Terri A. Haack has been named president of Los Angeles’ oceanfront Terranea Resort, A Destination Hotel. Terranea is now celebrating its 5th anniversary and has grown into one of Southern California’s leading resorts under Haack’s leadership.
“We are delighted to appoint Terri to president of Terranea Resort,” said James Sabatier, president and chief operating officer of Destination Hotels. “Terri has been instrumental in developing and leading the team of talented and dedicated individuals at Terranea and successfully growing the resort to become one of America’s top rated resort destinations.”
“Terri is a valued member of the Lowe Enterprises shareholder group, our national team of company leaders,” said Robert J. Lowe, Jr., co-president of Lowe Enterprises and chief executive officer of Lowe Hospitality Group, co-owner and developer of Terranea Resort. “Her vision and leadership is a tremendous asset to Terranea and our firm.”
Haack will continue to be based at Terranea Resort and lead all aspects, including the real estate division, of the 102-acre luxury destination located on the pristine coastline of Rancho Palos Verdes. In addition, she will also continue her integral role within Destination Hotels as a senior executive and a valued shareholder of Lowe Enterprises.
In 2007, Haack was named executive vice president and managing director of Terranea to lead development for the $480 million resort. With Haack’s skillful leadership and support of a world-class team, the resort navigated the challenges of the economic downturn to open in 2009 and ultimately achieve success. Celebrating its five-year anniversary this year, Terranea has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades, including being named one of the 500 Best Hotels in the World by Travel + Leisure; being recognized on the prestigious Gold List of the World’s Best Hotels and Resorts and as one of the Best Places on Earth by Conde Nast Traveler; and receiving the Platinum Choice Award from Smart Meetings; the Gold Key Award from Meetings and Conventions and the Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings. Terranea is also recognized as the “Top Employer in Los Angeles County,” from Los Angeles News Group, an award that Haack cherishes as it relates to the culture and environment that she and Lowe Enterprises and Destination Hotels have created for the more than 1,250 associates at Terranea.
Haack has also been the architect of repositioning Terranea within the lifestyle industry, expanding the resort’s brand footprint by building strategic alliances with partners such as Lexus, University of Southern California and Fox Sports, TOMS, ONEHOPE, and Trump National Golf Club. She was instrumental in guiding the resort to being accepted into the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts and Virtuoso Travel Network.
In addition to the resort’s national acclaim over the past five years, Haack plays an instrumental leadership role in serving the community and the industry she loves. Currently, Haack serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA), representing the national resort segment and is the incoming Chairman of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. Additionally, she is a founding board member of the Women In Lodging Executive Council and is the incoming Chairman. Haack is also the 2014 Chairman of the AH&LA Educational Foundation and a member of the Executive Committee of the AH&LA Resort Committee. In her community, she actively contributes her time and energy to a variety of non-profit organizations as well as serving in leadership positions in business and civic clubs and organizations.
Haack joined Destination Hotels in 2002, as executive vice president and managing director of Wild Dunes Resort in S.C., where she orchestrated the planning and implementation of a major renovation and expansion that encompassed a $200 million master plan of the resort and core community. Prior to arriving at Wild Dunes, Haack was executive vice president and managing director of Anheuser-Busch, Inc.’s Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, V.A., and served on the board of directors of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide comprising a prestigious international group of hotel and resort owners and operators. She also repositioned Kingsmill in the marketplace and completed $50 million in master plan improvements. Prior to Kingsmill, Haack spent more than a decade managing hotels and resorts across the country.
