From Bankruptcy to Profitability

The Challenge

Located in Baxter, Minnesota, guests love the rustic charm and natural beauty of Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes. Despite its endearing aesthetics, the property failed to meet financial obligations and was placed in receivership in May of 2012.

One thing was clear in 2012—for the business to stay open, they needed help, and they needed help fast.

The Solution

Regency Hotel Management took ownership of Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes in June of 2012.

Carolyn Bare is the current general manager and has been with Arrowwood Brainerd since 2008. She says she didn’t know what to expect before the partnership with Regency began. Her anxiety and nerves of the unknown quickly went away after meeting with the Regency team.

“They weren’t intimidating. They met with every one of us and asked us how we currently did things. Then they formulated a plan and went through it in great detail with us,” says Bare.

Bare says working with Regency is truly a partnership and transparency has been at the forefront since day one. Regency helped implement a structure for Bare’s team to follow, a foreign but welcome concept for Arrowwood Brainerd’s team members. Bare says that structure was a game changer.

“We all felt stuck. We didn’t feel knowledgeable. When Regency came in and started sharing knowledge with us, they didn’t make us feel ‘less than.’ They made us feel more like we were learning and growing as a property,” says Bare.

Bare says the knowledge Regency shared was invaluable. She and her team were taught that room rates could be flexible, something that had been set in stone in the past. That alone made a huge difference in their revenue. Regency provided an entirely new perspective, one that included training, resources, and weekly revenue calls.

Bare considers Regency part of the  Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes team, a team working toward the same goal—increasing the bottom line.

“Regency gave our team the confidence and reassurance that we were on the right track,” said Bare.

The Result

Since 2012, the property’s total revenue is on the up and up. Bare says Regency gave the Arrowwood Brainerd staff the tools they needed to be successful.

“We’re the ones that are driving the vehicle. They’re just the navigators. If we get lost, they’re there to point us in the right direction,” says Bare.

In June of 2012, Arrowwood Brainerd was on the brink of bankruptcy. Thanks to Regency Hotel Management, the property is on a path to success.