Heatherfields Restaurant - Bay Valley Resort
BAY VALLEY RESORT UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Bay Valley Resort & Conference Center has long stood as a true jewel of dining, recreation, entertainment and hospitality in the mid-Michigan area. Set in the pastoral core of the tri-cities close to the colleges and I-75, since its inception 35 years ago Bay Valley evolved into one of the area’s key destination hot-spots with world class dining, a state-of-the-art golf course, constant live entertainment, and unmatched quality, only to encounter growing pains suffered through various management & ownership changes, coupled with competition from new developments and the obvious challenges presented in a sluggish economy.
As it stands today Bay Valley is poised for a renaissance and easily set to reclaim its reputation as a pivotal destination spot. Owner & operator Ambit Funding recently hired Horizon Hotels Limited of New Jersey to manage the storied resort, located just off I-75 at exist 160 in Bay City. According to Larry Mulligan, Senior Vice President of Ambit, “We believe the new management is going to enhance the existing services and amenities of this world-class hotel & resort and will greatly improve the guest experience.”
Indeed, a recent visit with new General Manger Sam Shatila and Director of Sales Maureen Harris proved precisely how committed and focused the team at Bay Valley is to restoring this full-service resort to the shimmering heights of appeal populated during its glittering heyday.
With renovations under way in the rooms of the 145 suite resort, fresh golf packages that sink a hole-in-one in terms of value, menu revisions and live entertainment in Heatherfields Restaurant and Players Lounge, and meeting/banquet space accommodating up to 350 guests, coupled with a year-round indoor/outdoor heated pool, hot tub, saunas, and game room, a simple visit to Bay Valley rekindles all the reasons that caused patrons to fall in love with the venue at first sight.
Perhaps the key component is the solid reputation of Horizon Hotels Limited, which is one of the largest privately owned hotel management companies in the country, owning properties throughout the United States.
General Manager Sam Shatila is both excited about the future and thankful for all the opportunities that Bay Valley presents to him for cultivation. “I’ve been involved with the hospitality business since the days of Jimmy Carter,” jokes Shatila, “and this is the only job I’ve ever worked at. I’ve lived all over the country and just managed the transition of a 120-service hotel in Florida, and since arriving here on December 17th, the possibilities of this resort I find limitless.”
“Apart from being centrally located and offering all the amenities of a full resort, our main focus is on bumping up our appeal to corporate, business, and leisurely travelers, while rekindling our appeal locally. With the ups and downs of the markets recently, we are working to stabilize the complex and let people know that we are here to stay. Managers may come and go, but this beautiful facility is staying.”
“We have a great group of people working here who take pride in what we are doing,” continues Shatila, “which is to not only stabilize operations but reinvent them, as such, by improving what we offer and upgrading and renovating. If people have not visited us in awhile, we encourage them to come back and give us a fresh try. We have the product and the manpower. Our banquet facilities are some of the best in the area, our employees are all in tune, and we want to reach to out-of-town guests and let them know everything they could possibly want is located right here on this property. We have it all and it doesn’t cost a fortune. This resort is much different than a franchise. It is totally unique to what I’ve seen elsewhere in the country.”
“Bay Valley is a true destination,” summarizes Sam. “We have everything that a guest could possibly want. A golf course, indoor/outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi, meeting facilities, great food and entertainment – a guest can come for four or five days and have a vacation while they work, which is really the difference between this resort and other hotels in the area. It truly does ‘have it all’.”
As for Sales Director Maureen Harris, the enthusiasm she exhibits for ways the Resort is re-shaping and re-inventing itself is brimming and palpable, beginning with improvements being brought to Heatherfields Restaurant.
“Beginning on Palm Sunday on April 5th we will be starting our famous Sunday Brunch back again from 11 AM to 3 PM, and are working on a new and improved menu,” she notes. “Then on Easter Sunday we’ll be featuring our Easter Brunch which will feature a holiday menu and fill the lower level ballroom. We’ll have an Easter bunny here and will be re-opening Heatherfields with a whole new menu, coupled with live entertainment on weekends in the lounge.”
Bay Valley Resort & Conference Center has long stood as a true jewel of dining, recreation, entertainment and hospitality in the mid-Michigan area. Set in the pastoral core of the tri-cities close to the colleges and I-75, since its inception 35 years ago Bay Valley evolved into one of the area’s key destination hot-spots with world class dining, a state-of-the-art golf course, constant live entertainment, and unmatched quality, only to encounter growing pains suffered through various management & ownership changes, coupled with competition from new developments and the obvious challenges presented in a sluggish economy.
As it stands today Bay Valley is poised for a renaissance and easily set to reclaim its reputation as a pivotal destination spot. Owner & operator Ambit Funding recently hired Horizon Hotels Limited of New Jersey to manage the storied resort, located just off I-75 at exist 160 in Bay City. According to Larry Mulligan, Senior Vice President of Ambit, “We believe the new management is going to enhance the existing services and amenities of this world-class hotel & resort and will greatly improve the guest experience.”
Indeed, a recent visit with new General Manger Sam Shatila and Director of Sales Maureen Harris proved precisely how committed and focused the team at Bay Valley is to restoring this full-service resort to the shimmering heights of appeal populated during its glittering heyday.
