The four-season property in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains will now be operated by Pacific Group Resorts after being purchased by EPR Properties, a real estate investment trust.
EPR Properties, a real estate investment trust, has purchased the assets of Wintergreen (Va.) Resort in conjunction with its operator for the property, Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Pacific Group Resorts will lease the Wintergreen property from EPR and manage the resort.
Wintergreen is an 11,000-acre, four-season resort located in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 45 minutes southwest of Charlottesville, Va. The property includes nearly 230 condominium-style accommodations, 45 holes of championship golf, snow skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing, an award-winning tennis program, a full-service destination spa, 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, and a variety of dining options, as featured in a food-and-beverage profile in the November 2010 issue of C&RB (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2010/11/01/making-food-beverage-sing-at-wintergreen-resort/).
The Wintergreen property was bought by James C. Justice of West Virginia, who also owns The Greenbrier Resort, in 2012, but then put back up for sale last year (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2014/02/05/wintergreen-va-resort-back-sale/).
Pacific Group Resorts also owns Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire, and worked in concert with EPR to acquire Wisp Resort in western Maryland in 2012. EPR Properties’ total investment portfolio exceeds $3.9 billion.
Pacific Group Resorts now operates three ski and snowboard resorts and four golf courses, with senior management that has a combined 60 years of executive or ownership experience in the resort industry. It is affiliated with the Pacific Group, which has built and developed signature base facilities and villages at Whistler in British Columbia, Mammoth and Squaw Valley in California, Solitude and Snow Basin in Utah, Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Copper Mountain in Colorado, in addition to a wide range of other commercial properties in 27 states.
“I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years and I’ve known the leadership of Pacific Group Resorts for over 20 years,” said Hank Thiess, Wintergreen’s General Manager. “They have tons of experience in this industry at some of the most iconic resorts in the West. My management team and I are excited for the possibilities this partnership could bring to our members and guests.”
“Wintergreen has great facilities,” added Mark K. Fischer, speaking on behalf of Pacific Group Resorts. “Between ski, golf, spa, tennis, and meeting space, Wintergreen is an active, year-round playground, and it is right next to the Shenandoah National Forest, so it is one of the most beautiful resorts in the eastern U.S. We are very much looking forward to helping the staff deliver the best possible guest experiences.
“The executive team at [Pacific Group Resorts] has a broad base of experience in mountain resort operations and in the master planning and development of ski resorts,” Fischer added. “We hope to work with the management team at Wintergreen to maximize the customer experience through a combination of meticulous planning and operating enhancements and efficiencies. The people at Wintergreen are top-notch, and we are delighted to be working with them on the possibilities for growth here.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.