WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME FIGURING OUT WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS TRULY VALUE AND HOW WE CAN BEST DELIVER IT . WITH INFLATIONARY PRICING DRIVING NEARLY EVERY DECISION , WE CAN ’ T LOSE SIGHT OF DELIVERING ON WHAT PEOPLE VALUE ..
– AMY SUPPLE
both . I ’ ve always taken the stance that right or wrong , it exists . But if I push through it , get the job done and do it well , most of the bias goes away with time . There are a handful of instances where that strategy didn ’ t work , but none that stopped or slowed my career .
H : What obstacles did you face in the reopening The Edgewater amid a pandemic ? AS : The biggest obstacle has been with staffing . As a company with independent ownership , we made the strategic financial decision to keep the management team together . This helped us ride the wave , and when business returned , we were able to jump back in with an experienced team in place . We had also taken the time to crosstrain our management team during the slow time , and this helped with the operational support to keep up with the demand , with staffing still a struggle .
H : You have had a lot of success repositioning the hotel as an urban resort . What were the one or two keys to this success ? AS : We have embraced Madison and our place in this community . Our location in the heart of downtown certainly helps , but we also designed the building to have both public and private elements . The community is welcome here for events , or just to enjoy the sunsets over Lake
Mendota . And by doing that , we created a great destination for visitors .
H : The Edgewater will be turning 75 next year . What ’ s next ? AS : The US $ 110 million property reinvestment program in 2014 helped create infrastructure that will allow us to grow into the future . We have still not maximized the potential of this property and are planning for future investments to enhance the property and maintain it as a top leisure destination in the Midwest .
H : What do you do differently than other GMs ? AS : Having previously worked in commercial real estate development , I came to this role from outside the industry , and I saw this business through a different lens . I understood the vision of being “ Madison ’ s Place ” meant it had to be more than a hotel and banquet facility – it had to become central to the community . To do this , we ’ ve done a lot of things like free concerts and public events that don ’ t necessarily make
The Edgewater has a reputation for creating community-driven experiences like kite flying on the frozen lake .
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