With renovations under way in the rooms of the 145 suite resort, fresh golf packages that sink a hole-in-one in terms of value, menu revisions and live entertainment in Heatherfields Restaurant and Players Lounge, and meeting/banquet space accommodating up to 350 guests, coupled with a year-round indoor/outdoor heated pool, hot tub, saunas, and game room, a simple visit to Bay Valley rekindles all the reasons that caused patrons to fall in love with the venue at first sight.
Perhaps the key component is the solid reputation of Horizon Hotels Limited, which is one of the largest privately owned hotel management companies in the country, owning properties throughout the United States.
General Manager Sam Shatila is both excited about the future and thankful for all the opportunities that Bay Valley presents to him for cultivation. “I’ve been involved with the hospitality business since the days of Jimmy Carter,” jokes Shatila, “and this is the only job I’ve ever worked at. I’ve lived all over the country and just managed the transition of a 120-service hotel in Florida, and since arriving here on December 17th, the possibilities of this resort I find limitless.”
“Apart from being centrally located and offering all the amenities of a full resort, our main focus is on bumping up our appeal to corporate, business, and leisurely travelers, while rekindling our appeal locally. With the ups and downs of the markets recently, we are working to stabilize the complex and let people know that we are here to stay. Managers may come and go, but this beautiful facility is staying.”
“We have a great group of people working here who take pride in what we are doing,” continues Shatila, “which is to not only stabilize operations but reinvent them, as such, by improving what we offer and upgrading and renovating. If people have not visited us in awhile, we encourage them to come back and give us a fresh try. We have the product and the manpower. Our banquet facilities are some of the best in the area, our employees are all in tune, and we want to reach to out-of-town guests and let them know everything they could possibly want is located right here on this property. We have it all and it doesn’t cost a fortune. This resort is much different than a franchise. It is totally unique to what I’ve seen elsewhere in the country.”
“Bay Valley is a true destination,” summarizes Sam. “We have everything that a guest could possibly want. A golf course, indoor/outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi, meeting facilities, great food and entertainment – a guest can come for four or five days and have a vacation while they work, which is really the difference between this resort and other hotels in the area. It truly does ‘have it all’.”
As for Sales Director Maureen Harris, the enthusiasm she exhibits for ways the Resort is re-shaping and re-inventing itself is brimming and palpable, beginning with improvements being brought to Heatherfields Restaurant.
“Beginning on Palm Sunday on April 5th we will be starting our famous Sunday Brunch back again from 11 AM to 3 PM, and are working on a new and improved menu,” she notes. “Then on Easter Sunday we’ll be featuring our Easter Brunch which will feature a holiday menu and fill the lower level ballroom. We’ll have an Easter bunny here and will be re-opening Heatherfields with a whole new menu, coupled with live entertainment on weekends in the lounge.”
In addition to featuring a more affordable menu while retaining the same levels of quality, the focus is on cultivating a more causal and leisurely atmosphere, which has already begun with Bay Valley’s very popular Bistro menu.”
For those looking to swim for fun and/or therapy, Bay Valley is offering an unbeatable swimming pool package at only $250.00 per year allowing people to enjoy their remarkable indoor/outdoor pool facility all year round.
And when it comes to the Golf Course, weather permitting, opening day hopefully will hit on April 1st with reduced rate packages geared to blow one right out of the water. Bay Valley’s 2-4-1 Spring Golf Package is priced at only $139.00 for two people, which includes an overnight accommodating in one of the rooms, two drink coupons in Players Lounge and 18 holes of golf with cart in addition to the complimentary driving range at only $69.50 per person.
As for the Banquet facility, no other venue or ballroom affords vistas of both a golf course and a lake. “What truly distinguishes our ballroom is that it is not enclosed simply by four walls,” notes Maureen. “The ballroom offers beautiful panoramic views all year round and our pricing is very competitive, plus we are restructuring our banquet menus to be even more competitive.”
Apart from being able to accommodate up to 350 people comfortably, Bay Valley can also offer banquets and catering services to smaller meetings and functions and hold a grand event for only 60 people or something even smaller for those seeking accommodations for only 10 to 15 people. “Everyone has different needs and we have something for everyone,” adds Maureen.
Loaded with ample amounts of energy, commitment and vision, the most challenging component to developing and re-establishing Bay Valley, as irony would have it, is re-staffing it. “We cut down a lot of help and are trying to get everybody back in and trained and ready for the season,” notes Sam. “Unfortunately, when people get laid off they often move on or find another job; but we always want to maintain the standards of quality first, especially when it comes to constant and consistent quality service.” “We held a job fair a week ago Tuesday and had close to 200 applicants. We stayed with them well until after 5 PM so we could interview each and every applicant. Come April 1st we’ll be in full swing.”
>“People need to know that we are truly alive and well and booking and cooking,” concludes Maureen. “We do the best job we can every day and want the public to know we appreciate their continued support that has kept us here for the last 35 years. We want to serve them for the next 35 and the 35 years after that.”
Considering that Bay Valley Resort is only 40 minutes from the Birch Run Shopping Center, close to Wenonah Park for the annual Pig Gig & River Roar, close to Midland Center for the Arts and Saginaw’s Dow Events Center, close to the Children’s’ Museum and the Zoo, and a wonderfully designed gem unlike any other in the tri-cities, it is important to remember how the best things the Tri-Cities has to offer are too often taken for granted by people looking to enjoy the treats and wonders available right in their own backyard.
With the weather set to break soon, Bay Valley Hotel & Resort stands poised to be one of the true great Spring & Summer Tri-City Hotspots in the weeks and months ahead.
by Robert E. Martin of the Review Magazine
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