In good company

It’s not uncommon to find Bill Reagan working a buffet line at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. Or prepping food for dinner. Or washing dishes in the kitchen.

“I can take you over and show you my dishwashing boots that I have over there and my gloves,” Reagan said, smiling. “I'll help out wherever they need.”

Now, the president of The Coeur d’Alene Resort doesn’t have to slice beef, cut carrots or scrub plates. He doesn’t have to roll up his sleeves and jump in.

But he does.

“You have to be hands-on,” Reagan said, sitting in his office on a Wednesday afternoon.

It’s a modest office. A desk, pictures on the wall. A table and chair. A tall jar of candy. No view of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Perhaps not what one would expect of the man who’s long been a key figure behind this multi-million-dollar operation.

But Bill Reagan doesn’t spend that much time in it. And that’s because he’s often working side-by-side with department heads who answer to him and with The Resort’s hundreds of employees.

“This business, you want to be out there with the people, especially when we're asking them to do things that we've never had to ask them to do before," he said. "They're working harder than they've ever worked. They're working longer than they've ever worked, and you've got to show them that you care."

No one doubts that Bill Reagan cares about The Coeur d’Alene Resort and the people who help maintain it as a world-famous hotel on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Born and raised here, a 1978 Coeur d’Alene High School graduate, Reagan’s roots are deep in a lakeside town that has grown and changed dramatically since The Resort opened 37 years ago.

To him, this is not just a job. Not just a paycheck.

This is what he loves.

“It's the people business that I'm in and I love working with people,” he said. “I love seeing people get excited about staying here. I love seeing our staff get excited as they grow and receive more opportunities to advance.”

The 64-year-old thrives on going above and beyond. He loves doing more than what is expected. He wants to deliver more than what was imagined.

That drive has helped The Resort become what it is today, and it's one of the reasons Reagan was chosen to receive the 2023 Governor’s Lifetime Achievement in Recreation and Tourism Award.

It recognizes a person “who has made significant contributions to developing, managing or conserving Idaho’s recreation resources, or developing, managing or promoting tourism in Idaho.”

“Your contributions to the industry and your ongoing work to promote Idaho as a tourism destination prove you a worthy recipient of this award,” wrote Diane Norton, Idaho Tourism manager, in a letter informing Reagan about the honor.

Gov. Brad Little will present the award during the Idaho Conference on Recreation and Tourism, which runs Monday to Wednesday at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston.

“Thank you for your long-standing and significant contributions to our beautiful state,” Norton wrote.

Reagan was pleased.

“It's quite an honor. Certainly, Jerry Jaeger's been a huge mentor of mine and he received this award from the governor back when he was active in the business. And so to follow in his footsteps is really quite an honor."

Those who know and work with Reagan were not surprised he was chosen for the honor.

"I have worked with Bill Reagan for many years, and known him for even longer. The passion this man has for the hospitality industry is unparalleled. I have seen his growth throughout the years and never seen the passion diminish,” wrote Mont Garman, chief financial officer for Hagadone Corp. “His steadfast commitment to the finest guest experience can be seen every day not only in him, but every employee who works under his management. He has committed a lifetime to serving people. I can think of no one more deserving of this lifetime achievement award than Bill Reagan."

Jerry Jaeger, part of the ownership team that opened The Resort and retired today, nominated Reagan for the award.

“Throughout his career, he has nurtured, trained and motivated thousands of people in the industry. Bill possesses an amazing and positive can-do attitude. He is well-liked and respected by the team of nearly 2,000 people in the company. He is also highly valued by the business community in our great state of Idaho,” Jaeger wrote.

The early years

Reagan said he was an average student at Coeur d'Alene High, more into socializing than academics.

"I started my hospitality career early,” he said, laughing.

He found his calling.

Reagan has worked in nearly every area of the hotel business, including washing dishes, bellman, cooking, bartending, front desk and night audit, engineering, housekeeping and marketing.

After graduating from the College of Business at Washington State University, in hospitality management, he joined Weston Hotels' Francis Hotel in San Francisco for two years.

Reagan joined Hagadone Hospitality in 1985 as assistant general manager of the University Inn in Moscow. A year later, he earned a promotion to assistant manager of The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

In 1988, Reagan was named general manager of The Resort, a job he held for 11 years before taking over as general manager of the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn. In 2003, he returned to The Resort as GM and in 2017 was named president, when Jaeger retired.

“A well-served promotion,” Jaeger wrote.

Outside of work, Reagan has served in many areas, including the Small Business Grant Advisory Committee for the city of Coeur d’Alene; Dalton Gardens Planning and Zoning Commission; Gov. Little’s COVID task force, and as chairman of the Idaho Travel Council.

He has been active in community organizations, including the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber, the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association, the Coeur d’Alene Convention and Visitor Bureau and the United Way of Kootenai County.

