By Anne Morrissy
In June, representatives from Grand Geneva Resort & Spa and Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark hosted more than 80 members of the community — including Grand Geneva associates, interns, student residents and managers, as well as representatives from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, VISIT Lake Geneva, Walworth County, the Town of Lyons, the Lake Geneva Utility Commission, the Walworth County Economic Development Alliance, Tri-North Construction and Gary Brink & Associates — at the ribbon-cutting for The Commons at Grand Geneva, a new associate housing complex on the resort’s property. The three-story building on Sheridan Springs Road, across from the employee entrance to the resort, will provide housing for up to one year for employees of Grand Geneva and Timber Ridge.
The Commons at Grand Geneva can accommodate up to 172 employees in 4-bedroom units. Each unit comes with its own living space, including a kitchen, living room and bathroom. In addition, the building provides a shared community room featuring a large kitchen, community table, lounge area with multiple televisions and game tables, plus a laundry area, fitness studio, outdoor patio area with grills and a general recreation area. Associates moved into the newly opened space around June 15th.
As property values in the Geneva Lake area have increased in recent years, the challenge of finding affordable housing for employees serving in the tourism industry has increased as well. “Resort towns, famous for their vacation amenities, face a peculiar paradox,” writes Dr. Thomas J. Powell, a senior adviser with The Brehon Group, a consultancy specializing in entrepreneurial fundraising. “They thrive on a robust service industry that demands a large workforce, yet the high cost of real estate driven by vacation homes and rentals prices out this very workforce.”
In response to this paradox, resorts like Grand Geneva have, in recent years, begun offering more on-site housing for employees, particularly seasonal workers or those employed on temporary work visas from other countries. The new Commons at Grand Geneva offers the newest and most amenity-filled such option for employee housing.
The concept of resort campus employee housing is not new to the Grand Geneva property, however.
When Hugh Hefner first built the resort as the first Playboy Club-Hotel in 1968, the campus contained an employee housing facility known as the “Bunny Dorm,” where many of the female employees hired as Playboy Bunnies lived under the supervision of “Bunny Mother” Gail Frantz, an employee living arrangement that was featured recently in a bestselling novel by Christina Clancy, “Shoulder Season.”
In the June ceremony to open the new associate housing, Grand Geneva Managing Director Skip Harless cited the resort’s ongoing commitment to providing temporary housing for employees. “This is more than just a building; it represents our dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for our associates,” he declared. “By offering these accommodations, we aim to make the transition easier for those relocating to the area and to enhance the overall experience of our associates during their time with us … today, we celebrate not just the opening of a building, but a new chapter in our ongoing commitment to our associates and our business in this community.”
