By Joey Lachman
40 acres of beachfront property, almost 900 guest rooms and close to 600 employees; The Tradewinds Resort is the jewel of St. Pete Beach, and the TradeWinds team has a new captain. Robert “Bob” LaCasse was appointed Managing Director of the TradeWinds Island resorts in mid-2020 and has led the Tradewinds through the tumultuous pandemic period and orchestrated many new projects and changes to keep one of the communities historic and beloved icons thriving into the new age.
LaCasse comes to Tradewinds as a hospitality guru with a wealth of experience. Growing up in Boston, LaCasse’s hospitality career started when he was a dishwasher at the Sheraton Boston,” a 1200-room super tanker property considered the largest in New England.” He would quickly work his way through the roles of the resort before leaving 19 years later as General Manager. This shows the resourcefulness Bob has and how his hands-on approach to the hotel industry gets things done.
After the Sheraton LaCasse would move on to work as a managing director at various hotel brands from Marriot to Hyatt. Over his 34-year hospitality career Bob has attributed his management style to “Honesty, as tough as it may be is always the best approach to any situation. Be consistent, the team around you always needs to know what to expect. Be a hands-on leader”. Throughout the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic, LaCasse was there to assure guests and employees that good times would roll on again. “He was [LaCasse] here from sunup until long after sundown, and nobody really knew him yet. That is when I knew we have a great leader. I always know Bob has my back,” said Robert Holdaway, a Bellman at the resort and employee for over 10 years.
A great leader is exactly what Tradewinds will need as the resort has proposed a generational development plan for the property that would add 650 new guestrooms, upgrade and add new amenities as well as construct state-of-the-art conference spaces. The project will also contribute funds to the city's sewer and drainage system as well as create an additional lane of traffic to alleviate build-ups on Gulf Boulevard. “TradeWinds has a bit of everything to offer, the development offers great growth locally in the job market and a solid growth in tax funds for the community,” Said Lacasse.
Throughout his brief three years with the resort, Lacasse has spearheaded the implementation of many ambitious projects that have improved the guest experience at TradeWinds. One of those projects is the new mobile check-in feature. This feature allows guests to check in before or while arriving at the resort on a mobile device and use that device as a room key. The mobile check-in process has been a breeze for guests and has also helped decrease foot traffic at the front desk. “The technology program at TradeWinds has made incredible inroads. For our guests, our owners, and the leadership team as a whole. Benefitting associates at every level.” Said LaCasse.
St. Pete Beach sprawls across the Florida Gulf Coast and is a vacation destination for people across the globe. Tradewinds has been welcoming guests since the early 1960s and now has shown its vision for the 2030s and beyond. Bob Lacasse has led the resort for the last three years and has shown he can make that vision a reality by managing and mentoring employees while accommodating and improving the guest experience. “In my career I am regarded as an agent of change, fostering growth. There is not one thing about this development process that does not show impactful growth and that excites me.” The jewel of St. Pete Beach is certainly in good hands, and it will be exciting to see how the resort grows.
(Credit to TradeWindsNextGeneration.com for images and data as well as hospitalitynet.org)
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