Reasons to Renovate

Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho completed an extensive year-long multimillion dollar renovation in March that includes a redesigned lobby, restaurant and lounge, outdoor patio, guestrooms in the original North Wing, expanded meeting spaces, and fitness center. The new Hagadone Event Center on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene anchors the project. Hagadone Hospitality’s in-house design team, Palm-Springs-based designer Guy Dreier, and local architect Corry Trapp led the three-phase renovation project.

“Our goal was first to really secure the position we have in the markets that we serve and then secondly to really look at some of the emerging markets that are out there, and how we can do a better job and compete more successfully in those markets,” says General Manager Bill Reagan.

Coeur d’Alene Resort has been in operation for 25 years, so the team there has developed a keen understanding of what the market wants. Reagan, who was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, started out as an assistant manager when the property first opened and became the general manager only two years later. “Through this renovation,” he says, “it really allowed us to appeal to what guests have been telling us we need over the past years.”

The first phase of the renovation project, completed in summer 2011, included the debut of the 11,000-square-foot Hagadone Event Center with more than 200 feet of sliding glass walls, fireplaces, sound systems, and banquet space for 300 people. The open-air venue expanded the resort’s overall meeting space to 43,000 square feet. 

“The market is constantly evolving, especially in the last four five years. We’ve seen a lot of changes take place out there,” Reagan says. “Groups are conducting meetings differently than they have in the past.” For instance, more groups want dinner under the stars or meetings outdoors. 

Destination weddings are still a growth market, he says, so the resort now has a garden area overlooking the lake adjacent to the event center. Featuring a floating bridge in the center of a reflecting pool, the garden provides an outdoor setting for weddings and parties of up to 500 people. The newly transformed Lakeview Terrace is a 4,400-square-foot deck on the second floor of the resort that features outdoor fireplaces and space for up to 300 people.

The fitness center, which overlooks the indoor swimming pool, was outfitted with sports court flooring and extensively expanded, tripling in size to 3,500-square-feet and featuring new fitness equipment.

With its downtown location, the resort is a hub of activity embraced by the local community. The impact on public spaces was really important, Reagan says, and is driven by food and beverage. The revitalized Dockside restaurant includes new interior designs, dining menus, and kitchen. The Whisper Lounge also has a new look surrounded by five fire cauldrons and outdoor deck with four fire pits, creating more al fresco locations for patrons to mingle.

“The restaurant is something the community comes down to frequently and they really can feel impact of what we did,” Reagan says.