Vern L. Porter

Hotel operations and financial leadership

Vern Porter currently serves as Vice President of Gravity Resorts Management in Truckee, California, where he is responsible for all financial functions, site management, legal and audit for the resort management company.

From 2006 to 2011, Vern was General Manager of The Nautical Beachfront Resort in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He managed the historic 139-room lakefront resort, oversaw the renovation of its suites and served as Chairperson of the Lake Havasu City Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As General Manager of the Northstar Club, a Private Residence Club at Northstar at Tahoe, Vern increased member satisfaction at all levels, as evidenced by independent surveys.

From 1985 to 1998, Vern was Vice President, Finance and Development for Harbaugh Hotels in Los Angeles, California, overseeing accounting functions at each property, with annual revenues exceeding $50 million. His development responsibilities spanned identifying suitable hotels for purchase, preparing and presenting business plans to potential buyers, negotiating purchases, closing transactions, managing takeovers and establishing operating procedures across nine separate transactions.

Vern served as General Manager and subsequently Vice President, Operations at The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, responsible for operating performance across rooms, engineering, human resources and security. The historic 1,022-room hotel was purchased for $5.25 million while operating at a loss. Under his direction, occupancy grew from 26% to 64%, and the property achieved Mobil Four Star status in 1978, the only hotel in downtown Los Angeles with that distinction. Its gourmet restaurant, Bernard’s, ranked No. 9 in California.

The Biltmore became profitable and, in 1979, was mortgaged for $30 million, with payments supported entirely by operations. The property sold for $75 million in 1984.

From 1972 to 1977, Vern was a Certified Public Accountant with Price Waterhouse & Co. in Los Angeles. He holds a B.A. in Accounting from California State University, Northridge.