NHLA is pleased to introduce Niki Gross, Managing Director, Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno. We asked Niki to tell us about her career history and how she ended up in Reno.
First big question: “So how did you end up in Reno?” It’s a question I hear regularly – whether it’s from friends or family, or a casual new business acquaintance – it seems to be the first thing everyone wants to know when they find out what I do. So, wait. As a young professional musician from Florida, it was never in your five-year plan to create a boutique hotel in the heart of a Downtown Reno, Nevada?
Turns out, no – in fact, it was not in my plan. Not even close. In 2008, at 22 years old and on the verge of a college degree in music and business, the plan was to continue aggressively pursuing a career as a professional classical pianist.
Niki discovers the real world
Unfortunately, my plan didn’t really detail how to actually survive in what all of the adults in my life continually referred to as the “real world.” As I’m midway through my education and slowly weaning myself from the support of my parents, I realized (with the help of my loving, yet practical, would-become-my-husband counterpart) you need money to pay for things like food and rent…and clothes. Enter: practical life decision, aka the hardest decision I ever had to make. In the spring of 2009, just months away from graduating with my MBA, and after 18 years of highly-dedicated piano pedagogy, I made a course-altering decision. Music would take a backseat ::tear::, and I would instead actually attempt ::lots of tears:: to use my University’s new pretty piece of paper ::wahhh!:: to get a big-girl job.
Niki’s first ‘Big Girl’ job
Fast forward to big-city Chicago, big-girl job in 2010. As luck would have it, careerbuilder.com actually isn’t just full of commission-only, pyramid-scheme “careers,” and I was fortunate to get a great job, at a great company, working for amazing people. I was hired to help provide financial administrative support to the Founder & CEO of a high-profile trading firm in Chicago, and he happened to own a “small” investment out West in Reno.
The Whitney Peak Hotel becomes a reality
My involvement started small: managing the accounting and helping to provide support remotely from Chicago as this “small” investment was developed. Throughout the first year of the development process, individuals were gradually displaced, and strategic implementation had experienced a major shift. By this time, I had become more involved in the decisions being made surrounding the business development, and eventually was promoted to Project Manager, with the expectation of conceptualizing a new brand, managing construction and design, and transforming our company’s vision of “Whitney Peak Hotel” into a reality.
Dedication, passion and hard work for Niki
Next big question: How can someone with limited industry experience take a concept like Whitney Peak, in a market like Reno, and make it successful? Passion. Dedication. Hard work. Relying on industry professionals. But – most of all – a top-to-bottom dedicated and willing team.
Despite the challenges of launching and marketing a new concept like Whitney Peak in a market unfamiliar with our style of product, we have seen tremendous success in its first year. We’ve hosted over 200 bands on our world-class stage in Cargo Concert Hall, sent countless thrill-seekers of all ages scaling our 164-foot outdoor climbing wall at BaseCamp, and fed many hungry bellies with our farm-to-table restaurant, Heritage. We’ve expanded from 155 rooms to 310 rooms in a single year due to the overwhelming demand. We’re in the planning stages to add an additional 20,000 square feet of banquet and meeting facilities in the next 12 months. We regularly host clients such as Tesla, Panasonic, Microsoft and Breitling. Some of the biggest artists in music who have played our stage have used the phrase “best venue in the country” when describing their experiences.
Niki credits her team with success
What has gotten us here has been the dedication of our team. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the most committed staff one could ask for, some with tremendous hospitality experience and others who are learning the industry daily. I quite literally have had to beg employees to go home and relax. Stop working! But the great thing is – it doesn’t feel like work. We care about our property a lot, and we care about our guests even more. We are excited to share what we’ve created and to bring a unique experience to hospitality, especially in Reno. We think we’re onto something, and look forward to where we’re headed in Year 2.