Oceana Resorts is proud of the leadership teams we have in place at our resorts and we are excited to announce the newest member of our talented team. Please welcome, Curtis Brown, General Manager at Bay Watch Resort and Conference Center.
Curtis has a diverse background including attending 14 schools in 16 years all of which were located in a variety of countries overseas. The experiences Curtis had living in such interesting and colorful locations makes him uniquely qualified to cater to the variety of guests we have in the hospitality industry. Curtis finally landed in Michigan and attended college. Upon graduation, he joined Hilton hotels in Michigan, Boston, and Washington DC. He then moved to New York and assumed the role of daily operations at the NY Hilton and Towers. This massive property consisted of 2,200 rooms, five restaurants and one million square feet of meeting space. He continued his tenure with the Hilton group for twenty years moving on to the Disney Hilton and, continuing to the Hilton in Charlotte.
Curtis then had the opportunity to be a part of launching a new brand – Great Wolf Lodge. He was part of the start-up team in Madison, Wisconsin where they had the first property built. As the company began to grow rapidly, Curtis was assigned the role of Vice President of the East Coast where he was responsible for opening and overseeing several properties from Canada down to Charlotte (including two in Ohio).
Eventually, the company was sold and it was then that Curtis decided to pursue a lifelong dream. Fast forward a few months and Castano’s Italian Steakhouse was born. The name derives from the Italian translation of Brown. Located in beautiful Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, Curtis had a goal to become one of the top ten restaurants in the area. That goal and many others were realized as Castano’s became number four. It was also voted best steakhouse and best Italian restaurant in addition to earning the coveted Taste of the Town award. When the venue where Castano’s was located made the decision to pursue a property redesign, Curtis had to make the difficult decision to close the doors and move on.
Fortunately for us, that meant he could pursue a career as general manager at Bay Watch Resort and Conference Center. With his focus on the guest experience, Curtis wants to bring Bay Watch to the number one spot in North Myrtle Beach. He believes in empowering his team and plans to mentor them and encourage them to strive to reach their full potential. Together, he believes that he and his team can make Bay Watch Resort THE place to spend vacation along the Grand Strand. He also looks forward to meeting each and every homeowner at Bay Watch and is in the process of planning a meet and greet event to facilitate these meetings.
In his limited spare time, Curtis enjoys cooking and playing a round of golf at one of the many courses here on the Grand Strand. He’s a passionate Green Bay Packers fan and, during football season, you will find him cheering on his longtime favorite team. Curtis also likes spending time with his beautiful wife and wonderful teen-aged step son. When you visit Bay Watch, please stop by and introduce yourself to Curtis. His enthusiasm for the hospitality industry is contagious and we’re sure you will enjoy hearing about his many adventures.