist with tradition and maintaining a clear identity.
Offering a deeper experience
The recognition highlights a company built over four decades and now carried forward by the next generation, continuing to introduce travelers to Alaska not just as a destination viewed from the water, but as a place experienced more deeply on the road.
Although based in Minnesota, John Hall’s Alaska is known for guided motorcoach tours across Alaska, giving travelers an opportunity to experience the state’s interior landscapes and communities — an alternative to traditional cruise-only vacations.
During cruise season, many visitors arrive by ship along Alaska’s coastline. The company’s tours extend those journeys inland, allowing guests to travel deeper into the state by motorcoach and experience destinations beyond port cities.
Bertram said the company stands out because it treats travel as hospitality rather than transportation.
“They’re not just transporting people. They’re hosting them,” she said. “They’re welcoming them. They’re creating moments guests remember long after the trip ends.”
She described carefully designed tours built on personal attention.
“Guests are greeted with intention. Camaraderie is built before the first mile is ever traveled,” Bertram said. “Their tours aren’t rushed. They are not transactional. They’re curated, thoughtful and personal.”
Family commitment
The family-owned company was founded by the late John Hall Sr., who died Feb. 16, days after celebrating the honor and one day after his 82nd birthday. It has grown into an internationally recognized tour operator while remaining under family leadership. Bertram said its longevity reflects consistent values and long-term decision-making.
“Their values — integrity, empathy, equality, and genuine care — aren’t words on a wall,” she said. “They show up in the guest experience. They show up in the culture and in employee loyalty.”
She also pointed to the company’s resilience during challenging years for travel.
“This commitment to excellence never wavered, even when the world did,” Bertram said. “Through economic downturns, national tragedies, and a global pandemic, this company stayed true to its vision.”
Since 2020, John Hall’s Alaska has more than doubled its fleet, expanded its workforce and invested in infrastructure, including a full-service maintenance operation that supports other operators in the motorcoach industry.
“And yet, through all of that, they never lost who they are,” Bertram said.
Accepting the award, Chief Operating Officer Joe Hall credited employees and family members rather than himself.
“First of all, I’m just the bus driver, the guy that works on stuff,” Hall said. Gesturing toward his sister, Elizabeth, the company president, he added. “This is the brains behind the operation right here.”
Joe Hall said his connection to the industry began early in life.
“When I was 3 years old, I told everybody that I wanted to be a bus driver when I grew up, and I didn’t think it would come true,” he said. “I love this industry.”
He recalled growing up traveling with the family company.
“When I tell people that I grew up in the back seat of an MC-9 — you know, where those three seats are next to the bathroom — some of you understand what I’m saying,” Hall said, drawing laughter from the audience.
“We’re just so happy to be in this industry with so many wonderful people and hopefully just move this thing forward,” he added.
Grateful for support
Elizabeth Hall said the recognition carried personal meaning, noting that her father could not attend because of recent surgery.
“I know that John Sr. wishes he could be here tonight,” she said. “To get the Vision Award for someone who can’t see is kind of ironic.”
Elizabeth Hall said the motorcoach industry has influenced nearly every part of the family’s life.
“This industry has given us everything that we have in this life,” she said. “We’ve got the best friends in this industry.”
Reflecting on recent challenges faced by family-owned travel companies, she added, “Over the course of the last five years, I think all of us in the family business have fought hard to still be here. It’s been a long road. It’s been a challenge.”
Elizabeth Hall credited financial and industry partners with helping the company continue operating.
“We wouldn’t be here without our partners in the banking industry, in the motorcoach industry, MCI,” she said. “We absolutely appreciate it.
“We’re humbled by this award, but we also feel fortunate to still be here,” Hall said.
Photos by Jill Kelly
