Jim Justice, the new owner of the Greenbrier resort, is reaching for the stars – five, to be exact.
Justice, who took control of the historic West Virginia hotel in a May stock purchase, is on a mission to regain the coveted five-star Mobil Travel Guide rating the resort once enjoyed. And he means business. According to the Associated Press, Justice has brought in the big guns – Mobil Travel Guide’s own consulting team – to “help identify the resort’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“It’s a prep course before the test,” Mobil Travel Guide Chief Executive Shane O’Flaherty told the AP.
Justice is also hoping to get in some extra cramming in the form of super-motivated employees. They’re likely to be devoted to the cause, considering Justice promised them a 10% bonus if they make the grade.
This isn’t Greenbrier’s first attempt to regain five-star status. After losing its fifth star in 2000, the Greenbrier embarked on a $48 million renovation campaign designed to help it recapture the honor. But the substantial capital expenditures failed to net the hotel its desired prize and instead helped to plunge the company’s finances into disarray.
“While these efforts were essential to maintain the status of the Greenbrier as a world class resort, they proved untimely given the unforeseen credit and financial crisis,” Greenbrier said in court documents accompanying its original bankruptcy petition.
Mobil hand-picks its five-star hotels by sending out “Incognito Hotel Inspectors” who judge the locales based on 550 criteria. This year, 44 hotels in the U.S. received five stars, while 137 others obtained four stars. The five-star hotels boast amenities like personal butlers, doggie-bed turndown service and pillow menus featuring 14 different kinds of pillows.
Associated Press