Sarah Cruse Email and Phone Number

Wilderness indeed! I had never worked in a remote location before, and this was truly in a wilderness with the only access being via boat or plane. One of the biggest job wins I have is going from the world of pampered luxury into the literal wilderness, and still producing 5 star service. I thrived on being surrounded with limited resources, challenging logistics, and being completely dependent on Mother Nature!In this role, I was hired to step in to stabilize operations after the property was stagnating from lack of formal policies and processes. I currently oversee complicated logistics and day-to-day operations for this 5 star eco-tourism resort housing up to 60 guests featuring many unique outdoor activities and excursions. I drive the entire CDN $8 million in annual sales within only 4.5 months of operating season, and supervise 75 staff to ensure smooth functions. As the general manager, I also administer all other daily functions including HR, maintenance, housekeeping, guest services, food / beverage, activities, boat division, horse division, and guide division, in addition to both hotel guest and staff camps.Top Contributions:++++++++++++* Secured on-time opening of seasonal camp after stepping into leadership role during renovation to guarantee readiness upon opening day.* Added infrastructure and professional polish to sales pipeline by building reservation system.* Empowered staff and implemented new departmental leadership structure and hired 75% new employees.* Implement safety program to educate staff and guests on safety and risk / hazard mitigation.* Captured 90% staff retention rate (projected) for 2017 season.* Championed transparent fiscal responsibility and departmental accountability by integrating formal protocols and checks / balances into financial processes.

I was recruited into this role to stabilize operations after a succession of general managers had departed the property. What I found was an unbelievable beauty of this location, perched above a pristine lake, surrounded by mountains and forest, the beautiful surroundings are awe-inspiring, the mineral hot springs soothing and healing for body, soul, and mind. The humans are special and share a love for Halcyon and the Kootenays.My immediate task was to step in to lay groundwork for transforming this 44-unit property with soaking pools, spa, and restaurant, located at legendary hot springs, into meeting up-scale service standards reflecting an increased room rate.It was a short time period, yet so much was accomplished. I found the whole process to be invigorating and refreshing. A group of like-minded individuals came together as a team for the ultimate goal of improving their work and service standards.But it didn’t just end with the people. I also vetted out a revised renovation plan, focusing on re-locating the Spa, upgrading the Restaurant and finishing the Cabins and Lobby, while managing 60 staff. Meanwhile, I administered daily operations impacting food & beverage, spa, guest services and activities, housekeeping, maintenance, finance, accounting, and IT functions. The hot springs are open to the public so the constant flow of guests passing through in such a remote location, was truly surprising and delightful as the opportunities to convert day guests into over-night guests had such potential.* Stemmed talent bleed to achieve improved staff retention rates; hired recruiter to hire 30 new staff members to fill vacant positions to restore full staffing levels.* Recalibrated owner vision on how to position property within marketplace as high-end healing waters destination resort / spa, with experiential activities* Proposed property re-brand along with revised operating budget aimed at providing stabilization of profitability.

What a unique property with a feeling of stepping back into the Wild West with the authentic mining cabins from the 1800’s, a historical saloon and dance hall, with mineral hot springs seeping from the ground into the bath house, you truly do step back in time. I was hired into role at this Relais & Chateaux, 5-star remote resort with 13 luxury cabins, 8 luxury tents, and a small luxury guesthouse (located in Telluride) with 5 suites, with a team of 50 employees. A succession of previous GMs resulted in issues with internal communications. I immediately pivoted employee focus onto catering to high-end guests wanting to experience nature and outdoors while enjoying superb food, exceptional service, and top-notch wines. One of the biggest challenges was building a team that embraced a remote and wilderness lifestyle, and then keeping that team engaged during long winter months as well as and the busy months of high season in the summer. Ensured flawless operations in food/beverage, housekeeping, human resources, accounting, maintenance, guest service, and activity programming. Protected hotel assets and managed operational department budgets to control expenses and maximize revenue. * Restored staff trust in management; took time to interact with each employee in every department to create rapport and accessibility.*Surged guest satisfaction levels after launching new service department tasked with providing personalized service to each guest stay.*Won rave reviews from guests after recalibrating culinary team to represent Dunton’s high food standards.* Expanded destination’s activities program footprint and revenues by forging partnership with outfitter providing guides for hikes, ski trails, and bike paths.* Established preventative maintenance and crisis management program after assessing previous fire which had burned an historical barn on-site.* Rebuilt food and beverage service by replacing underperformers and recruiting best-in-class industry talent.

