Long time director named Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel Chief Managing Officer.

Whole the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel is undergoing $8 million dollars in renovations, the leadership of the hotel formerly known as "Embassy Suites" is also undergoing renovations.

The resort just celebrated a year of independence in April 2014 and is putting into place a management structure that throws away the corporate mold, and invests in the resort’s front line -- its staff.

“Since we are no longer tied to a corporate office, we took the last year to really understand how our management structure could work most effectively,” said Bill Cottrill, the resort’s new chief managing officer.

Cottrill’s title is part of the change. Formerly the resort’s director of sales and marketing, Cottrill is now responsible for not only the sales and marketing, but also, food and beverage, front office operations, outside vendor agreements with valet parking and concierge, and accounting / finance.

Lorraine Turner, Cottrill’s counterpart for the back of the house, is the resort’s former director of human resources. Turner’s new title, chief administrative officer, represents her expanded duties that include not only human resources and payroll, but loss prevention, security, liability and IT.

“At the end of the day, my priority is to ensure the direction, the goals and the new culture we are trying to achieve are carried out,” said Turner.

John Steinbach, the hotel’s former general manager, will now be vice president. John will also spend time working with ownership in transitioning their Anaheim property into an independent property, currently slated for next spring.

The reason behind these changes Cottrill said is to continue the initial transitional goal to align positions with the vision for the culture of the property. He added that there will be additional position changes and opportunities moving forward and these adjustments allow the hotel team to have a stronger impact for guest service.

Along with new titles and responsibilities is a significant investment in leadership and cross training for all resort employees.

“The goal is investing in our team and giving them the tools they need to be successful as well as strengthening their skills in other areas of the resort,” explained Steinbach.

“We have a lot of talent here at the hotel,” Turner added. “We want our team members to realize their full potential and be able to apply it. If the positions are not there for the team to move into right away, we want them to know we are enhancing their skill set to improve their chances for handling new opportunities in the future. We want them to know we are investing in their future.”

The focus going into 2015 is creating a training program that will be offered during work hours and be incorporated into the present work day. Turner said the classes will offer management skill training on topics like; coaching employees, business development, time management, budgeting, and learning what it takes to lead. There will also be service training classes for front line staff.

“We are lucky in that we have many employees that have been with the resort for more than 20 years and our employees are a big part of the guest experience,” Turner said. “When we went independent we learned that for our guests, what mattered most is that we were still in Tahoe and we still had the same staff, not necessarily the name over our door.”

Lake Tahoe resort is currently in phase two of a total of $8 million in property renovations.
Renovations this fall include:
Dual sided fireplaces added to the four balcony suites.
Premium and specialty suites to receive:
New chandeliers, end table lights, bar and vanity area lights.
New sofa sleepers, love seats, and ottomans.
Banquet rooms to be outfitted with:
New carpet, ceiling tiles, wallpaper, chandeliers, 800 banquet chairs, 300 Chiavari chairs, sound system, enhanced lighting, portable bars, digital signs and digital reader boards.
New carpet, wallpaper, and lighting for the lobby seating area to match recent upgrades in Atrium 1.
Poolside indoor and outdoor lounge furniture, new decking, ceiling wood and wood trim.
New slate flooring in each of three entrances.
New carpet to all floor hallways and grand staircase.
Many back of house items which insure the property will constantly be comfortable to guests’ expectations.

Upgrades from the first $5 million phase included renovations to all 400 suites with new 42-inch HD flat screen TV’s in the living room and in the bedroom, 300-thread count linens, new headboards, nightstands, wet bars, vanities, carpet, end tables and dressers, bath upgrades, granite countertops, new mini refrigerators and microwave ovens.

Also, well received from the first phase of renovations were changes to the resort’s atrium including a large dual-sided fireplace featuring comfortable sofas, love seats, coffee tables, lighting, and game board tables.

Located in the center of South Lake Tahoe’s outdoor and indoor amenities -- mountains, the beach, towering pine forests, shopping and nightlife – guests are within walking distance from just outside the hotel’s four main doors. Nearby attractions include the Van Sickle bi-state park with hiking trails that meander past waterfalls or go all the way to the Tahoe Rim Trail. Just down the road visitors can pick up the newest section of America’s Most Beautiful Bikeway and bike or walk to two of Tahoe’s most popular beaches, Nevada and Round Hill Pines Beaches.
Heavenly Village, directly to the left of the resort, offers a wide range of dining and shopping options as well as the Heavenly Gondola with access to Heavenly’s Epic Discovery park. And newly opened this summer, directly across the street, is 30,000 more square feet of retail.

Located in South Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border, just steps from casino entertainment, the nine-story all-suite hotel has 400 rooms, 10,000 square-feet of meeting space, and restaurant and bar. It is the largest and only full-service hotel in South Lake Tahoe.