Purgatory Resort Announces New General Manager!
Durango, Colo. — Purgatory Resort officials announced the appointment of Colin McBeath as its new General Manager. McBeath was most recently the general manager at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa in Alaska and has more than 20 years of international and national experience as a general manager and hotel manager for groups such as the Sheraton, Kimpton Hotels, Fairmont, and Ritz.
“Purgatory is a fantastic year-round family destination led by a great ownership and leadership team. I’m honored to join them and help take the resort to the next level,” stated McBeath. “I’m excited to help foster a strong culture of guest service, and develop deeper relationships with our destination guests, employees, local community, and region.
McBeath assumes his new role on Jan. 10, 2017, overseeing all winter and summer operations at Purgatory Resort. Originally from Canada, McBeath joins an experienced Purgatory management team, including Ed Youmans, the newly hired vice president of mountain operations.
“We’re excited that someone of Colin’s caliber will be joining us at Purgatory. His exceptional leadership and team building skills, and his experience in the hospitality industry really made him stand out,” stated James Coleman, managing partner of Purgatory Resort. “Colin’s strengths will help us achieve our overall vision. With Colin’s hospitality background combined with Ed’s mountain experience, Purgatory Resort will have the best and the brightest at the helm.”
McBeath has a degree in hospitality and hotel management from the University of Guelph in Ontario. McBeath has opened and transitioned 13 properties in locations such as Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, as well as major cities throughout Canada and Asia. Having grown up skiing at Whistler, starting his career as a valet at Lake Louise Ski Resort, and living in Anchorage for the past few years, McBeath fully embraces the mountain lifestyle. When he’s not at the office, McBeath enjoys skiing, hiking, yoga, camping, and experiencing the outdoors with his family. McBeath, his wife and two children will relocate to Durango, Colo. this winter.
Mark Seiter has been serving as Purgatory’s interim general manager after former-CEO Gary Derck left to start his own resort planning and real estate development consulting firm earlier this fall. Seiter will continue in his role as chief financial officer for Purgatory Resort, Arizona Snowbowl, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, Pajarito Mountain, Hesperus Ski Area, and Purgatory Snowcat Adventures.
Media Contact:
Kim Oyler | [email protected] | (970)749-2086
About Purgatory Resort
Named as the best value ski spot by TripAdvisor, Purgatory is recognized as a top year-round, family-friendly resort in the Southwest. Purgatory features 92 trails, five terrain parks, 11 lifts, 1,525 skiable acres and multiple restaurants, shops and lodge facilities. Located in the rugged and majestic San Juan Mountains, the resort is 25 miles north of the town of Durango. Other winter activities include tubing, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice climbing, snowbiking, snowmobiling, and Colorado’s largest snowcat skiing operation with access to 35,000 acres. The resort offers a variety of lodging from luxurious condominiums, vacation homes, and convenient slopeside units, to value-priced lodge rooms. PurgatoryResort.com
Purgatory Resort is part of a collection of ski resorts owned together in the Southwest, including Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort (NM), Pajarito Ski Area (NM), Arizona Snowbowl (AZ), and Hesperus Ski Area (CO) totaling more than 3,400 acres of terrain, 32 lifts, more than 240 trails, and 14 terrain parks. The ownership group, with James Coleman as the managing partner, recently acquired Purgatory Snowcat Adventures, Colorado’s largest snowcat operation with access to 35,000 acres of skiable terrain. A massive $10 million multi-resort capital campaign was announced last summer that provided significant mountain improvements, including new lifts, more trails, and additional snowmaking infrastructure across the resorts for the 2016/2017 winter season.
James Coleman, Managing partner
(headshots photo credit: Purgatory Resort)
