KemperSports hired to lead revitalization of oceanfront destination
DORADO, Puerto Rico, July 10, 2006 – As the next step in the long-range plan of the owner to restore the Dorado Beach Resort and Club to its place among the elite golf resorts in the world, the Dorado Beach Hotel Corporation announced today the hiring of KemperSports to operate the golf, beach and food facilities.
The golf facilities consist of four championship courses, including the fabled Dorado East, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., which has served as the site of a number of professional and amateur events over the last four decades. Dorado Beach President Richard Schulze said that renovation of the golf facilities would begin later this year, starting with Dorado East. KemperSports’ development group has also been retained to supervise the renovation project.
"We are excited to welcome KemperSports to Puerto Rico and move the clubs forward on the right foot," said Schulze. "We are creating a win-win situation for our members by teaming our commitment to meeting members’ expectations with KemperSports’ experience and expertise in course management and operations."
This partnership marks the latest involvement of KemperSports with world-class resorts. Sought out for its knowledge and longstanding reputation in resort management, exemplified through the world-renowned Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.; Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif.; Westport by the Sea in Westport, Wash.; and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in Tower, Minn., the Northbrook, Ill.-based management company has been recruited to oversee a number of other resort projects worldwide.
"Dorado Beach is at a pivotal stage in its lifecycle right now," added Steve Lesnik, chairman and CEO of KemperSports. "We look forward to working alongside the owners to restore the courses to their original greatness while implementing innovative programs that enhance member satisfaction, guest service and course conditioning."
The first of the four courses was built in the mid-1950s. Since then, Dorado Beach has hosted the 1963 Canada Cup, the 1964 Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf event, the Senior PGA Tour’s Champion’s Tour Championship from 1990 through 1993, the Champions Tour’s Tournament of Champions in 1995 and 1996, the PGA TOUR’s World Cup of Golf in 1994 and the Chrysler Senior Match Play Challenge in 1999 and 2000. Dorado Beach is exploring the possibility of hosting additional events in the future.
In 2005, Travel + Leisure Golf named Dorado Beach as the top resort in the Caribbean for "Buddy Trips." In the same issue, Dorado Beach East was ranked third in the category of "Best Resort Course in the Caribbean." In 2003, GOLF Magazine ranked the fourth hole at Dorado Beach East among the "Best Holes of Golf in Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda."
Golf Digest has consistently ranked all four of Dorado Beach’s golf courses among the top 10 courses in Puerto Rico. Dorado Beach East has been consistently ranked first or second on these lists.
About KemperSports Management
Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports Management operates golf facilities as well as athletic clubs and lodging venues nationwide, including nationally ranked courses and tournament venues such as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, The Glen Club, Gillette Ridge, Harding Park, Bolingbrook Golf Club and Desert Willow, in addition to a number of major sporting events including the PGA TOUR’s Booz Allen Classic and the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. For more information, visit http://www.kempersports.com.
Editor’s Note:
High-resolution photos of Dorado Golf Resort and Club are available upon request. Contact Kristin Schaner at 847.480.4850 or kschaner@kempersports.com.
Contact:
Kristin Schaner
847.480.4850
kschaner@kempersports.com
Stefanie Miller
847.480.4870
stefanie.miller@kemperlesnik.com
