Massimo Santangelo leaving MGO for Boston's Custom House

[NTP66]

Just heard from my father than Massimo is leaving Grande Ocean to be the GM of Boston's Custom House. Figured there would be a number of people interested in hearing that. I never interacted with him personally, and really only remember him for how Pool Bar Jim's departure was handled.

 

[Big Matt]

A huge amount of change and transformation occurred while he was GM of GO. I think it was mostly positive. New outdoor areas near Dolphin, Lazy River, clearing vegetation to name a few.

 

[NTP66]

Honestly was never a fan of the lazy river, and hate that they're still dying the ponds.

 

[Fasttr]

Honestly was never a fan of the lazy river, and hate that they're still dying the ponds.

The lazy river, albeit tiny, always seems to have a lot of activity in it, so based on usage, you seem to be in the minority.

 

[NTP66]

The lazy river, albeit tiny, always seems to have a lot of activity in it, so based on usage, you seem to be in the minority.

Oh, I knew I would be. The kids seem to love it, but it's very small and gets boring pretty quickly. The biggest issue are people who are either stopped or going the wrong direction, but whatever. We generally didn't use those pools to begin with, preferring the north pool instead.

The more I think about the ponds, the more annoyed I get. I grew up on vacation in HH sitting at the ponds and watching the turtles, etc. They ruined it as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Fasttr]

Oh, I knew I would be. The kids seem to love it, but it's very small and gets boring pretty quickly. The biggest issue are people who are either stopped or going the wrong direction, but whatever. We generally didn't use those pools to begin with, preferring the north pool instead.

The more I think about the ponds, the more annoyed I get. I grew up on vacation in HH sitting at the ponds and watching the turtles, etc. They ruined it as far as I'm concerned.

At the GM meeting this week, somebody asked if there are still turtles in the pond as they couldn’t see any. Mass said there are hundreds in there, along with coy fish, but I agree with you, the water is too dark to see the turtles unless they are sunning themselves on something.

 

[NJVacation61]

I was at MGO a few weeks ago and talked to Massimo at the Wine Social. Always found him to be a nice guy and MGO is a very well run resort so I think he did a good job. Custom House is a very different type resort than MGO so that should be an interesting transition as MGO has to be 3-4 times the size as CH in terms of units.
And having been to Custom House several times also there is not much in the way of activities there so I am wondering if this was a voluntary move on his part.

I did see turtles in the pond but certainly not as many as you used to. And the Coy are pretty aggressive when you try to feed the turtles.
The water is dyed to keep it cooler in the summer months, protect it from algae growth and protect the fish from birds preying on them.

 

[jme]

The Lazy River has been quite popular since its installation, and serves as an activity for parents with their kids.....many adults enjoy it too.
It had to be small, given the square footage available, but it's still fun.
Many owners mentioned during pre-construction time that they preferred that the Lazy River be located where the lagoon is on the north side....
ie, to remove the lagoon and replace it with the Lazy River. I'm personally glad that didn't happen!!!!

I believe the North side to be the prettier side, and it's definitely more peaceful and quiet there.
Beautiful at night too, and you can hear the "froggy chorus" performance each evening in summer. A nice memory for our children, who still talk about that.

We like the two resort sides being different, and never mind staying on the lagoon side. We do alternate however, as it's also nice to see the ocean from the south side
when we use our OS weeks. We have OF weeks too, so the variety is awesome. I think since 1998 we've stayed in a high percentage of the individual units throughout the resort, and we've definitely stayed on every floor of every building. We've stayed at GO over 100 times, and maybe getting up near 110-115 times.
The entire resort has actually improved each year in some capacity or another.......they're always improving the grounds, and selectively pruning as the codes allow,
and cleaning the dunes' overgrowth so that the ocean can easily be seen from the pool areas now. Not to mention the improved ventilation from the breezes which can
now reach the interior. The expansive deck on the ocean side of the South Pool is amazing, and perhaps one of the best additions to the resort of the last few years.
The fire pits are also wonderful, and allow many relaxing conversations with friends even after dark.
We of course adore Grande Ocean, and we're always looking forward to being there "next time" to see what's new.

 

[Fasttr]

I was at MGO a few weeks ago and talked to Massimo at the Wine Social. Always found him to be a nice guy and MGO is a very well run resort so I think he did a good job. Custom House is a very different type resort than MGO so that should be an interesting transition as MGO has to be 3-4 times the size as CH in terms of units.
And having been to Custom House several times also there is not much in the way of activities there so I am wondering if this was a voluntary move on his part.

It was voluntary. He is from Boston and is moving back to be closer and more available to help his aging parents.

 

[WBP]

I wonder what happened to the GM at the Custom House, Willie Nagda?

 

[jme]

Hmmmm, shocked that Mass is going to Custom House, but any timeshare management position seems to turn over about every 10-12+ years at a lot of resorts.
It's usually not performance-related, but just personal reasons to make a move for family issues, etc.
I don't blame him at all given the reason stated in an earlier post.

I've known Mass (probably more superficially) for his entire tenure at MGO, and altho he's more the quiet type, I found him to be always welcoming and agreeable.
I too think he's done a great job. It was a tough task following the previous resort manager Bob Spear, who was amazing.
Anyway, Mass and I always spoke to each other when we met as he was walking around the resort or hanging out near his office.
I've also knocked on his office door on numerous occasions to talk about MGO in general or about current or upcoming projects.

Years ago I was "all over" the issue of "cleaning" out the dunes area, removing the invasive irrelevant and unsightly overgrown vines and weeds that had taken over,
and he agreed that cleaning it up would provide several advantages. He actually did it! The vines had come in and ruined the appearance of the beautiful dunes,
and since they grew atop the other vegetation, had significantly obstructed the views of the ocean from the pool areas AND from the balconies of the first floor units.
By clearing the bad stuff out, it would obviously allow increased ventilation into the resort area, and even make the gentle ocean breezes enjoyable once again.

He was always proactive about keeping everything looking good, and genuinely cared about the owner experience.
He always not only recognized me when we crossed paths, but he would acknowledge me verbally.....very nice of him.
Also ran across him a time or two while dining out on the island, and he was always pleasant, eager to chat a moment.
Previous to his MGO assignment he was a hotel guy, so he was a nuts and bolts type and very hands-on, so if anyone said they never saw him,
he was probably doing his due diligence where and when needed.
I sincerely wish him well, and I am excited that it's Custom House that he's going to, because we go there a lot and he'll probably fall over to see us walk up to the desk.
I welcome that meeting! Won't be this year but perhaps next Fall.

He's a good man. ....I'm very happy he could go "home" again and work in a great capacity too....very lucky indeed.