A4 • Friday, August 26, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
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Q&A with hotelier Terry Bichsel
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
R.J. MARX
T
erry Bichsel is a hospitality industry
veteran with more than 40 years expe-
rience. In 2002, Bichsel purchased the
107-room Best Western Plus Resort Hotel.
After acquiring the hotel in 2002, Bichsel
developed a new construction 70-unit con-
dominium hotel, The Rivertide Suites Hotel,
also in Seaside. Bichsel served from 2014 to
2020 on the board of directors for Best West-
ern International Inc. and as its chairman in
2017. He sold the Best Western Plus Resort
Hotel in June.
Q: Tell me about the sale.
A: I was the second owner of the property,
which opened in 1989.
I bought it in 2002. After 20 years, going
through two years of COVID and strug-
gles with that, I’m not getting any younger.
I’m 68. So I decided to put the hotel on the
market.
We had some conditions. We wanted to
make sure all the staff were taken care of .
Whoever bought the hotel would pre-employ
all the staff at their same rate of pay, and the
same level of benefi ts at the minimum and
maintain their same positions.
We went to market in the early part of
the year, had a lot of tours, a lot of interest
and ended up with 12 bids, which we whit-
tled down to three. Then, we selected one of
the three and that’s who we wanted to work
with.
Q: Who is the new buyer?
A: The name of the buyer is Seaside
Resort Hotel, LLC. Typically, hotels have
multiple investors but the primary investor
is a gentleman named Stuart Rolfe. It was a
great, great fi t. It was a win-win.
Q: Do you still have properties in
Seaside?
A: Yes, I still have Riverside Suites. We
started construction in 2006 and opened in
2007. That is a condominium hotel. There’s
70 condominiums. We’ve sold 26 of the 70.
My wife and I own the remaining 44.
Q: Do you rent them out?
A: With any condominium, you have to
have an association as required by the Oregon
condominium act. So we have an association
and all 70 units are members of the associa-
tion. The association sponsors a rental pro-
gram, and then my management company
who runs the rental program. But it is vol-
untary. They could rent the unit out on their
own, but since day one, we’ve had 100% par-
ticipation in the association sponsored rental
program.
Q: What is the range of purchase prices
for the condo units?
A: Currently, they would be a low
of about $300,000 and a high of about
$550,000. They range in size from 500 square
feet to 825 square feet.
Q: Do you fi nd people using them on a
long-term or short-term basis or both?
A: It behaves just like a hotel in the peak
season. So our average length of stay, which
is just about 2.2 nights during the summer,
is fairly consistent with what you’d see in
the hotel market. We do get more long term
stays in the fall, winter and spring. It’s kit-
ty-corner from the convention center, so we
enjoy a nice infl ux of business from the con-
vention center.
Q: Is there a profi le of the type of per-
Rivertide Suites Hotel in Seaside.
Debbie and Terry Bichsel
son or family that they might want to pur-
chase these? Who are they marketed to?
A: It’s all over the board. We’ve got law-
yers and CPAs — mostly retirees. And you
know, candidly, they buy because this is a
high-income producing property. The only
caveat is that the owners cannot live in their
unit as a permanent residence. They can stay
in their units as often as they like, but they
can’t live in their units. Not surprisingly,
because of the high occupancy and the rental
income, the average owner is only spending
three to six nights a year in his or her unit.
Q: Let’s talk about the Ocean View
Resort. You became the second owner in
2002.
A: Of course this was post-9/11. The
hotel industry took a nosedive and it was just
devalued overnight.
That’s when I looked at the market and
I looked at a lot of deals. I had some expe-
rience in Seaside many years ago, so I was
familiar with the market. I got very comfort-
able with the situation there.
I bought the property and the Best Western
in September of 2002 and held it for nearly
20 years.
Q: Do you foresee it remaining a Best
Western?
A: That’s a great question. I think that the
new ownership is going to evaluate that. I
had a unique relationship with Best Western
because I served on the board of directors for
Best Western International for six years, from
2014 to 2020. So I had a pretty good inside
glimpse at how the company operates, and
their strengths and weaknesses.
I was comfortable with Best Western, but
I also recognized that you sometimes bump
your head on the ceiling of any brand like
that, a mid-to-upper, mid-market brand but
not a luxury brand.
