New team takes over at Timberlanes
By LARRY SHIELDS
POSTED: May 8, 2008
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They have, indeed, already begun with fresh paint, planters, room renovations, banquet room roof repairs and a serious transformation in the kitchen.
A Salem gem in need of polishing is what newly-appointed General Manager Kim Papadeonise called it. A 20-year veteran at Timberlanes, Papadeonise has worked in every department of the business.
“There are still some key, longtime employees here,” she said.
Michael Dorough, regional vice president for Crescent Hotels & Resorts, which has turned around other hotels, provided insight into the company’s attitude and plans.
He said they will draw from that employee base.
“One thing we do,” he said, “we put the right people on the bus, get the right people off and put people in their right seats. We’ve had employees who have actually cost us business.
“We’ve got to earn our business back,” he said while acknowledging, “it’s a shame what’s been allowed to happen here. We just want to build it back.”
He added, “Visitors had a choice - us or nothing and the choice was nothing.”
The number one priority is fixing the roof over the banquet room, Dorough said, adding that while it’s not real big, “it’s really bad.”
He added, “We’re going to fix the internal stuff.”
The kitchen will receive major attention and new Head Chef Robert Skalada is overseeing that.
Skalada, 45, said he’s aware of the Timberlane’s history and was the chef at Soffo’s in Boardman, which was operated by former Timberlane’s owner Roy Paparodis.
Skalada graduated from the Johnson-Wales University college of culinary arts in Providence, R.I. He is an Austintown native and his parents operated the Westgate Pizza “forever” he said.
He has also been the kitchen for the Hyatt, Marriott and Omni resort chains, taking the Omni in San Diego from 10th in guest service satisfaction in banquets to first within a year.
Dorough recognized the restaurant was “severely lacking” a great chef and hiring the highly-tenured Skalada, whose resume runs from San Diego through Las Vegas (Bertolini’s and Caesar’s Palace) to Boardman, was a big investment.
Skalada said, “It’s simple things, menu hiring, banquet servers, banquets are what is going to carry this place.
“We’ll tear the menu apart. It has too many items and carry entrees people want.”
Skalada said he and Papadeonise have discussed turning Timberlanes back into what its reputation was built on - a top-flight steak house.
Skalada said what is needed is already here, the footprint as he called it.
“We want to bring it back,” he said.
“Food and beverage is the anchor,” Dorough said, “that will either make it or break it.”
Skalada said, “We have the ambiance, the buildings are there.”
He added, “I’m not worried about it. It’s still a beautiful place...I’ll get my food on the menu and we’ll be bringing people back.”
Dorough said the process of repairing motel rooms which he said “have built-in liabilities being small and with no windows” has begun.
Dorough said, “It’s not the same ol’ same ol’ we want to make it better,” landscape it and tear out what Papadenoise called the “putt-putt” carpeting in the motel hallways.
He said there are three double-bed rooms and plans are to create a few more.
“A lot of things were allowed to deteriorate, especially in the rooms.”
There are 52 rooms and Crescent is starting with fixing up 20 to 25 on the first floor.
“New bedding purchases, drapes, tile, vanities and 19-inch television sets,” Dorough said, repeating, “19-inch sets, we’re actually going into the 21st century with TVs.”
He added the investment is “not that much when you break it down.”
The timetable should see the rooms completed by the fall, Dorough said.
“There will be a totally different look to them,” he said, adding that the Audrey J’s restaurant on Penn Avenue will remain closed.
“We’ll focus on this one,” Dorough said of the Timberlane’s dining room. We’ve got plenty to do right here now.
“We’ve got to get rid of the junk and make it more hospitable,” Dorough added.
“It’s a new day here.”
Timberlanes remains under it’s normal hours of operation.
Crescent Hotels & Resorts owns and co-invests in hotel real estate, and is an independent, third-party operator of hotels and resorts. The company currently owns or operates approximately 35 upscale and mid-market hotels and resorts – with approximately 5,400 rooms in 18 states, according to its Web site at www.chrco.com.
For more information, call Timberlanes sat 330-337-9901.
Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net
