Brannigan Mosses sits back in one of the many oversized chairs you'll find in the massive lobby area of the Penticton Lakeside Resort, taking an uncommonly long midday break to chat with an enquiring reporter.
For the past eight years, Mosses has been a Lakeside mainstay -- the longtime Sales and Marketing director at one of the south Okanagan's most expansive lodging and hospitality facilities.
Expansive? Yep. With 273 guest rooms, a sprawling conference setup, three restaurants and a bar, a private beach and marina and much more, the Lakeside is unrivaled south of Kelowna.
Today, Mosses is still one of the property's mainstays. But she's no longer running Sales and Marketing. On January 1st, she happily accepted the promotion to Assistant General Manager.
It marked an obvious high point in a calendar year quite unlike any other -- a year when COVID-19 put the kibosh on the entire hospitality industry.
And the Lakeside wasn't immune. Indeed, in March of 2020, as the entire world freaked out over this bizarre new threat and travel was brought to a virtual standstill, the resort was forced to lay off more than half its work force.
So we wanted to ask Mosses not only about her recent job upgrade, but about the Lakeside, how it’s dealt with the impact of COVID and how it'll handle it going forward.
And Mosses, thankfully, had a lot of answers.
Her fascination, it seems, with traveling and the industry that supports it started in her youth.
"I went traveling as soon as I graduated," said Mosses from behind her stylish black pandemic mask. "And I had the opportunity to stay at so many different accommodations, from bed and breakfasts to hostels to five-star resorts.
"And I just found it so beautiful. The majority of places I stayed had really personalized service. And I thought it was so cool that these people got to meet travelers who were living life, and could hear all these stories about different cultures and unique points of view."
Mosses eventually went back to school -- at Edmonton's Northern Alberta Institute of Technology -- where she ultimately walked away with a Hospitality Management diploma.
She then moved to the Okanagan, where she grabbed her wedding planner certificate and then put in time at both the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and South Okanagan Events Centre.
But all of that, she said, "took a backseat" to her opportunity at the Lakeside.
"I started here as director of Sales and Marketing eight years ago. I like the closeness here. It being a family-run business is great, and the general manager, David (Prystay, now the resort's policy advisor), supported me throughout and enabled me to dabble in different departments long before I jumped into the new position."
Now in her AGM role for a couple weeks, Mosses says her focus going forward is guest satisfaction.
"This role was really introduced so we could excel and expand our guest satisfaction through our on-the-floor managers, and our operational efficiencies through our customization and our personalization with the guest as soon as they walk through that door."
We asked her if she's nervous about the new duties. And she was quick to respond.
"No, I'm not nervous," she laughed. "David's been preparing me for this. I have a nervousness about the industry's future right now and the unknown. Beyond that, no. I feel well equipped."
As Mosses aludes, however, she is in a rather unique position -- taking on critical new responsibilities at a key venue in a tourism-driven region while that industry especially is feeling the brunt of a global pandemic.
And she was forthright about it.
"These times have been the hardest we've ever experienced," she said succinctly. "The worst I've ever experienced, that's for sure. And our numbers are significantly down."
"It's been real hard watching the industry and how it's been hit. It's really heartbreaking -- the whole hospitality segment across Canada."
When the pandemic hit, the resort, like most hospitality industry businesses, was faced with a seemingly impossible scenario. Not only was it compelled to dramatically cut its work force, just to survive, it also had to build a COVID defense system and seriously alter its day to day operations -- all with less employees and a massively reduced revenue stream.
Almost immediately, the Lakeside implemented strict measures that'll remain in place for the duration of the pandemic.
"Our room-cleaning time was effectively doubled," said Mosses. "We took away all the high-touch items. We removed the bed skirts. And all of our staff was fully protected with their own PPEs.
"All the cleaners we use have to have a specific drug identification number, and all our cleaners are proven. We implemented plexiglass where needed, such as the front counter.
"We deep clean personal equipment all the time, and our staff is scheduled around the clock to do that. And we've kept our people working in teams - the same people together."
The resort also instituted a self-isolation policy to deal with those who believe they may have been exposed to the virus. To its credit, the property has had no COVID outbreaks to date.
"We’ve found most people are highly respectful," said Mosses.
The scenario brightened considerably in the summer of 2020, when restrictions weren't as tough and the temperatures climbed.
"We had a phenomenal summer because people were so eager to get out of the gate again," said Mosses, "and we were able to bring employees back."
"Events weren't allowed, so we couldn't bring back our events team. However, the restaurants and housekeeping, we actually hired more. The summer months were very promising."
But the roller coaster resumed when the summer and the great weather ended and restrictions tightened once more. And the Lakeside, without its usual line-up of conferences and meetings to tide them through the slow months, again felt the bite of the new reality.
But that doesn't mean the resort's braintrust is passive. Instead, they're taking the opportunity to improve their systems and prep for the better times that are hopefully just around the corner.
"Some days it's hard to look at the numbers," said Mosses, "but we're trying to see this as an opportunity to approach things we haven't in the past.
"To me, the biggest things I want to focus on short term is to hone in our preparation, our training manuals, rehiring people, employee development, our department development and cross-departmental training.
"We want to really key on each department and find out what their wish lists are, find out what they really need. And we have the time now to be strategic with it."
Mosses says employees can also expect upcoming field trips around the property to "re-educate everybody, so we're united going forward. People want to travel, and they will travel. And we want to be ready when that happens to offer that safe environment."
Just when that'll happen is a question Mosses and the Lakeside inner circle, which includes the facility's new General Manager, Elizabeth Cucnik, who assumed her position just a couple months ago, constantly tries to gauge. They don't want to be caught flat-footed.
"We have the convention aspect, the leisure travel aspect, the corporate travel aspect, and all the sport teams that stay here," said Mosses. "So we're constantly trying to keep our fingers on the pulse of what's going to happen with those industries and how they'll be able to get back to their previous normal.
"Each day is interesting. You try to watch what the economists are saying, what the futurists are saying, what the industry partners are saying. My hope is that it's not as distant as I thought it was going to be a couple months ago."
And right now, there's optimism that the summer of 2021 will see some sort of return to normalcy.
"We're not allowing ourselves to stay stagnant and accept that this is a forever thing," said Mosses. "We're actively planning what each of our establishments are going to do this summer. We need to plan that way."
In the meantime, most of the Lakeside's major facilities and eateries are currently open. The only closures of note are the indoor-outdoor Bufflehead Restaurant, which is typically shuttered at this time of year, and the resort's event space, which is available only to essential meetings as mandated by the provincial health officer.
And currently, the resort is offering a reduced rate for regional residents looking for a change of environment. "We're encouraging local travel," said Mosses. "It's a challenging time for mental health, and people are looking for an outlet."
In all, we spent 90 minutes with the Lakeside Resort's new AGM, and were struck by her positive attitude in the face of unparalleled economic and social shock.
"One of the beautiful things that’s come out of this," she said, "has been watching the partnerships and relationships between other hotels and tourism partners, with Travel Penticton, with the BCHA (British Columbia Hotel Association). They've all been so great with advocacy work, and everyone really bonded together during this time.
"As for me, it's nice that I'm actually able to do what I really want to do. I don't know how many people have that chance."
