Resort chief leaves By Anne Adams • Staff Writer
HOT SPRINGS - Homestead president and general manager Brett Schoenfield is stepping down from his role after 10 years with the resort, and less than three years as its president.
He leaves the job just four months after The Homestead was sold to KSL Capital Partners LLC of Denver.
KSL Resorts, the managing company, announced late last week that Schoenfield will be replaced in mid-June by Sean Maddock, who will serve as vice president and general manager of The Homestead.
Schoenfield is traveling and could not be reached for comment this week. KSL, in a statement issued last Thursday, said Schoenfield is leaving to "pursue outside interests" after a decade with the resort.
KSL representatives, too, could not be reached for comment this week on the change in management.
Homestead director of marketing Carol Stratford said Schoenfield made the announcement to Homestead staff last Wednesday, but declined to offer further details as to why Schoenfield chose to leave.
The Homestead's relationship with Homestead Preserve, which is developing 450 homes in Bath, may experience a few ripples under new leadership, said Preserve co-general manager Don Killoren Wednesday, "but we're pretty confident (KSL) will put a solid leader and strong executive in his place."
Killoren said Schoenfield called him late last week about the change. Why Schoenfield stepped down, or what he plans to do next, wasn't discussed, Killoren said. "He's been with The Homestead a long time," he added, "so I expect he's looking for another challenge. I'm not really surprised, but I'm a tad disappointed.
"He's been a great leader," Killoren added. "He was a strategic thinker, and we'll miss him."
Schoenfield took charge of The Homestead in August 2004, after former president Gary Rosenberg, who spent nine years on the job, stepped down.
Killoren said it was his understanding Schoenfield would stay at The Homestead for a few weeks to help during the transition, and that Maddock was expected to start June 15.
Homestead Preserve representatives are still getting to know KSL managers and their relationship is still new, Killoren said. "Our agreement with The Homestead has been pretty well-documented," he added. "We've met with the leaders of KSL ... and found them to be very knowledgeable.
"Anytime you get a new owner there's going to be unrest at the staff level. You always have some of that. But KSL is not capital-constrained, and I'm confident they will maintain current levels of service, and maybe even up-notch some. We're very optimistic about the future."
Killoren said he did not know Maddock, but was aware of his name through Schoenfield.
Maddock has a long career with KSL Resorts, KSL Capital Partners' managing company. He has worked at several large hotels and historic resorts, mostly recently as vice president and general manager of the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager of the Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley, Calif. He has also served as hotel manager with Shangri La Hotels and Resorts in Bangkok, Thailand, Manila and Hong Kong.
Maddock launched his hotel career with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, where he spent several years in Hawaii, in various management capacities.
KSL Capital Partners purchased privately held ClubCorp at the end of last year for $1.8 billion, which included nearly all ClubCorp assets, including The Homestead.
The sale, KSL said, was expected to mean little if any change for the 1,000 employees at Bath County's premier recreational destination and employer, though many of them report changes in job descriptions, particularly at the management level.
Schoenfield had met KSL principals early on before the sale. "It's a good organization, a good group. They know what they're doing," he said just after ClubCorp was purchased.
KSL is a private equity firm that makes investments in travel and leisure businesses. Its independent management company, KSL Resorts, operates resorts such as La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.; Hotel del Coronado near San Diego; and Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., all familiar names in the high-end luxury resort business.
KSL Capital Partners now owns ClubCorp, which continues to own The Homestead.
ClubCorp remains headquartered in Dallas, under CEO John Beckert.
Beckert had said just before the sale that he did not anticipate a staffing shuffle, though there was nothing contractual in place along those lines. "At this time no changes are contemplated … KSL is a private equity firm with 20 employees. ClubCorp has 18,000 employees. They are buying our assets and buying into our culture and our human resource talent," he said at the time.
ClubCorp bought The Homestead 13 years ago from the Ingalls family, and over those years invested nearly $100 million in capital improvements to rejuvenating the historic 1776 resort.
Now, with an annual payroll of $25 million, the hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing through Bath County from its guests, and the half a million or so it adds in local taxes, The Homestead has long been one of Bath's major economic forces.
KSL Resorts, based in La Quinta, Calif., works closely with ClubCorp to add sales emphasis for the resort. It has operated a lot of large, destination resorts.
KSL acquired ClubCorp's nearly 170 golf courses, country clubs, private businesses, sports clubs and resorts which carry a membership of roughly 200,000 and an additional 200,000 guests who use its facilities annually.
The only resort ClubCorp did not sell as part of the package was Pinehurst, which was purchased by the Dedman family from ClubCorp at the same time KSL bought ClubCorp.
Maddock, according to KSL spokesperson Melissa Pogue, is expected to settle into the new role mid-June. He holds a bachelor of arts, hotel and restaurant administration degree from Washington State University. He is classically trained as a chef saucier and has more than a decade of culinary experience in upscale independent restaurants and hotels.
When his position commences at The Homestead, Maddock will reside in Hot Springs with his wife, Maria, and their four children.
"A veteran of KSL Resorts, Maddock brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position, having worked at numerous luxury hotels and historic resorts," KSL said.
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