LAKE PLACID - The Whiteface Lodge will be under new management starting next month.
Starting March 1, the hotel will be managed by Urgo Hotels, a Maryland-based company that owns or operates nearly 20 hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.
Urgo's website notes that the company is recognized as one of the top 100 hotel developers by Hotel Business Magazine. The company will take over for Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, a hotel and asset management company based in Utah.
"I see it as a company that's got a good history," said Whiteface Lodge General Manager Kevin Shields.
Shields was officially appointed as general manager in January, although he told the Enterprise he's been with the Whiteface Lodge for about four months. He said some staff members have expressed concern about the management transfer.
The hotel employs about 125 people.
"This property is high caliber," Shields said. "So there is lots of concern about what will happen here.
"The people that I've met from Urgo seem very nice and willing to work with staff and answer questions. One thing about the staff which is refreshing is that everyone here just wants to work hard and do the right thing."
According to Shields, some workers are worried about retaining their jobs as the new company prepares to take over. But he said the current staff has done an outstanding job, citing many awards and accolades heaped upon the hotel in recent years.
"There's not a lot of training that needs to happen, and not a lot of change that needs to take place," Shields said. "The place will run great if they (Urgo) retain them (the current staff). It's change; change is never easy on anybody."
Shields said Urgo offers a good benefits package.
Urgo's portfolio includes the Palm Beach Marriott in Singer Island, Fla.; Courtyard Marriotts in Quebec, Newfoundland, Connecticut and New York; and Springfield Suites by Marriott in Montreal.
Gemstone operates properties like the Carlton Hotel in New York City, Forest Suites Resort in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and the Sky Lodge in Park City, Utah.