It’s been a busy time at Seattle-based Coast Hospitality LLC, with the company wrangling a roster of renovations and expanding the regional footprint of its proprietary brand, Coast Hotels. Led by President/CEO Doug Rigoni, Coast is under way with a $2-million refresh of Hotel 116 (formerly Coast Bellevue) in Bellevue, WA; a $14-million restoration of its flagship hotel, The Benson in Portland, OR; and, after leaping the Pacific Pond in 2015 to return to Hawaii to manage the Waimea Plantation Cottages in Kauai, has revamped the property.
Rigoni began his career 35 years ago with DoubleTree, Sheraton and Westin Hotels. At Coast, he has served in a variety of executive positions, primarily focused on business development, adding such properties as The Governor Hotel in Olympia, WA. Now, his view from the C-suite is to grow the brand while keeping a sense of place for each property that comes on board, hiring locally and staying authentic. Notably, the company plans to add historic properties under The Benson name.
Coast Hospitality treads three paths: ownership, franchising and management. How would you characterize the company right now in how it’s shaping its portfolio? We are working diligently to grow the Coast brand and to grow the Coast Hospitality management services in primary business and leisure destinations in the western United States and Hawaii. We are also embarking on a significant strategic plan adding Benson Hotels into our ownership portfolio first in key West Coast cities and then potentially other key U.S. cities and Europe.
What makes a property attractive to Coast Hospitality? Location is a key factor but the right fit is also important including size and structure. We need to know that there can be a local connection to the community as a whole.
Is Coast being more opportunistic or more strategic in making these decisions and what does either avenue provide as a return? While we would always embrace opportunity, our overarching approach is definitely strategic. It is our belief that prioritizing growth in higher-demand destinations leads to heightened brand recognition, which in turn opens more development doors and cultivates more opportunity.
The company is West Coast-centric and is now back in Hawaii. Where is Coast Hospitality putting its focus in terms of growth and why are these markets good fits for the portfolio? Our history and our people are deeply rooted: living, working and successfully operating properties from Alaska to Southern California. In addition to this industry knowledge and expertise, we look at the domestic and international marketplace demand occurring in the West Coast gateway cities along with leisure travel growth outside the metropolitan areas. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring in a new brand to provide visitors with a different and unique option.
Serving this development focus, one of the wonderful attributes of our Coast Rewards program is how it provides our guests with access to Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines. These carriers and their associates provide spectacular route and access opportunities to our existing and developing destinations.
Also, when you look at the history of Coast Hotels, there have been many growth periods that included properties as far west as Idaho as well as Hawaii properties on Oahu and Maui. Growing our portfolio in the western United States and Hawaii is very much in our comfort zone.
Are there any plans to move eastward? We are presently considering opportunities on the eastern slope of the Rockies and we have had discussions with interested parties regarding Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast expansion. As mentioned, Coast has operated in the western U.S. in the past. As this question might relate to The Benson brand, we believe The Benson has more than enough cachet to travel to any select destination in the world.
Are there signature standards that may be found in each location to help define the brand? In keeping with our philosophy of a “sense of place” and striving to always provide a “refreshingly local” experience, our brand requirements are select and straightforward. All of our properties use our central reservation system, participate in Coast Rewards, and participate in our Coast sales and marketing programs, and reputation management programs.
From your perspective, what are the top three things that help move the needle on the company? 1) Unique hotels that create a brand preference; 2) great people who enjoy and are engaged in the work of hospitality and, of course, 3) return on investment.
Where do you see new frontiers for Coast in order to capture greater market share, particularly with millennials and upcoming consumers? We are constantly evaluating these new frontiers and employing them subject to our assessment of how they might benefit all of our stakeholders. At this time, competitive indices would demonstrate our efforts keep us well on pace and often exceeding industry pace.
What’s the most challenging aspect of dealing with continually evolving expectations from owners/franchisees/guests? Perhaps the most challenging aspect is to never lose sight of delivering those rudimentary elements discussed in reference to “moving the needle.” It is a part of Coast Hospitality’s DNA and we have been delivering on these commitments since our beginnings.
What’s the vision for Coast Hospitality for the next five years? We will continue our focus on growth in the gateway cities along with leisure travel growth outside the metropolitan areas. We will add legendary historic properties under The Benson name and continue to focus even more on our people and our local connection to the people we serve and the places we’re in. HB
HB: Anecdotally, is there anything in those expectations that has truly surprised you? I could not speak to any surprises; however, I would be remiss if I did not say how pleasing the quality of relationships Coast Hospitality enjoys as a result of delivering on the commitments discussed and developing a product you can trust.
Are all Coast Hotels designed to reflect a “sense of place,” a la The Benson? We like to believe it is our people who provide the “sense of place” that is commonly translated today into a homogenized, big-brand experience. Our portfolio includes owned, managed and franchised hotels in diverse locations ranging from airport to rural plantation cottages in Hawaii. Across this array of properties, we exercise our expectations while still ensuring that our hosts and our franchisees have the latitude to provide service that is genuine and heartfelt.
