Perry's Perspective ~ October 2008
Operating a Resort in Tofino
I thought it would be interesting to share with our web site visitors a few elements of the dynamics of operating a resort in Tofino… in this Perspective I will cover staff housing.90% of all staff that work here at the resort are also tenants of the resort. They live in our staff accommodation complex located near the entrance of the resort. A lot of companies use the phrase "we are like family"… I have not seen a place that this phrase is more true than here at LBLR. The staff not only work together, but share the living quarters together as well. They share the same living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry, washroom. The good news is that they form quite a tight bond (like a family), this includes a very passionate entertainment schedule which includes the weekly highlight of Karaoke night at the local pub, the Maquinna.
As a result of these dynamics of our staff housing, the first thing you as a guest would notice about the resort is that our staff are young (in fact a recent article on www.bclocalnews.com indicated that average age of a resident of Tofino is less than 30 years old, this definitely holds true for the Lodge as well). Lets just leave the point that I am one of the very few at the resort that skews that result much higher!
Why are residents of Tofino and our staff so young? The following dynamics are at play currently…..I have worked at other resort destinations (Banff and Whistler) and a limited supply of affordable housing in a resort setting is always an issue.. In resorts like Whistler, there is housing, but you will pay a premium for it. Here in Tofino, for the most part it is not a matter of the cost of rent, the question is does it even exist? In the Whistler resort model, over the last 15 years, the typical scenario is that most homes that were built also had a rental suite. That model here in Tofino barely exists. The end result is that Long Beach Lodge Resort and other Tofino resorts not only employee our staff but, out of necessity, also provide their housing.
One of our priorities here at the Lodge is work closely with local government agencies to ensure the development of affordable type housing projects so that our staff can grow with use here at the resort. We are a young team and as the resort grows we want the community to be able to offer the opportunity for our staff to grow as well, get access to appropriate housing, so that we can retain staff that have chosen the hospitality industry as their profession.
Best regards,
Perry Schmunk
General Manager
Long Beach Lodge Resort
