The Horny Toad No More - Now Camden on the Lake

by Nancy Hogland

According to the general manager of Camden on the Lake Resort, Spa and Yacht Club (formerly known as Resort and Yacht Club at Toad Cove), the facility will not only have a new moniker, it will also have a new “M.O.”

Michael Capps, who has 30 years leadership experience with such worldwide brands as Hilton International, Radisson and Intercontinental, said changes that include new names for the entities, a different style of entertainment, different décor and different menus are all designed to make the spot more “family friendly.”

“Of course we want to serve all customer groups but we want to be part of the community – not an obstacle to the community,” he said, adding that one of the changes that should be welcomed by locals is a new reduced-price menu and special discounts or programs for residents. “Everything is still in the works – we’ve been concentrating on getting new logos, signs, etc. – but we’re hoping to have a night where we invite locals in to meet us, learn what we’re doing – that kind of thing. I also plan to attend the Village of Four Seasons board meeting to introduce myself and I want to get involved in Rotary and other organizations.”

Some of those “family friendly” changes include extended pool hours for children; regular showings of G and PG rated movies at the 52-seat movie theater downstairs; expansion of the children’s menu; organized children’s programs for summer groups; and replacing king-size beds with two doubles in 15 of the rooms. “Earl’s,” an all-new restaurant carved out of H. Toads, will offer extra-casual dining for families with children, and several name changes have already been adopted. “Horny Toad” is now referred to as “H. Toad” with emphasis placed on “Happy,” Capps said. The Yacht Club, Mini Mart and Apparel shop will all have “Toad Cove” in front of their names. The space formerly occupied by Jeremiah’s night club will be used for meeting rooms and banquet halls for weddings.

And cage fights are a thing of the past, Capps promised.

“I never met Merlyn – I heard he was a great guy and very friendly – but we just have a different focus. We’ll still have music on the weekends but we’ll have a different quality of entertainment that we hope will set us apart from what was going on here in the past,” he said.

Other changes include a yacht club and marina with covered boat slips and myriad services such as boat waxing and cleaning, pump-out services, and more jet ski, pontoon boat and wave runner rentals than what has been available in the past. The facility will also maintain a stronger presence on the Internet and social media with a new and expanded website featuring regular promotions and special rates.

The resort was sold in January on the Camden County Courthouse steps. It was bought by Valley View Bank of Overland Park, Kansas, developer Merlyn Vanderwort’s largest creditor, for $25 million. Last October Vandervort turned the property over to the management company, blaming problems on the downturn in the economy and resulting lending crisis that prevented him from selling units in the condo-tel.

Debbie Shivers, who lives across the street from the establishment, said the promised changes come none too soon.

“I’m pleased at the proposed new name and family oriented atmosphere. I hope the new owners will be much better neighbors because it would be nice to have a restaurant close enough to walk to that we wouldn’t be arguing with about noise, traffic, their patrons, etc.,” she said.

Shivers fought to get parking laws for Camden County after drivers not only blocked her drive and left vehicles on her front lawn during holiday weekends, on Memorial Day weekend 2007 they completely blocked Bittersweet by parking “shoulder-to-shoulder” all the way across the road for more than a mile.

Leisure Group of Companies has a 27-year track record of managing and brokering distressed hotels, resorts and condominiums during the receivership transition phase, ranking 63rd in the 2009 Top Third-Party Management Companies by “Hotel and Motel Management Magazine.” The group operates 20 hotels in 9 states and also manages branded hotels in the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) Hilton, Hyatt and Choice Hotels. Capps said the management side of the business will continue selling the units in the resort.

For information on the management firm, visit www.leisurehotel.com or contact 913-905-1450.

For more on Camden Resort visit www.toadcove.com. To plan a meeting, wedding or other event, or for information about purchasing boat slips, contact Michael Capps at mcapps@toadcove.com, or Lagina Fitzpatrick, Director of Sales, at lagina@toadcove.com