The Reawakening of Bedford Springs Resort

History slept here, and for almost too long—but then it got a $120 million wakeup call.

by Joe Barks (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
December 2007
 

Summing It Up • Modern conveniences can be tastefully balanced with old-world charm, to provide the best of all resort environments. • Making a property’s history integral to its revived operations can help to create real distinction from other offers. • Reconnecting with locals will help to boost the level of day-to-day activity, especially in off-peak periods.

You don’t often find iPod docking stations and high-definition, flat-screen TVs listed with four-poster beds, rocking chairs, and 19th-century washstands in descriptions of a resort guestroom’s amenities.

But that’s the result when the equation for reviving a property is 210 (years of history) minus 20 (years of decay) + $120 million (in acquisition and renovation costs).

The investment group of Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd. did that math when it acquired the Bedford Springs Resort in 1998, and still felt it added up to a great opportunity. It took the group nearly another 10 years to get the 216-room resort—which is nestled into the Allegheny Mountains outside of Bedford, Pa., and includes a 110-year-old golf course bearing the imprints of noted architects Spencer Oldham, A.W. Tillinghast and Donald Ross—ready for its reopening this past summer.

Everything certainly would have gone a lot faster—and been a lot cheaper—if the entire 2,200-acre property had just been bulldozed, to fix the serious decline that began when the hotel was damaged and closed after severe flooding in the 1980s. (The problems were further compounded when another round of flooding closed the golf course in the ‘90s.) But a raze-and-rebuild approach was never an option, because of the resort’s designation as a National Historic Landmark, and its resulting endangered-site status from the National Park Service.

Even without that protection, though, the new investors felt their chances of successfully reviving the property—and realizing a return on what was clearly going to need to be a considerable investment—would hinge as much on distinguishing it through its historical value, as on providing what guests and meeting planners are looking for in a modern resort experience.

Under the direction of Executive Chef Konrad Meier, “F” is proving to be as strong as “B” among resort diners.

“We want to have a good balance between old-world charm and the ‘latest and greatest,’ ” says Rikki Boparai, brought in as General Manager by Benchmark Hospitality International, which was retained by the investment group to manage the resort. “We feel we are not only well-positioned geographically, with over 14 million people living within a three-hour drive, but that we’re also able to offer a unique experience by recapturing and ‘opening the door’ to the rich and varied history of this property.”

That history, combined with easier accessibility from major markets such as Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C., is what Boparai and Sales and Marketing Director Todd Gillespie are emphasizing, as they try to get event planners to consider Bedford Springs as a more conveniently located and unique option than even such industry standard-bearers as The Greenbrier or The Homestead.

The historical tie-ins are now evident through all aspects of how the property has been restored. Its original attraction—the seven natural, mineral-rich springs that first led people to make an arduous trek to Bedford in frontier days, after hearing that the waters had medicinal value—now not only lends a name, but also water, to the resort’s full-service, 30,000-sq. ft. Springs Eternal Spa. The springs also feed the resort’s pool, which has been painstakingly rebuilt to recreate the same look from when it opened in 1903 as the world’s first Olympic-sized indoor pool.

“Many spas have become ‘in and out’ factories, with a constant shuffle of guests,” says Director of Spa Veronique Paquet. “We want to provide the same nurturing that first led people to come here to ‘take the waters.’ We include bathing rituals in many of our care packages, and have a larger-than-usual lounge, where you’re welcome to linger to read a book or enjoy tea without having to worry about being charged by the hour.

“We have also designed the products in our signature body care line with botanicals that are indigenous to the mountains around Bedford,” Paquet adds. The appeal of the signature line has contributed to overall retail sales that have been “phenomenal” since the resort’s reopening, she reports. “The benchmark is for retail sales to represent 10 percent of total spa revenues,” she says. “We have been in the 17- to 20-percent range, and that was before the usual increase that can be expected during the holidays.”

The world’s first Olympic-sized indoor pool has been restored and refilled with springs water.

Bedford Springs’ history, which includes frequent visits over the decades by several U.S. Presidents, has also been carefully intertwined into the restoration of all meeting and guest rooms, as well as into the development of the resort’s five-restaurant offer that is directed by Executive Chef Konrad Maier.

The goal for F&B, says Boparai, is to make dining at “The Springs” appealing enough to achieve an even split in revenues among those who make individual trips to Bedford Springs, versus those who come for meetings or events. “[Hotel] occupancy shouldn’t dictate what goes on in your restaurants,” he says. “You need to also have local demand.”

So far, Boparai adds, all signs are that F&B will be a “huge component” for the resort—with the “F” proving to be just as big as the “B.” “We’re selling just as much in food as in beverages, which is unusual for a resort,” he notes.

Boparai expects F&B momentum to continue to mount, as word spreads that Bedford Springs can now be a destination again for holiday gatherings and getaways. “We want to create traditions again for families to come back for, year after year,” he says. “Even after the holidays, we will have a series of weekend programs on things like women’s health or literature. While we will always have some element of seasonality here, we want to do all we can to get away from having to say, ‘Hi, we’re open,’ once summer comes.”

For those activities more closely tied to peak periods, those heading the Bedford Springs golf operations—Head Golf Professional Ron Leporati and Golf Course Superintendent David Swartzel—are also focusing on trying to maximize the appeal of the restored course to local players, in addition to hotel guests and conference attendees. A new dual-ended, 350-yard driving range and short-game practice area that opened at the end of August, and is “the only [practice facility] for 13 miles,” should help to enhance regional awareness, Leporati feels.

Once people can be attracted back to the property, Leporati, like the rest of the Bedford Springs staff, is confident they’ll find plenty of reasons to want to return. In fact, as a testament to just how complete the revival has been, Leporati, a PGA professional, now also manages bicycling, hiking and fly-fishing activities as part of his responsibilities. “It’s an entire resort experience again,” he says, “and whatever you want to do, you’ll get the royal treatment.” Even if that’s just rocking out to your iPod in a restored rocking chair.