Forty years ago this week, The Coeur d’Alene Resort opened its doors. 

Even as an estimated 20,000 people waited in line for hours to tour the hotel on May 6, 1986, the day before the first guests arrived, some remained skeptical of the project.

“Duane Hagadone has built himself a fancy resort in the middle of nowhere,” read a headline in the July 1986 issue of Forbes. “Why?” 

Four decades later, the hotel has welcomed more than 10 million guests and booked approximately 3.6 million room nights. The Resort’s silhouette has become a familiar and iconic image that often springs to mind when people think of Coeur d’Alene. 

“To reach 40 years is a deeply meaningful milestone,” said Bill Reagan, president of The Coeur d’Alene Resort. “Having witnessed the vision of our founders come to life from the ground up, I’m proud that we continue to create exceptional experiences for our guests and welcoming spaces for our community.” 

Rick Powers, food and beverage director of Hagadone Hospitality, was there from the beginning. Jerry Jaeger and Duane Hagadone hired him in 1985, after a 12-hour interview, to open The Resort’s food and beverage operations. 

“They insisted on high quality,” Powers said. “They insisted on consistency and hiring the right people.” 

It was no small task. The Resort needed to hire 550 food and beverage employees at first, Powers said, and received 8,700 applications. 

“We filtered through that until we hired the right team,” he said. “We didn’t settle.” 

Powers said those careful hiring decisions are part of why Resort employees have such longevity. Many employees have built decades-long careers at the hotel, including Reagan, who got his start there as a bellboy, and concierge director Donna Gable. 

She was first hired as a typist to help Powers create training manuals for Dockside. She worked as a hostess at the restaurant, then as a server and assistant manager before transitioning to the concierge desk. 

“It seems like yesterday that I walked in and was giving tours of the facility,” Gable recalled. 

For Gable, working at The Resort has never felt like a job. 

“The company is like my second family,” she said. 

In her years on the concierge desk, she’s come to know local guests and frequent visitors who keep returning to Coeur d’Alene. 

“It’s been a blessing,” she said. “It’s always nice to know that you’re a little part of their experience when they stay at The Resort.” 

To mark the 40-year milestone, The Resort is unveiling a newly renovated front entry space crafted by Alderwood Landscaping, complete with The Resort’s signature tango red geraniums. 

The Resort’s biggest expansion, Sherman Tower, is also nearing completion. The 139-room addition will bring the total guest room count to 477 and features a cafe and lounge, as well as a new restaurant, Azul. 

“The new front entry and Sherman Tower are exciting chapters in an ongoing story,” Reagan said. 

When The Resort first opened, Powers said Duane Hagadone vowed that the facility would get better and better as the years passed. With continued improvements and additions over the past four decades, Powers said that’s proved to be true. 

“The Resort is in better condition than it ever was,” he said. 

Powers said he’s proud of how The Resort has become part of the fabric of Coeur d’Alene. 

“It’s just a pleasure to work with a facility that’s been embraced by the community,” he said. “It really proves that our restaurants and our facilities are very well supported by the locals in Coeur d’Alene.”