You’d never call Ritz-Carlton general manager Andrew Rogers’ nearly three-year stint in Denver a failure just because he didn’t make good on one promise — adding an 18-hole golf course to the downtown property.
When I first interviewed him in August 2009, he went out on a limb. “It’s on my to-do list to make sure our guests get the best golf experience we can provide,” joked Rogers, who is a PGA card-carrying scratch golfer.
Fast forward three years, and though The Ritz is sans golf course, it has built cachet in Denver’s luxury hotel market by twice earning the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, an unprecedented achievement for this town.
But the hotel will have to try to maintain those diamonds without Rogers at the helm. At the beginning of April, The Ritz veteran will set sail to Chengdu, China, as the general manager for the 350-room property slated to open in late 2012.
“Andrew helped the Mile High City earn its first Five Diamond hotel, but now that he’s leaving for China, Denver is losing a ‘star’,” said Richard Scharf, president and chief executive of Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Rogers, who turned 40 in December, has been with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. since 1999, serving stints in Rose Hall, Jamaica; Coconut Grove, Orlando and Jupiter, Fla., and Kapalua, Hawaii.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity personally and professionally, but I wish I didn’t love Denver so much,” Rogers said about his decision to take the China assignment. “That’s the hardest part about making this transition. The people here have been unbelievable to me, it’s been pretty awesome.”
Rogers’ wife and three daughters will join him in Chengdu, the inland city known for pandas and spicy food, in August.
Taxing. The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder is offering free tax help to low- and moderate-income taxpayers (generally those earning $50,000 and less).
Leeds School of Business students who have passed an IRS certification exam will prepare the tax returns, which will be reviewed by community volunteers experienced in tax law.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will be available from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays through March 31 in Room 375 in the Koelbel Building, 995 Regent Drive, Boulder. Childcare will be provided.
Highland’s hiatus. The 18-year-old Highland’s Garden Cafe has experimented with varying operating hours over the years, but every time owner Pat Perry tried to take a break, the restaurant coaxed her back. But this time, she means it. The cafe, at 3297 W. 32nd Ave., will go on hiatus starting Feb. 19 and reopen as a summer and holiday-season-only spot June 1.
Perry said the shorter schedule will let her spend more time with family, and to tinker with recipes using seasonal ingredients.
Eavesdropping Outside of Wahoo’s Fish Taco on Blake Street:
“He’s incredibly bright and professional, but no one could stand to work with him because he smelled so bad.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com; follow her at .