So if you want to take the property to the
next level, you would likely not keep it as
a Best Western. That’ll be a decision that
they’ll grapple with for the next year or so.
Q: Do you see yourself purchasing or
getting involved with any more properties?
A: I’m keeping my options open.
Q: Do you think the Seaside market is
strong?
A: I do. It’s “steady Eddie.” If you tracked
Seaside over a 30- or 40-year period, even
during recessions and down downturns in the
economy, it stays pretty steady.
Q: Tell me about your background. It
seems like you’ve been in hospitality for a
while.
A: I started out as a cook in the kitchen in
a Holiday Inn in Ellensburg, Washington, in
1974. And putting myself through college at
Central Washington University. I was work-
ing for a major Holiday Inn franchisee based
in Springfi eld, Missouri. I was able to prog-
ress rapidly and by the time I was 22, was a
general manager of that same Holiday Inn.
When I was 30, I was running a company
called John Q Hammons hotels.
I had a portfolio of 35 hotels in 17 states.
In 1992, I was recruited by Aramark in Phil-
adelphia. I was the president of their parks
and resorts business for eight years. Then I
moved to Philadelphia, and in 2000 I was
recruited by Holland America cruise line in
Seattle to run all of their land-based business
worldwide.
Then 9/11 happened. I saw some leverage
in the market and that’s when I decided to go
into business for myself.
That’s when I bought the Best Western in
Seaside. Later on, I joined the board for Best
Western International. It is truly an interna-
tional company. It’s as big internationally as
it is domestically. At one time, Best Western
was the largest hotel company in the world in
terms of sheer number of properties. I was on
the board from 2014 until 2020 , and I was the
chairman in 2017.
Q: Had you had experience in Seaside
when you came here and you vacation
here?
A: When I lived in Portland in the early
1980s, I vacationed in Seaside. In fact, the
site where the TrendWest facility was built
was owned by John Q. Hammons, the com-
pany I worked for. Hammons eventually sold
that property to TrendWest.
Q: Do you have a family?
A: I’ve been married for 43 years. I have
three adult children and six grandkids.
Q: Where’s your home base?
A: Right now I’m based in Gig Harbor,
Washington. But we also keep a home at the
Highlands in Gearhart.
Q: I remember you took a pretty prom-
inent role during the pandemic in 2020
with some of the other hospitality people.
What’s your refl ection — did the city han-
dle that correctly?
A: I think the City Council did a very
thoughtful job. They were desperately trying
to balance the needs of the business commu-
nity with the concerns of the local residents.
And of course, it was all new to us. It was all
new to everybody. We all had some fear. I
have nothing but compliments for Jay Barber
and the City Council team. I thought that they
were fair and reasonable, they listened. I had
nothing but compliments.
They were in a very diffi cult position. And
I know that the decisions they made were not
were not looked upon as the right decisions
by some within the community. We were
closed for two months basically. But from my
perspective, they were very thoughtful.
Q: Have some of the COVID restric-
tions or impacts left a lasting impression
on your business?
A: Yes, it has caused us to rethink a lot
of our best practices and to change some
things. And even today, we have not restored
some of those services that we used to off er
to guests. Candidly, I don’t really care that
much about it. We call it “stay-over service,”
where you go in and freshen up the room
after every day and extended stays. Now we
just do it on request. Guests like that. “They
just don’t need to come into my room. If I
need towels, I’ll ask you.” We deliver them.
Q: Do you see vacation rental homes as
a threat or a competitive or something that
fi lls a need in Seaside?
A: The biggest concern I’ve got with
existing homes that are converted into rent-
als is the eff ect on the housing market , and
the fact that people don’t have fewer options
in terms of where they can live. That creates
problems. I’m a capitalist, so I guess I can’t
begrudge someone for converting their home
into a rental. But there has to be limits. And
I think the City Council in the city has taken
the right approach.
Q: As far as employees, do you have a
diffi cult time recruiting?
A: Well, we don’t have as diffi cult a time
as others. We practice positive employee
relations, encouragement and fl exible work
schedules. We’re paying at the top of the
market, and we off er incentives. Our employ-
ees are happy with us. So we’ve got a good
relationship there , and that’s part of doing
business and being successful.
