Thomas Voss: Meet an Accomplished Force in the Resort Industry

Golf & Lifestyle: The illustrious Forbes Travel Guide recently announced its Four- and Five-Star honorees for 2012, and The Grand Del Mar in San Diego was one of five Five-Star new properties selected nationwide. It was also the only property in California to earn three 2012 Five-Star awards for Lodging, Spa and Dining, and is San Diego’s only Five-Star venue.

Obviously you are raising the bar for luxury in the region, how have you accomplished this and what do you think it takes to be a leader in the industry?

Thomas Voss: We adapted a long-term vision from the outset – which is critical in this luxury niche – concentrating on our core mission, which is to provide the ultimate in guest service. Since The Grand Del Mar opened in 2007, we have focused on keeping a keen eye on service, hiring the very best people we could find, pursuing excellence in our dining venues, including our signature restaurant Addison and the all-day venue Amaya – carefully building the resort’s reputation as one of California’s top luxury destinations for leisure, corporate groups and social events.

This approach has worked well for us, as evidenced by our most recent accolades that also include Five Diamonds from the Automobile Association of America, a ranking among Travel + Leisure’s Top Resorts in U.S./Canada and a ranking as the #4 Top Mainland US Resort from Condé Nast Traveler.

G & L: How Does Forbes Travel Guide determine its Four and Five-Star winners?

Voss: Forbes Travel Guide's inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant and spa they rate, anonymously testing every aspect of a property's experience. Since it was founded in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, it has been committed to the same rigorous inspections of hotels, restaurants and spas, which are the most comprehensive in the industry, with more than 500 standards tested. The Forbes ranking truly is the industry’s gold standard.

G & L: As president of one of the region's top luxury hotels, what do you personally look for when staying at a hotel or resort?

Voss: I look for a wonderful ambience, comfort and great food. From the aroma in the lobby to the sheets on the bed to the demeanor of the staff, if it feels right, I will return.

G & L: What has been your greatest challenge in opening a luxury resort such as The Grand Del Mar?

Voss: We are a privately held, independent hotel and do not have the resources of a large corporate brand. For this reason, we have to work especially hard to garner national and international recognition. With this in mind, we put a high priority on our sales, public relations and marketing strategies. Additionally, we have worked extraordinarily hard to find and recruit the best possible staff – all of whom take true pleasure in providing top-notch service. It is sometimes quite challenging to find staff that can meet our exacting standards!

G & L: What do you feel is the most important aspect of a luxury resort like The Grand Del Mar?

Voss: Service. Service. Service. Above all, the most important aspect of any hotel is a gracious and meticulous staff. We work hard to hire staff with a caring personality and authenticity, with keen focus on individuality, personalization and customized service. Our goal is to go well beyond the standard services and amenities common to luxury hotels. Instead of reacting to the needs of guests, we anticipate them upon reservation and strive to customize each guest’s stay. To do so, we communicate with our guests and make a pre-arrival call to obtain additional information. We then make arrangements for each stay, based on likes and dislikes. To achieve this high level of service, we provide intensive staff training.

G & L: What are the resort’s greatest attributes?

Voss: I could go on and on! First of all, we are located on San Diego’s only Tom Fazio-designed golf course – a top-notch 18-hole, par-72 course with 7,160 yards spread over 380 acres. This championship-quality course really captures the essence of Southern California’s coastal beauty.

The resort and golf club are adjacent to Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, a pristine nature preserve where guests have access to 37 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Other key amenities: a 21,000-square-foot Renaissance-inspired spa, award-winning fine dining, a formidable wine collection, an onsite chapel for weddings and other events, four swimming pools and two tennis courts. And, we recently added a 20,000-square-foot equestrian center and an ultra-luxe nightclub, Club M. And, as I may have mentioned, our staff is just amazing. Quite simply, we hire the nicest, most gracious and attentive people we can find.

G & L: What else makes The Grand Del Mar unique?

Voss: We are the only Addison Mizner-inspired resort on the West Coast. Mizner was an iconic architect whose worldly design approach defined the resort communities of Palm Beach and Boca Raton in the 1920s. Our design team – led by the very talented Warren Sheets Design, Inc. – eschewed the stark, modern style so prevalent in hotels today, and was inspired by the rich decorative arts of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco. Mizner’s exotic style is evoked throughout The Grand Del Mar, with its colorful palette, arched doorways, rotundas, vibrant tile, wood-beamed ceilings, ornate stone and wrought-iron accents, decorative columns and parquet flooring.

G & L: What emerging trends do you foresee in the luxury hotel industry?

Voss: The meaning of “luxury” has shifted – people want an ambiance that feels comfortable, but not formal or stuffy. Spa services and outdoor-oriented activities are also increasingly important for today’s knowledge-hungry guests, as are interactive educational programs, such as wine tastings and cooking classes. Also, the green revolution is certainly impacting the hotel industry. Astute hoteliers realize they can increase revenues – as well as make an important impact on the environment – by adapting environmentally friendly, sustainable practices.

G & L: What are some of The Grand Del Mar’s newest amenities?

Voss: We opened Club M in late 2010, and really feel we filled a niche here. Targeting ages 35 and up, the venue has something for everyone: a nightclub with live entertainment, a casual sports bar and all-day dining, as well as an ideal private event setting. It provides a great spot for locals to hang out, and also offers another compelling reason for our guests to stay on the property. We also recently introduced a new 20,000-square-foot, eight-stall equestrian center, which offers lessons and riding programs, with safe, reliable horses to accommodate all ages and riding levels.

G & L: Anything else of which you are exceptionally proud about at The Grand Del Mar?

Voss: We have six dining venues, and they are all stellar, but particularly our signature restaurant, Addison. Spearheaded by Executive Chef William Bradley – who was recently awarded the prestigious Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef designation – Addison is the first restaurant in San Diego to earn the highly coveted AAA Five Diamond Award and the Forbes Five-Star rating – and the only restaurant in Southern California with both designations for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. We also have an exceptional wine program, overseen by Wine Director Jesse Rodriguez. Under his direction, the resort’s wine cellar has accrued 37,500 bottles, which include an extraordinary propriety private label collection for the resort and Addison. Addison also received the Wine Spectator Grand Award and was named one of the top “Winning Wine Lists” by Food & Wine magazine, among a slew of other accolades.

G & L: Where do you see The Grand Del Mar in the next 5 years?

Voss: We hope to continue raising the bar for the luxury hotel market, drawing more attention on a global scale to the resort and to San Diego, while always striving for excellence in service.

G & L: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Voss: It came from my father, who also worked in the hospitality industry: “Know who you are. Know where you are going. Know where you came from.”