Case Studies Hospitality

In 1987, Johnny Morris, who founded Bass Pro Shops, purchased a small parcel of lakeside property to create a “fish camp” getaway for his outfitters. Thirty-seven years later, that initial vision has evolved to become a luxury wilderness resort known as Big Cedar Lodge. The award-winning destination sits on 4,600 acres across the Missouri portion […]

Owners of Choice Hotels Int. brands along the Gulf Coast should expect to see a lot of Jim Alty—although he may never be staying in one of the new rooms. “I like to joke with owners that the day they see their first guest is when I vaporize,” says Alty, the company’s project manager, construction […]

Visual amenities have to be seen as part of the relaxing and rejuvenating experience one expects from Woodhouse Spa. So emphasizes its director of construction, David Krom, who’s quick to add how necessary it is to stay ahead of consumer preferences. Krom found that not quite the case when he joined the team in October […]

After more than 25 years managing the finances for the Hualapai (hoo·aa·luh·pai) Tribe of northwestern Arizona, Wanda Easter was looking for a challenge. She wanted to take on new tasks, maybe even see some new places. But Rhode Island in January? That’s no knock on the Ocean State, but it is a world away from […]

Whether it’s the friendly folks behind Limani Hospitality Group who’ve welcomed him as one of their own, or his four kids, including one who followed in his footsteps, Russ Delisi is all about family. In fact, while his skills have grown considerably over his three-plus decades in the architecture world, that doesn’t mean his 30-year-old […]

Over the past 27 years, Edgar Choi has helped guide construction of some of the most ambitious projects in the industry, including the $2 billion Palazzo at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas that was completed in 2008. But after living in Las Vegas for 15 years, Choi returned to the East Coast in 2015 […]

Some people climb the ladder in their industry not by taking others down, but by becoming indispensable to everyone around them. Such was the case with Roger Beck, the global facility and real estate manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts, whose brands include InterContinental Hotels, Regent, Holiday Inn and Crown Plaza. As an example of […]

The Las Vegas Strip has more than two dozen multi-billion-dollar properties on a four-mile stretch. These behemoths, which have thousands of rooms, are huge compared to smaller casinos on tribal lands or in rural places. They also have over-the-top amenities that are hard to match. But, according to David Johns, it’s not impossible. “We’re trying […]

As he completes a second decade with the Hyatt Hotels Corp., it’s safe to say Miso Ivanisevic has found a place to stay. The director of engineer and facilities for the Hyatt Regency and the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, has risen through the company ranks for 18 years. He started […]

Jim Slagle has made a career out of helping to sustain quite the legacy. As vice president of facility asset management at Disneyland Resort, he feels like he is on hallowed ground. “Walt Disney’s legacy is visible throughout Disneyland park,” Slagle tells Blueprint in September 2021 from Anaheim, California, where he’s spent the second half […]