Lumiére Hotel, located in Telluride, Colorado, welcomed its new owners. The members of the management bought the hotel from former proprietor.
The four-star hotel's commercial units, restaurant operation and hotel operation were sold to Clare Evans-Afman and Susie Schaefer-Russell, members of the executive management team, Hotel News Resource reported.
According to Telluride News, hotels, especially resorts, frequently get bought and sold. However, what is different in this situation is that Lumiére is not bought by a corporate conglomerate but by Telluride locals and its employees at that.
Schaefer-Russell has been working in the resort since 2010 while Evans-Afman started in 2012. The former was then the Asset Manager and Finance Director of Lumiére and the latter started off as General Manager. Since the two commenced working in the Mountain Village hotel, the property grew and the service and operation improved.
The Hotel News Resource report stated that since 2010, the lodging estate was given by Forbes with a four-star rate and was rated with AAA Diamond. Also, last year, Lumiére received the #1 Hotel in the West and was listed number 20 in the best hotels in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler. US News Travel has also listed the hotel as number 30 in the top 100 US Hotels.
Schaefer-Russell said that it is a great privilege to own a business in their locale. "We are very committed to hiring people within the community," she said.
The two women have known each other since 2003 and have become close friends since. Both wanted to own their own business together, so when the opportunity arose, they took a shot at buying Lumiére.
The duo's next project is for the luxurious boutique hotel to be known all over the world. Lumiére Hotel in Telluride has 11 guest rooms, 18 one-to-five bedroom residences especially built for skiers, and a restaurant. The lodging property also has outdoor soaking pools, ski valets and a gym.