As General Manager of the Grande Colonial, Underwood has complete operational and directional responsibilities for the Four Diamond hotel including rooms and related services, sales and marketing, development of the company’s policies and staff, as well as management of all food and beverage and financial operations.

Underwood’s hotel and resort industry career began in 1982 when he joined the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Tennis Club.  He spent the next 11 years working for Marriott in a variety of capacities including rooms operations, recreations services and human resources in Newport Beach, La Jolla, Desert Springs and at Marriott’s flagship property, the 1,355-room San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. 

Prior to joining the Grande Colonial, Underwood spent six years as Resident Manager of La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc., owner and operator of a 17-acre oceanfront resort in La Jolla.  As Resident Manager, he was responsible for all rooms and private club operations for the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and the La Jolla Shores Hotel.
 
Underwood is currently a member of the Board of Directors the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau and California Hotel Lodging Association.  His past professional affiliations include seats on the San Diego Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Marketing and Community Relations Committees, as well a seat on the Board of the San Diego Hotel & Motel Association.  Underwood is a Bachelor of Science graduate of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

Leslie began her career with The Gable Group, a public relations and advertising agency where she spent two years in working in the agency’s consumer accounts division.  In 1990, she joined Marriott Hotels, Resorts & Suites as the San Diego Regional Public Relations Manager launching a new West Coast Division for the international hotel company.  For the next four years, she was based out of the flagship San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina where she developed and implemented a public, community and media relations program for the four local properties. 

In 1994, Leslie accepted a new position as the Director of Marketing & Membership Services for La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc., owner and operator of a 17-acre oceanfront resort in La Jolla, California.  The resort includes a private membership club with over 3,500 members, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the La Jolla Shores Hotel and the landmark Marine Room restaurant.  It was here where she spent the next eight years overseeing the company’s public and community relations, membership services, special event management, collateral development and crisis communications. 
 
A third-generation native of San Diego, Leslie is a graduate of the University of San Diego holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies and English.

As Director of Human Resources, Mills oversees the planning, direction and coordination of all human resource management activities for the hotels including employee compensation, payroll and benefits administration, recruitment, personnel policies and regulatory compliance.  She is also responsible for developing and implementing all employee training and rewards and recognition programs.

Prior to joining the Grande Colonial, Mills was a Human Resource Specialist/Recruiter for the San Diego State University Research Foundation, and prior to that was a Human Resource Consultant for Paychex, Inc.
 
Mills’ professional affiliations include membership in the Hospitality Human Resource Association.  She attended Colorado State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts and English.  She also received her Juris Doctorate from Western Sierra Law School.