Grand hotels have always captured Patrick Logue’s heart. “I remember walking hand-in-hand with my father through the lobby of the BellevueStratford Hotel in Philadelphia,” he says. While his father was attending meetings, the young Logue was quickly falling for the magic of the hospitality industry. “There was just something about it—the cigar smoke, the vibe,” he explains. It’s something that keeps him inspired today. “My heart has been in hotels for a very long time.”
It was another grand hotel— Congress Hall—that would cement Logue’s future. “I worked the summers between college [1984-86] at Congress Hall and met Curtis Bashaw,” he says. Bashaw wasn’t just your average summer employee—his grandfather owned the hotel. Their friendship and shared passion for the business continued, with Logue joining Hilton after college and Bashaw founding Cape Resorts, a collection of seven boutique resorts, including the Virginia Hotel and Congress Hall. “I ran into Curtis in the summer of 1991 and he told me he needed help with his new hotel—The Virginia.” Logue was eager to sharpen his sales skills and joined the hotel as director of sales and four years later he was promoted to general manager.
In 2001, Logue joined the predevelopment project team that worked on Congress Hall, a massive undertaking due to the hotel’s historic landmark status. He served as general manager of Congress Hall in its first year in 2002. Now, he oversees the daily goings-on of the collection’s seven properties in Cape May, Atlantic City and Sag Harbor, New York.
Despite logging 25 years in the business, Logue is never complacent. “We tell our staff what our guests give us— their time—is valuable,” he says. “People don’t have to come here. They have a finite amount of time and they choose to come here. That’s a big responsibility and a great honor.” Logue and his staff take that responsibility seriously. “We empower our employees to work through the impossible to get to ‘yes.’”
From 50-piece orchestras (for last year’s 200th anniversary) to small gestures that bring a smile to a guest’s face, Logue’s guiding principle is creating experiences and memories. “What we do is kind of like ministering to people,” he explains. “[Our resorts] are special places to them.” caperesorts.com
