Ed
Ed Romanowski - Founder / President & Chief Executive
Officer / Director / Executive Team / Bellstar Hotels & Resorts,
Bellstar Developments & Bellstar Realty
Ed's tourism
and hospitality career spans over 30 years in government, management
consulting, business start-ups, development, and operations. He founded
Bellstar in 2003. Ed is an accomplished executive responsible for
implementing hundreds of development, marketing, operations, financing,
organization development, and planning projects for resorts, hotels and
tourism projects principally in Alberta and British Columbia. Ed has
guided and overseen Bellstar's growth from only one resort property
under management in 2004 to 12 in 2010. All of these are condo resorts
where consumers have purchased whole or fractional units and contract
Bellstar to manage the property and operate them as a hotel resort.
Ed
led the development and management of the $75 million 226 unit Spirit
Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa on Osoyoos Indian Band lands near
Osoyoos, B.C. He is also in charge of the $30 million Spirit Ridge
Residence Club Development adjacent to Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort
& Spa. Spirit Ridge is Bellstar’s most acclaimed condo resort
development. It is uniquely located in Canada's desert, next to Nk'Mip
Cellars, vineyards, Sonora Dunes Golf Course, Canada's warmest lake and
the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre. In its second year of operation,
Spirit Ridge achieved a 4.5 Star Canada Select rating. Bellstar is
currently developing and marketing over $250 million of resort units in
three destinations.
Ed was the developer and founder of Waterton
Lakes Lodge in Waterton Lakes National Park (sold in 2000), founder of
Royal Tours in Alberta (sold in 1991), and the former Principal in
charge of the Edmonton office of Pannell Kerr Forster Management
Consultants. He left Pannell Kerr Forster in 1992 as Managing Principal
(Canada).
During his management consulting career both as an
independent and as a Manager/Principal of Pannell Kerr Forster, Ed was
in charge of feasibility studies, valuations, financings and plans for
resorts, hotels, attractions and tourism businesses throughout Alberta,
B.C., Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories in Canada. A good
portion of these businesses were in smaller communities, on Indian
Reserves, and in environmentally sensitive areas.
Ed was educated in
planning, engineering, architecture, valuations and real estate
development in Canada and the U.S. His education includes a Bachelor of
Arts Honours (BA Honours) from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master
of City Planning (MCP) from the University of Manitoba. Ed is also a
Certified Management Consultant and a Member of the American Resort
Developers Association and The Executive Committee.
Ed’s
community and volunteer efforts include Chair of the Tourism &
Hospitality Industry Advisory Committee, Haskayne School of Business at
the University of Calgary, board positions at the Calgary French &
International School & the Edge School for Athletes, mentoring
university students, and coaching minor hockey teams. He makes several
presentations each year to University students and industry
organizations about project financing, resort development and marketing.
In addition to developing and managing resorts, Ed has been the project
manager for the development of the Calgary French & International
School and the Edge School & Sports Complex.
Ed is a Shareholder and Director of Bellstar Group Inc., Bellstar Hotels & Resorts Ltd. and Bellstar Developments Inc.
