New Rosario Resort owners announce sweeping plans for 2025 | Foreclosure and auction still slated for February

by Kristina Stucki

Journal contributor

Orcas resident Chris Robison, who purchased Rosario Resort in April, announced on Dec. 3 his investment firm’s 2025 plans for the historical property, along with a new partnership with hospitality veterans Jack and Mark vanHartesvelt.

Plans include reopening the Moran Mansion before next summer and beginning construction on new waterfront guest rooms and luxury homes, located between the mansion and the marina, by the end of next year.

“Our partnership with Hartland Hotel Group signifies our commitment to excellence at Rosario Village,” said Robison in a press release. “Mark and Jack’s track record of excellence, combined with their commitment to Rosario’s legacy, makes this a uniquely meaningful collaboration. Together, we are excited to redefine luxury and heritage in the San Juan Islands.”

The announcement came soon after an in-depth story in The Seattle Times detailing the resort’s difficult year, as well as the public notice of the resort’s imminent foreclosure and auction, scheduled by trustees for February 2025. Robison has until Feb. 3 to pay $3.75 million that was due in July, along with interest and fees, in order to stop the public auction. According to Paul Roberts of The Seattle Times, the trustees were not contacted about repayment prior to the Dec. 3 news release.

While local hopes were initially high about an island resident purchasing the now-renamed Rosario Village, things changed when few of the 47 laid-off employees were rehired and the property was heavily marketed online to investors. Negative reviews plagued the resort this summer during its typically most popular season, and despite Robison’s plans to downsize costs with virtual check-ins and the outsourcing of concierge services, things were off to a rocky start for the new owner and his investment firm, Empower Investing.

In a post on LinkedIn last month, after notice of the foreclosure was delivered to the resort, Robison wrote that he was “seeking an experienced operator to join [him] in unlocking the full potential and driving growth for this thriving establishment (Rosario).”

He found that partnership with Mark and Jack vanHartesvelt, brothers and co-founders of the Hartland Hotel Group, a real estate advisory and management firm that has renovated and relaunched other historic hotels including the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles and the Liberty Hotel in Boston.

“The building needs some minor repairs and some of the hotel technology should be updated,” Jack said of the Moran Mansion. “But compared to converting a 150-year-old condemned jail into a luxury hotel (Liberty Hotel, Boston) — I think we can figure it out.”

Mark is no stranger to Rosario. His company, Gemstone Resorts, oversaw the resort’s operations for the owners from 2002-2009. His name is even listed on the county-approved 2007 master plan for the resort as a sponsor.

“During the time of Mark’s oversight,” Jack explained, “the Rosario’s hotel, marina, spa and restaurant operations were open year-round and they were profitable.”

Being open all year is one of the plans the vanHartesvelts have for Rosario. When talking about the staffing problems inherent in doing so in seasonal locations, Jack emphasized that it’s not an issue unique to the islands.

“I bought, built or took over management of 13 hotels in the Caribbean, some of which were on remote islands,” he said. “Fortunately, Rosario already has 20 units of workforce housing and entitlements to build 40-60 more, so part of the solution is readily available.”

Last week’s announcement alludes to unnamed “financial commitments” that will “not only satisfy current obligations but [also] develop new five-star accommodations and homes.”