What first comes to your mind when you think of Branson, Missouri? If you say Bobby Vinton and several dozen other entertainers, you wouldn’t be alone. Neither would you be if you mentioned the Ozarks, and the fishing and hiking that goes with the territory. But castles? What do these symbols of Medieval Europe have to do with Branson? Just ask anyone who has visited Chateau on the Lake.
This 300-room, four-diamond hotel rises majestically above Table Rock Lake just a few miles from downtown Branson. This elegant facility, one of 55 properties operated by John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc., features deluxe accommodations, exceptional dining, and a convention center large enough to host 4,000 guests. Included is a 32,000-squarefoot “Great Hall” replete with beautiful chandeliers, detailed trim and spectacular hand-painted murals of famed European castles.
Beauty On The Inside, And Out
Although the hotel and convention center is designed to conjure up images of an older world’s charm, the facility itself and its surroundings are anything but Medieval.
Mark Wright has been the landscaper and grounds manager since Chateau on the Lake opened five years ago, and it is his responsibility to ensure that the property looks as inviting on the outside as it is charming and elegant on the inside.
“As groundskeepers, we have three primary challenges,” says Mark, who graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in horticulture. “The first is to contend with the hot summers and drying winds that work to evaporate moisture. Then there is the solid rock base that lurks beneath only a few inches of topsoil. The rocks facilitate water runoff and retain heat, which accentuates water evaporation.”
The weather and soil conditions, however, don’t stop Mark and his crew of three grounds people from planting more than 200 flats of annuals in the spring and 5,000 bulbs in the fall. In between, they are changing out shrubs, and enhancing and designing flower beds that impart both a colorful and serene setting for hotel and convention goers.
“I feel fortunate to be able to work here, and consider myself an ambassador for the hotel,” Mark explains. “I’ve always enjoyed the hospitality business, and working here gives me an opportunity to practice my life’s vocation, horticulture, in a spectacular hospitality setting.”
King Of The Hill
The other challenge is the hilly terrain so characteristic of the Ozarks. Mark says, “The terrain not only challenged architects, engineers and contractors who designed and built the hotel, but it was a concern of mine as well. One of the first questions I asked myself was ‘How am I going to mow the grass?’”
The answer, he explains, came from his assistant who told about a lawn mower he once operated at another Branson location.The property, owned by a famous novelist, was also very hilly. But the little “yellow mower,” he recalls, handled it without difficulty.
Mark traveled to the property, saw the mower, and then visited the Walker dealer in nearby Springfield. “I took the mower for a demonstration ride behind the shop.The terrain there was very hilly, too. When the mower negotiated the hills with ease, I knew it would be ideal for the hotel property.”
The hotel purchased a 20-hp Walker with a 42-inch GHS deck, along with a broom attachment and a dethatcher.The mower is used eight to 10 hours a week. In addition to the mower’s cut, Mark says two features truly stand out.
“I’m an old farm boy and appreciate what a low center of gravity means,” says Mark. “One of the first things I noticed was how stable the Walker was. Also, the outfront deck design allows us to mow close under our white pine trees, saving a lot of additional trimming time.” Collected grass clippings, he adds, are composted on site and later used to enhance the soil.
Despite the Walker’s versatility, Mark’s crew still employs a small walkbehind mower for tight garden spaces, and a mid-size Scag mower for side hills too steep for the Walker. The equipment, in combination with Mark’s hands-on approach, works to keep the grounds manicured throughout the growing season.
“I generally leave the mowing to my crew unless we get a little behind,” Mark explains. “My first love is caring for the annuals and the other plantings on the property.” Indeed, Mark leaves little to chance, designing the flower beds and hand-picking the flowers from nurseries as far away as Kansas.
Mark’s crew will mow and maintain the property from late February through November or even December, depending on the weather. Their charge is to keep the grounds looking consistently nice, and to make sure it has that special touch for weekends and special events such as the Miss USA Coronation Ball held at the Chateau on the Lake in 1999 and 2000.
As much as the hotel and convention center resembles some of those famed castles in the murals, it has one major point of difference. It is as far from a still painting as the 21st century is from Medieval times.
The property is alive with activity. And when Mark’s crew isn’t mowing and maintaining the grounds, it is tidying them up, directing traffic, and even giving tours. In fact, the day Walker Talk visited, Mark nonchalantly offered his services to a guest who was taking a photo of his wife.
“Would you like me to take the photo so you can both be in the picture?” he asked. The guest, of course, obliged, and so did Mark, making sure the couple was framed between the majestic structure in the background and his landscaping in the foreground. After all, the two work together to ensure guests receive the full Chateau on the Lake experience.
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