So we don’t we don’t have as big a
problem.
Q: Is there anything else you wanted to
talk about that I haven’t mentioned?
A: Best Western and the Rivertide Suites
are two of the most successful hotels in the
market , and I give credit to the people for
that performance. The management team
and the staff work as a great team. They’re
like a family. That was the hardest part for
me when I sold the Best Western. I felt like I
was leaving a big chunk of my family there.
Some of those employees have been with me
for 17, 18 years, and started out just like I
did. I started out in this industry as a cook in
the kitchen.
We had people who started out as desk
clerks or room attendants and later on, pro-
gressed into strong leadership positions. That
was one of the most gratifying things to see
them progress. That was the hard part of
leaving.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Permits issued illegally
Re: Clatsop County Commissioners
Legal Briefi ng on short-term rentals:
They have been told now by two expert
land use attorneys point blank that:
1. The short-term rental permits issued
anywhere in the unincorporated County
other than Arch Cape were issued illegally.
2. The commissioners can let these per-
mits expire and not renew them to come
back into compliance
3. They have spent three years and wasted
hundreds of thousands of your taxpayer dol-
lars to avoid acknowledging their mistake in
issuing these short-term rentals and in trying
to cover it up by passing Ordinance 22-05.
4.. They will continue to waste hundreds
of thousands of your taxpayer dollars con-
tinuing to fi ght for the outside business inter-
ests who want short-term rentals versus
what the residents, citizens and voters of the
county clearly want and need.
5. The easy solution to immediately solve
this problem once and for all is to:
a. Repeal 22-05 at their next commis-
sioner meeting
b. Adopt the short-term rental ordinance
proposed by their own Planning Commis-
sion (made up of local residents, voting citi-
zens expressing needs of their own commu-
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
PUBLIC MEETINGS
nities) several months ago.
Job done!
Additionally: The county commission-
ers talk about the amount of tax dollars that
come into their coff ers from short-term rent-
als, but we don’t hear how many of your tax
dollars that have been spent in the past three
years to come up with Ordinance 22-05
and policing the best practices proposed for
short-term rentals, and basically ignoring the
objecting voting citizens who live in com-
munities with high percentages of short-term
rentals.
Joanne Cornelius
Arch Cape
Fight against
preventable disease
For 20 years, Americans have led the
fi ght against preventable disease. In the
wake of COVID, our support matters even
more.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed global
health systems to the breaking point and set
back our fi ght against preventable diseases.
For the fi rst time in decades, 2020 saw dan-
gerous declines in progress against HIV/
AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as the pan-
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Samantha
Stinnett
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
John D. Bruijn
Skyler Archibald
Joshua Heineman
Katherine Lacaze
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff TerHar
demic jeopardized access to testing and treat-
ments. Without bold action from world lead-
ers, we could be on track to reach another
concerning “fi rst” — failing, for the fi rst
time since its inception, to fully replenish the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria, the most important resource we
have in the fi ght to end these diseases.
Our leadership plays a critical role in the
Global Fund’s continued growth and suc-
cess. In 20 years, Americans’ support for
the Global Fund has helped save 14 million
lives, creating healthier societies and bet-
ter futures for people and families around
the world. Oregon alone has helped save
142,005 lives, provide antiretroviral drugs to
74,462 people, treat 16,068 people for tuber-
culosis, and distribute 640,412 mosquito
nets.
Oregon’s hard-won progress is now at
risk. At its replenishment conference later
this year, the Global Fund needs to raise $18
billion to recover gains lost to the ongoing
COVID pandemic. The U.S. has proposed
a $2 billion per year pledge. U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley must fi nish the job and get the fi ght
to end HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria
back on track.
Michael Kalkofen
Beaverton
TUESDAY, AUG. 30
Gearhart City Council, work session, 6:30 p.m.,
cityofgearhart.com.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1
Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 6
Seaside Community Center Commission,
10 a.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225
Avenue A.
Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., 1131 Broadway.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 7
Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., 989
Broadway.
Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., www.cityofgear-
hart.com.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 8
Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m.,
415 First Ave., Seaside.
MONDAY, SEPT. 12
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 15
Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m.,
989 Broadway.
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