Former Newstead boss appointed Cambridge Beaches GM

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Former Newstead Belmont Hills managing director Clarence Hofheins has been hired as the new general manager at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa.

He replaces Mike Winfield, who retired as president and CEO of Cambridge Beaches last week, but retained his shareholding in the West End resort.

Derek Stapley, chairman of Cambridge Beaches and parent Frascati Hotel Company, confirmed the appointment yesterday, saying that Monday was Mr Hofheins first day as GM.

Mr Hofheins joins longtime Cambridge Beaches manager Richard Quinn at the 94-cottage/suite resort, which counts Bill and Hillary Clinton among past guests.

Before taking up the position at Cambridge Beaches, Mr Hofheins was working since April as interim general manager at David Dodwell’s Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in Nevis. He was also on the board of the Bermuda Gymnastics Association.

Sources in the hotel industry have contacted us to say they were concerned they did not see the Cambridge Beaches GM job advertised locally.

When asked about those concerns, Mr Stapley said that the board had engaged the services of a local employment agency in the hiring process.

“The agency handled the entire hiring process and this naturally involved working closely with the Department of Immigration,” Mr Stapley said.

Prior to his position at Newstead, Mr Hofheins worked at the Elbow Beach Hotel with Bill Shoaf and before that, for 13 years he was a manager at Robert Redford’s Sundance Ski Resort in Utah.

Mr Hofheins stayed on for a period at Newstead Belmont Hills after the fractional resort was put into a shock receivership in January 2011 by Butterfield Bank.

The bank recalled a multimillion-dollar loan made to developer Kevin Petty and Newstead Belmont Hills. Ernst and Young were appointed receivers and continue to manage the property.

In a statement announcing his retirement last week, Mr Winfield said: “The responsibilities of running a resort on a day-to-day basis have become onerous and stressful and I have concluded that that leadership and those responsibilities, at this time, are best vested in a younger individual, leaving me free to explore and contribute to Bermuda in different ways.”

Mr Stapley had commented: “Discussions between Mike and the board have been ongoing for a considerable time but both parties believed it better to delay any announcement. We all wanted to ensure an orderly transition, not cause any uncertainty as to the succession of management and to work through all of the details. These objectives have been achieved and we will be announcing the appointment of a new general manager in the very near future.”

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