Though the Clarke Hotel has regained stability with the recent reopening of its bar and restaurant, it now has a key vacancy.
Harp & Eagle Ltd., the company that owns the hotel, will now have to find a new general manager for its downtown Waukesha business, following the decision by David Smart to step down from the top post on Friday, Sept. 12.
"It was the right time to move," said Smart, who will be going to work for a hotel in the Milwaukee metro area.
Now 'in better shape'
As the general manager, Smart oversaw the downtown property, including the hotel, bar and restaurant.
He took over the 22-room boutique hotel at 314 W. Main St. in November 2013, when the hotel was experiencing some challenging times.
At that time, the Sheboygan-based Community Bank & Trust, which financed two loans for The Clarke Hotel, owned the hotel. The bank filed a foreclosure suit against the hotel.
Harp & Eagle Ltd. purchased the hotel this spring for $1 million. It recently reopened the bar and restaurant as an Irish pub in an effort to revitalize the property.
"My goal when I started was to leave the property in better shape than I found it," Smart said. "I feel as though with the help of the Harp & Eagle team, that has been accomplished."
Smart said hotel occupancy was almost 70 percent from June to August and reservations into the winter continue to be strong. By comparison, occupancy was around 55 percent last year when he was hired.
Abilities appreciated
At least one company official acknowledged Smart will be missed.
"We wish Dave the best of luck and hope things go well for him," said Dennis Radtke, Harp & Eagle's director of operations. "We hate to see him go."
Radtke, who will act as the interim general manager until a replacement is found, said it was an amicable separation.
Smart was previously with Hilton Garden Inn in Oconomowoc and before that served as a realty property manager and banquet coordinator at several other Wisconsin properties.
Returning to Waukesha — where he grew up and earned his college degree at Carroll University — meant a lot to him.
"I was born and raised in Waukesha and really enjoyed watching the downtown renaissance over the past 15, 20 years," Smart said earlier this year.
Starting the search
Asked when he wants to have a general manager hired, Radtke said "it's not how long it takes, but it's about finding the right candidate."
Radtke said he will consider some in-house candidates within the Harp & Eagle, a company that owns and operates many Irish-themed inns and restaurants in the state.
He has already started the search.