Roger Soane, the general manager who saw one of Whistler's most popular hotels through the 2010 Olympics, has resigned from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
However, Soane was re-appointed as chair of the Board following the Annual General Meeting of Tourism Whistler.
Soane has served as GM of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler since 2008.
He first took up work with Fairmont in 1996, starting at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria before serving as hotel manager at the Fairmont Banff Springs; general manager of the Fairmont Palliser; and general manager at the Empress before coming to Whistler.
A statement from Fairmont said that Soane ensured that staff at the Chateau Whistler achieved "gold" in the minds of guests before and after the 2010 Olympics as both the community and the hotel took a prominent place in the media spotlight.
While managing the Chateau Whistler, the hotel took a number of notable awards including a ranking by Travel and Leisure as one of the world's Best Ultimate Hotels; ranking among Conde Nast's Top 20 Canadian Resorts; and a Forbes listing as one of Canada's Top 10 Best Hotels.
Soane has served as chair of the Tourism Whistler board since 2009. In that position he was often called upon to provide commentary on the performance of Whistler as a tourism destination, telling an Annual General Meeting in 2010 that the recession made it unlikely that the community would soon return to the levels of tourist visits it saw three to four years prior.
Barrett Fisher, president and CEO of Tourism Whistler, told members in a May 19 e-mail that Soane had taken a temporary leave from his position as chairman because his father had recently died, with vice-chair Saad Hasan filling in during his absence.
Fisher said in her e-mail that Soane and his family were planning to stay in Whistler for the short term, and that board members would thank him for his work as chair when he returned. He has one year remaining on his term and has not yet resigned his position.
Soane's resignation from the Fairmont is effective May 31. The hotel has not yet had a replacement named.
