Jan. 19, 2005 - Richard Verruni, with 27 years in the hotel business, had his choice of hotel management jobs around the world.

When the opportunity arose, he chose Santa Fe ... again. "I love this business, and I love Santa Fe," Verruni said. "A hotel guy can go anywhere. I've always wanted to come back here."

Verruni's first business experience in Santa Fe was at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa, which he managed from 1998 to 2001.

Verruni is back -- this time as managing director of the Eldorado Hotel, Santa Fe's largest. He replaces Randy Randall, who managed the hotel for 10 years.

Randall left after a new management company, Tishman Hotel Corp., took over at the Eldorado from Richfield Hospitality Co.

The move was made by Guardian Santa Fe LLC, a subsidiary of Guardian Life Insurance Co., which has owned the majority interest in the Eldorado Hotel since it opened in 1985.

Verruni most recently worked as managing director of the Westminster Hotel in New Jersey, and before that, he was employed at the Rosewood Hotels and Resorts in The Grenadines, West Indies.

Verruni said he wanted to return to Santa Fe because he enjoys the city's history and cultural diversity as well as the fact that Santa Fe is a state capital, meaning the city's largest hotel is usually a busy place year round.

Verruni said he also appreciates the city's positive attitude toward tourism. "Everybody recognizes the value of tourism," he said.

Verruni's return to Santa Fe comes as the Eldorado has added "& Spa" to its name with the opening of the 4,300-square-foot Nidah Spa on the first floor of the hotel, a space previously occupied by several retail stores.

Managed by Kristie Karsen, who used to run the spa at Vista Clara Ranch, near Galisteo, Nidah Spa offers seven treatment, steam rooms and a variety of restorative, renewal and purification treatments.

Although he declined to go into detail, Verruni indicated that other improvements to the Eldorado Hotel are on the way, including work on the 6,000-square-foot pavilion, the hotel's outdoor meeting room near Sandoval Street, which is sometimes enclosed for major events.

In March 2001, the city's Historic Design Review Board approved the hotel's proposal to enclose the pavilion, but the hotel never moved ahead with the project. Apparently, the delay was partly due to the slow down in the tourist industry that occurred after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and elsewhere.

The Eldorado also wants to increase the size of its fitness center and could move the facility to a downstairs location, Verruni said.

In addition to physical improvements, Verruni has other areas of the hotel he would like to address, including customer service, which he says has room for improvement.

"You have free-thinking people here in Santa Fe," Verruni said. "We encourage that, but we also want to make sure that (our employees) know what's the right thing to do for guests. We communicate with (staff) on a regular basis" about improving customer service.

Verruni said he wants his staff to be guided by the "Seven Cs" which include: caring, confidence and calm -- all qualities that give guests a positive feeling about their visit and make them want to return.

"It's important for (employees) to know what our goals are," he said. "We want to try and get more leisure travelers to come to the Eldorado Hotel. A higher level of personal service will give them a great experience."

Verruni said his 230 employees are "the soul of this place," and he wants to make the Eldorado "a good place to work."

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