It also coordinated approved police off-duty assignments when needed.
The arrangement was common at large hospitality properties.
But the contract was expensive.
And the invoices contained irregular supplemental charges described as premium guest protection services.
Our financial analysts asked for supporting records.
The resort's director of operations, Graham Bellamy, provided summaries.
Not detailed logs.
When we requested more information, he explained that some reports contained sensitive guest data and couldn't be distributed broadly.
That was understandable in principle.
But the response didn't explain why authorized diligence reviewers couldn't examine appropriately protected records.
Then a second complaint arrived.
This one was from a former front-desk employee named Elena Ruiz.
She described an incident involving a Black family whose valid pool reservation had been questioned after another guest complained that they didn't look like members.
The family eventually produced their credentials.
But according to Elena, management refused to apologize.
Instead, a supervisor warned staff not to discuss the encounter.
A third complaint came from a restaurant employee who said managers routinely instructed staff to prioritize certain guests while treating others as possible unauthorized visitors.
Again, the information required verification.
But the pattern was troubling.
I asked the acquisition team to preserve the complaints and include an independent review in the transition plan.
Our lawyers negotiated access to relevant records under confidentiality safeguards.
We also inserted contractual protections concerning material misrepresentations and unresolved liabilities.
The transaction continued.
Not because I ignored the allegations.
Because the property itself was valuable, and responsible new management could address problems that the existing owners had failed to resolve.
We weren't buying Graham Bellamy's behavior.
We were buying a resort whose staff and guests deserved better.
Still, I wanted to see the operation personally.
Not during a ceremonial tour.
Not surrounded by executives who knew exactly who I was.
I wanted to observe the experience an ordinary guest would receive.
So I arranged a visit shortly after closing.
I reserved access through the proper channel and brought Noah.
The acquisition closed at 10:15 on a Friday morning.
Aurelia became the controlling owner of the resort's holding company, subject to the operating agreements and transition arrangements already negotiated.
The legal structure was complex.
Not every employee would immediately know that ownership had changed.
The management team was scheduled to receive formal instructions that afternoon.
Certain senior executives had already been informed.
Graham Bellamy was one of them.
His official notice included the identity of the acquiring company and the chief executive responsible for the transaction.
My name.
Simone Carter.