Editors’ Note

Prior to assuming his current position, Jerry Wayne was the Executive Director of Sales and Marketing for Galt House Hotel and Suites, Executive Inn Hotel, and Executive West Hotel – the three largest hotels in Louisville, Kentucky. From 1981 to 2000, Wayne served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sales, Hospitality, and Attractions at the Opryland Hotel (now The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center) in Nashville, Tennessee, and was responsible for overseeing sales offices in New York, Chicago, Orlando, Dallas, and Washington, DC. Wayne has sat on numerous boards and committees throughout his career, and was thrice named one of the “25 Most Influential People” by MeetingNews magazine and was named one of the “Top 100 Marketers” by Ad Age magazine.

Property Brief

Situated in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, The Greenbrier boasts classic architecture, exquisite interior design, a carefully sculpted landscape, and a variety of amenities. The AAA five-diamond property is a national historic landmark, and offers 721 rooms, including 33 suites and 96 guest and estate houses. The Greenbrier (www.greenbrier.com) has 10 lobbies, 40-plus meeting rooms, and a complete conference center. Guests can enjoy more than 50 recreational activities, including championship golf courses, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and a 40,000-square-foot spa.

Were you happy with the growth for the property in 2007, and, as you look to 2008, are you expecting a strong performance?

Yes, we were happy with our growth in 2007. We’re going through a little bit of a transition here, having just completed a renovation project that created two new food and beverage outlets, with the aim of opening The Greenbrier up to an affluent Generation X clientele. We also refurbished 63 of our rooms, and brought new bedding and flat-screen TVs into all of our rooms, as well as enhancing the wireless Internet access throughout the property. We hoped this would lead to more business from new markets, and that is exactly what happened.

We’re on track to reach record levels in group business in 2008, and we’re hoping that will transfer to the social side as well. I expect 2008 to be our best year in some time.

Many hoteliers highlight the challenges of running a successful hotel restaurant. Is this an area where you can generate significant revenue?

When it comes to food and beverage, we ask ourselves, does each restaurant help support our brand? Does it provide the experience that we want our guests to have, as part and parcel of the overall experience of the resort? The Greenbrier has always been very committed to offering cutting-edge food and beverage experiences. I would say we have been instrumental in defining how food and beverage should be approached in luxury resorts. We have our own culinary school, with a three-year apprentice program, and we recently graduated our latest class. Right on the heels of that, we held our fourth Club Chef’s Institute, and had about 300 private club chefs come here for a four-day seminar on the culinary arts. In addition, we’re aggressively marketing the talent that we have. We have two Certified Master Chefs here, one being our Director of Food and Beverage and the other is our Executive Chef. So we place a lot of emphasis on food and beverage, to the extent that we consider ourselves to be leaders in this field.

Another preoccupation for today’s hoteliers is the need to provide spa and fitness facilities. How important is your spa to The Greenbrier?

The Greenbrier is here because of our spa and our native sulphur springs. The property dates back to 1778, when people first came to “take the waters.” Since then, it has always been a spa destination. Back in the 1800s, people would come and bathe in the waters, believing them to be full of curative powers. We continue that tradition today, with our spa. It’s one of our brands within a brand, and it helps define what The Greenbrier is. We have just started a new program, The Greenbrier Center for Health Living, which joins together our spa and The Greenbrier Clinic, our own diagnostic clinic. We are partnering our spa experience with the clinic and tying in our other amenities to provide the whole lifestyle experience.

Many properties today place a strong emphasis on technology. Is it hard to provide the technology your guests expect and still maintain the human touch on which your reputation is built?

Our employees are what separate The Greenbrier from a lot of other properties. In White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the majority of the populace either work here or have some direct connection with an employee of The Greenbrier. This has gone on for generations. As a result, our employees have a very genuine understanding and appreciation of hospitality. Plus, the people of West Virginia are naturally hospitable – our employees genuinely love to take care of our guests.

At the same time, we understand that customers need to stay connected. Up until three or four years ago, we had very limited cell service here, which created a challenge. Now we are serviced by all the carriers, and we are completely wireless throughout the resort. So not only do we provide the personal service that guests like to experience, but we also provide the technology that keeps them connected to their homes, offices, and associates.

Because of that high level of service you mentioned, some may think of The Greenbrier as an adult environment. However, many of your activities are family-focused. How broad is your target market?

Our business mix encompasses meetings, as well as individual guest and family vacations, so it’s very broad. In my view, this is one thing that makes The Greenbrier unique. It’s one of those chicken and egg things: We’re not sure if families come here because a member of the family came for a meeting, or if meetings come here because one of the participants came before on a family vacation. Parents appreciate being able to let their children go down to the pool, go play on the playground, or go bowling by themselves. They know they will be all right. You often see children playing in our Adventure Zone while their parents are out doing other things, and then the family comes back together later.

Considering the extent of your responsibilities, is it hard to switch off the business?

No, I’m not sure that I ever really switch off business. This is such a fascinating industry and I have the privilege to enjoy it at one of the all time great resorts. I am sure one day I will walk away from all of this and then I will “turn it off” but until then, I’m having too much fun doing what I do.