Wilderness indeed! I had never worked in a remote location before, and this was truly in a wilderness with the only access being via boat or plane. One of the biggest job wins I have is going from the world of pampered luxury into the literal wilderness, and still producing 5 star service. I thrived on being surrounded with limited resources, challenging logistics, and being completely dependent on Mother Nature!In this role, I was hired to step in to stabilize operations after the property was stagnating from lack of formal policies and processes. I currently oversee complicated logistics and day-to-day operations for this 5 star eco-tourism resort housing up to 60 guests featuring many unique outdoor activities and excursions. I drive the entire CDN $8 million in annual sales within only 4.5 months of operating season, and supervise 75 staff to ensure smooth functions. As the general manager, I also administer all other daily functions including HR, maintenance, housekeeping, guest services, food / beverage, activities, boat division, horse division, and guide division, in addition to both hotel guest and staff camps.Top Contributions:++++++++++++* Secured on-time opening of seasonal camp after stepping into leadership role during renovation to guarantee readiness upon opening day.* Added infrastructure and professional polish to sales pipeline by building reservation system. * Empowered staff and implemented new departmental leadership structure and hired 75% new employees. * Implement safety program to educate staff and guests on safety and risk / hazard mitigation.* Captured 90% staff retention rate (projected) for 2017 season. * Championed transparent fiscal responsibility and departmental accountability by integrating formal protocols and checks / balances into financial processes.

Quail Lodge & Golf Club – Carmel, CaliforniaGeneral Manager, 4/2006–3/2016In the 10 years that I was with this company, it felt like I had 4 different jobs, as there were different chapters of life on this property. I learned the art of negotiation and how to handle crisis management while guiding the property to profitability despite seemingly unsurmountable odds. My biggest take away for this job was that a positive attitude of Never Give Up, mixed with a lot of lasting intrinsic rewards.During those different “life stages” of this resort property (owned by Peninsula Hotels), I guided it through closing and restructuring in order to re-launch with a new business operating module within a newly renovated facility. I set the strategic vision for transitioning the 100-room closed hotel into profitable venture while managing 18-hole golf course, country club, and events department. One of my biggest takeaways was that I was able to compassionately reduce staff from 250 to 120 without compromising full service capacity.Top Contributions:++++++++++++* Added $1 million to bottom line by growing international car show and reducing operational costs while hotel was closed in preparation for sale. * Profitability business case of eliminating service amenities, limiting dining service options, and consolidating staff positions.* Cut 5 year union deal that enabled company to meet 5 year plan and be fiscally stable while negotiating around hot-button labor issues including abolishing and merging positions, and creating new multi-tasking jobs. * Negotiated land deal with local farmer to allow company purchase of leased land holding 2 golf holes as part of cost-cutting measure. * Launched early re-opening of refreshed and rebranded Quail Lodge & Golf Club and quickly beat original revenue forecasts.

Also worked as Sea to Sky Director of Operations, 10/2001-10/2002Working with this company allowed me the opportunity to brand a collection of properties under one umbrella. I also learned the art of change is key, and can be achieved through clear communications. One of the biggest things that I enjoyed in this role was the ability to work in various properties within the company. Each property was distinctly different, so there was no “cookie cutter” template – each facility required respect, understanding, and sensitive taste buds as we moved each property into the same recipe book!During my career at this organization, I was retained during the subsequent purchase of my previous employer and rotated between multiple properties to provide turnaround expertise and leadership to rebuild operations at 4 golf courses within collection of 15 golf courses. Following the purchase going through, I on-boarded 5 Hawaii-based golf courses into the portfolio.Top Contributions:++++++++++++* Led rebranding and complete turnaround of golf course; revamped communications strategy to highlight “BC’s Most Scenic Golf Course” showcasing 14th hole (Par 3 built into ocean).* Introduced sales culture within B.C. golf industry; implemented revenue-generating initiatives including loyal player rewards card as part of brand awareness strategy.* Positioned Olympic View and Arbutus Ridge properties on Vancouver Island to achieve bottom-line turnaround, with total restructure of positions to optimize efficiency and end goal of rebranding under GolfBC. * Engineered seamless ownership transition while delivering uninterrupted business after spearheading on-boarding process for company’s newly acquired golf courses in Hawaii.

• Facilitated turnaround of distressed property, leading facility out of negative GOP.
• Recruitment of new leadership team to execute new business plan of service and sales.
• Executed successful new marketing plan and tagline of “BC’s Most Scenic Golf Course” leading property to become a destination stop on the way to Whistler.
• Maintained owner’s representation in the process of sale negotiation and overseeing of land acquisitions.• Management of due diligence process throughout property sale from private ownership of Tanac Land development to corporate ownership of Burrard International Holdings/GolfBC.
- Ensured compliancy with all local government regulations.
- Ensured all leases and applicable contracts were current.
- Represented ownership with the Official Community Plan of future home developments.
- Represented ownership for communications with FC Uplands private home owners while developing Burrard’s Oliver’s Landing, a waterfront town home subdivision with a private recreation centre.- Liaise with the HOA’s, legal counsel and the Sea to Sky Planning Department for any design and property boundary disputes with neighboring homeowners.