more than a Destination

BY LINDA DUVAL

FOR THE WHIPPLE FAMILY, SUMMER IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE Broadmoor. Carrying on a five-generation tradition, they have been visiting the hotel for decades, escaping the Texas heat and indulging in exceptional service.

Ann Alba, VP and Resident Manager noted that she, along with the longtime Broadmoor Team Members, refer to our Whipples and many other “Legacy Guests,” as “Family.” Many properties don’t have the luxury of history, but over our 105 years of service, these relationships are cultivated organically. As Ms. Alba noted, “When we have spent decades together, memories are shared by all.”

The Whipple family’s tradition started with Mrs. Glenn Yarborough, grandmother of a folk singer by the same name. She was a “summer guest” who visited most of her adult life and was adamant that the annual gatherings would continue with her children and grandchildren.

The family name is now Whipple, but they all descend from this grand dame.

Ms. Alba reiterated that this loyal patronage is not uncommon throughout her more than 36 years of stewardship. Many of her guests are four and five generations of Broadmoor enthusiasts, jokingly stating that, “Our Team likes to get them hooked at an early age.” It is evident that the resort is not simply a destination, but rather a part of people’s past, present, and future.

The importance of relationships was taught by her first mentor at the hotel, Mr. Bill Roub, who graciously introduced her to many of these notable families. These generational guests, then tell friends and neighbors about their memories over the years, and from there, new traditions are created. Truly a full circle of service!

From Mr. Roub introducing her to a long list of loyalists, it was evident that the baton needed to be passed on to a more formal program than merely being the “keeper of the memories,” as Ms. Alba refers to herself. It was from this that the Special Services Concierge was founded and flourishes with well over 500 social guests on the list of whom this small, but mighty, team serves from room reservations to dining, activities, and all in between. You know you have succeeded when Christmas cards are shared, invites to family events are abounding, and you find yourself included in family gatherings throughout the generations, from birth announcements to the passing of the old guard. As Mr. Roub taught Ms. Alba, recognition and relationships are the secret ingredient for hospitality.

Anticipating and attending to guests’ needs is a hallmark of the resort. From front desk staff to the executive chef, providing exceptional service is paramount. For example, in his memoir, the late Broadmoor Executive Chef Hank Trujillo recalled a regular guest who liked raisin toast with her breakfast. Despite kitchen staff typically having limited direct interaction with the front-of-house guests, Chef Trujillo’s team was always acutely protective of this request, ensuring that she had a loaf available just for her each day of her stay.

Another legend in the industry, Ms. Heidi Lawrence, has worked at the hotel’s Golf Club for an impressive 53 years and has similar stories. Ms. Lawrence recalls the heyday of the summer guests— up to and through the 1980s—coming from Texas and Louisiana and staying for six to eight weeks. “I always knew what table they wanted—usually by the window or out on the porch,” Ms. Lawrence says. “I knew what they liked to drink and sometimes even what they wanted for lunch before they knew!”

Now 81, Ms. Lawrence has stepped down from being a supervisor to work as a hostess, but still has no plans to retire and is a steadfast ambassador of the Club. Daily, returning guests and longtime members look forward to finding Heidi at the Golf Club podium to capture a moment of reminiscing of days gone by. It is evident that The Broadmoor team turns personal relationships into lasting friendships.

Mr. Roub, who worked at the hotel for close to four decades, spent many of those years as a maître d’ in the main dining room, now known as the Lake Terrace Dining Room. He started as a room service waiter and ended as The Broadmoor’s first Food and Beverage Director, following Mrs. Julie Penrose appointing him as hotel maître d’.

In a 2014 interview, Mr. Roub recalled developing a special relationship with a high-ranking guest. In the mid-1950s, General Hoyt Vandenberg, for whom the California Air Force Base is named, came to The Broadmoor to recover from cancer treatments. He and his wife were to relax and enjoy the hotel in every way possible for the entire summer.

“The Broadmoor always had a strong relationship with officers and cadets of the academy,” Mr. Roub said. (The U.S. Air Force Academy was being built in Colorado Springs at that time and enrolled its first class in 1955.)

To lessen any stress on the Vandenbergs, Mr. Roub and another room service waiter, Mr. Jim Potticary, were assigned to be available (one or the other) at all times to assist and care for the VIP couple. After a summer of serving General and Mrs. Vendenberg, the couple had become very fond of the Bill and Jim, and vice versa. The night before they left, Mrs. Vandenberg announced to the gentlemen that they were flying back to Washington D.C. on a special plane, which they invited them to see before the “special delivery.”

“So, the next morning, Jim and I were down in front at 10 o’clock in our waiter uniforms. There were two limousines. The Air Force had sent one for the General, and the hotel’s management had ordered one, too. So, she said they’d ride in the one the hotel provided, and we could ride in the Air Force limo—with stars on the front and everything.”

“When we arrived at the airport, there we were: a general, his wife, and two room service waiters. The Air Force band was playing with a reception line filled with dignitaries—more generals, the Mayor of Colorado Springs, and so on. Well, Jim and I were pretty embarrassed. We stepped off to one side.”

“Then, when the Vandenbergs were heading toward the plane, Mrs. Vandenburg turned and called to us and said, ‘Jim, Bill, come on!’” Mr. Roub recalls the plane’s interior as plush and elegant—unlike any plane he’d ever seen.

“Isn’t it wonderful?,” Mrs. Vandenburg said. “When we get to D.C., we’re going to present it to the President. They’re going to call it Air Force One.” So that’s how two room service waiters from The Broadmoor got to preview the iconic aircraft even before the President himself.

As Mr. Roub said in his memoir, although the work was hard and the hours were long, there was something about the hotel that kept him— and many other employees—coming back or staying for most of their careers. There was “a certain cachet, a mystique about the place,” he said. “I couldn’t seem to ever stay away for long.” Ms. Alba noted the same, proudly recognizing that The Broadmoor is now simply a part of her.

Apparently, many guests feel the same.

WHEN MICHAEL AND SHAUNA SARTORI MET IN THE BROADMOOR employee cafeteria in 2002, they could have never expected that someday they wouldn’t just be friendly coworkers—but they’d be married, with one of their children now working at the resort, too.

That’s just the magic of The Broadmoor.

Today, Michael is the superintendent of the East and West golf courses. Shauna is Membership Director at The Broadmoor Golf Club. They are happily married and enjoy working side-by-side. As they see it, they are a little family within the larger family of the resort’s staff and longtime guests.

And their story is far from unusual. The Broadmoor boasts a surprisingly large number of family members who work together at the resort. Some, like the Sartoris, met at the resort.