Leading hospitality management company Springboard Hospitality is pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Kirsten as the inaugural director of sales at the newly reimagined Sierra Nevada Resort, an Outbound Hotel in Mammoth Lakes, California. Kirsten joins the team during the resort’s final preparation stages leading up to its grand opening on November 1, 2022.
“As the newest hotel to open in Mammoth in decades, it was important for us to assemble a team whose hospitality expertise demonstrated a deep understanding of the destination,” said Brent Truax, managing director, The Sierra Nevada Resort, an Outbound Hotel. “Keith’s experience encompasses decades of servicing both hotel brands and visitors bureaus, which is an invaluable asset as we reintroduce the resort as a year-round basecamp for adventure in the heart of California’s favorite alpine oasis.”
Kirsten began his hospitality career with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, where he managed sales for Fairmont Dallas and played a key role in the opening of Fairmont San Jose. 1Kirsten then joined Marriott International and spent 20 years managing national accounts from coast to coast. After serving as the brand’s director of global sales in Los Angeles, Kirsten accepted the role of director of sales and marketing at Wyndham Puerto Rico. He later earned destination experience with leadership positions at the Reno-Tahoe Convention and Visitors Authority, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau, where Kirsten produced multi-million-dollar revenues in highly competitive markets. Kirsten earned a bachelor’s degree from Ashland University in Ohio and received specialty training in hospitality at Marriott National Sales School and Cal State University in Long Beach, California.
This November, The Sierra Nevada Resort welcomes guests to a western classic reborn as a mountain maximalist retreat. The reimagined 179-room resort, which includes 20 four-bedroom villas opening in May 2023, is designed for a new generation of pioneers who share the unbridled spirit of Dave McCoy, who brought alpine skiing to Mammoth Mountain in 1948. Guestrooms nod to the destination’s legacy of rugged irreverence with a modern yet unfussy approach to high west design conveyed through nostalgic art, illustrated maps, and western patterns that occur in natural tones. A collection of 10 light-filled cabins features private fireplaces, modern alpine furniture, natural woods and bathroom tiles reminiscent of the evergreens outside.
The resort’s Americana-inspired lobby invites guests to sink into lived-in leather chairs and rawhide stools for fireside chats and stiff cocktails. Bar Sierra, the resort’s modern American restaurant concept, celebrates local beers while the lobby wine bar offers a selection of international wines curated by a dedicated sommelier. Outside, a food garden features a rotating selection of food trucks for adventurers on the go. A natural-edge pool inspired by the area’s hot springs overlooks the Sierra slopes and serves as a scenic destination to unwind and plot the next day’s foray into the wild and unexpected.
In addition to the town of Mammoth Lakes, The Sierra Nevada Resort’s central location offers access to the region’s most prized landmarks including the nearby Devils Postpile National Monument; Bodie State Historic Park; Ancient Bristlecone Pinecone Forest; Yosemite National Park; and Death Valley.