He credits Jaeger with mapping out a 10-year career plan that brought him home for good.

“Ten years and one month later, I rejoined Hagadone Hospitality from when we put that letter together," he said.

Business is good

Today, visitors come from around the world to The Resort, to experience the Floating Boardwalk, have a Gooey at Dockside and enjoy a sunset dinner at Beverly's.

Come summer, holidays and stretching into the shoulder seasons, it’s common for each of its 338 rooms to be booked.

“We’ve had good, solid growth over the years,” Reagan said. “It just keeps feeding itself.”

The Resort employs roughly 1,200 people during the year, with about 500 of those full-time.

While Reagan has a hand in all aspects of resort operations, he empowers his team to make decisions.

He points out that 18 department heads have an average of 22 years of service with the company.

“I try to give them as much freedom as I possibly can to run it as their own operation, and then help them when they need help,” he said.

He leads by example. Reagan conveys positivity and energy and is committed to fitness. He likes the outdoors, golfs, skis and bikes. In fact, he often pedals the 5 miles from his Dalton Gardens home to The Resort.

“Let my mind wander, enjoy the sunshine, get ready for the day,” he said.

Keys to success

Reagan cites three components to The Resort's success.

Number one is location.

“We’re right on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, downtown Coeur d'Alene. How do you match that?” he said.

The second part is The Resort itself.

“This is a pretty special hotel,” Reagan said. “There was so much thought that went into designing this. The amenities that have come along even after we opened, from the plaza to the golf course to the spa to some of the other restaurants that we have out there. There have been so many additional things that we've added to it just to continue to make it better."

And the third ingredient?

People. Of course.

“We have unbelievable people here,” he said. “They're here because they want to live here. They want to raise their family here. When you have that quality, then the staff treats the guests as family, and that’s a lot different.”

Just like family

Reagan is a husband, father and grandfather. Family matters to him.

The Resort has hosted engagements, weddings, birthday parties and anniversaries. Generations have stayed and celebrated there. Reagan said he and his team enjoy being part of those special times.

"It's an honor," he said.

He said many hotels are strictly business.

The Coeur d’Alene Resort is not.

“It’s part of this community,” he said.

When asked about the best part of his job, the answer comes quickly. He doesn’t even need to think about it.

"The best part, by far, is watching people come to work here. And they might think, 'I'm going to be a server.' 'I'm going to be in janitorial.' 'I'm going to be in housekeeping.' And you watch them grow and five, 10 years later, they're running a department in this hotel, they're buying a house. They're becoming more successful than they ever thought was possible.”

Raising the bar

The Resort, as good as it is, always strives to improve.

Earlier this year, it completed a million-dollar upgrade of Dockside restaurant.

Beverly’s is in line for the next renovation. Whispers Lounge, the spa and the convention center will have their turn, and then the guest rooms again.

Reagan doesn’t take any of it for granted.

"We’re constantly taking care of The Resort," Reagan said.

He is thankful for the ownership and leadership of Brad Hagadone and Todd Hagadone.

“You’ve got to have owners that are vested in it. They're very vested in it,” he said.

Reagan said, that without people like Jerry Jaeger, Duane Hagadone, Brad Hagadone and Todd Hagadone, he wouldn't have had the opportunities that led him on this path and to where he is today.

"I’m so very appreciative for everything they did for me," he said.

Community Christmas gift

Reagan is already thinking about Christmas, when The Resort is decorated inside and out and Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises will take visitors from The Resort across the lake to visit the North Pole.

“Santa has a new house, and it is going to be spectacular,” Reagan said.

A family of dragons at the Boardwalk Marina will be added to the 1.5-million Christmas light display.

“The Grinch even got spruced up a bit,” Reagan said, laughing.

Reagan said, when they started the cruises 25 years ago, they had about 5,000 to 6,000 guests.

Last year, about 85,000 took a cruise and, this year, it could top 100,000.

Reagan said The Resort will put on its traditional free fireworks display the night after Thanksgiving.

“We do it for the community,” Reagan said. “This community is so supportive of The Resort, we want to give back to them. It’s our gift to the community to thank them for supporting us all year."

What's next?

Reagan has had offers to manage resorts in big cities and vacation destinations.

He’s turned them down.

“How could you ever compete against what we have here,” he said. “I go back to what we have, the ownership is unbelievable. They have a long-term vision, they want to continue to grow The Resort and take care of it. It’s such an important part of the community."

So, any plans to retire?

Reagan laughs.

“Brad keeps asking me that. ‘Now, Bill, when are you going to retire? I don't want you to just come in here, up and tell me one day that you're done.’ And I tell him the same thing I tell everybody: When it's not fun anymore, then I'm not going to do it. And as long as I can contribute to make it better, I just really enjoy it. They've been very good to me and my family, and it's just a lot of fun and something I'm very passionate about."