Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture | Makeup/hair: Bria Fowler, Elle Louise, LLC
As chief marketing officer with Lodging & Leisure Investments, Tessy Lambert helps create cherished moments of fun, ease and connection — a role she counts herself fortunate to play.
As a woman in a leadership role in hospitality, she’s also deeply protective of the Coast’s reputation.
“Our work shows up in family photos, wedding albums and first impressions,” Lambert says. “That’s not small to me.”
Success for Lambert is when a place becomes part of guests’ routine and their story — when locals come without waiting for a special occasion, or when out-of-towners return and bring friends. The question she’s continually asking: What will make someone’s visit feel effortless?
“When you remove friction, people relax,” she says, “and that’s when they fall in love with a place.”
No matter which Lodging & Leisure property you’re in, Lambert says the objective is the same: “Make it feel easy to have a good day.” Her perspective is guest-minded, so she’s paying attention to what people don’t always say aloud. What confuses them? What makes them hesitate? What delights them?
“The goal isn’t to impress people for five minutes,” she adds. “It’s to make them feel taken care of for an entire stay.”
A COLLECTION OF ‘YES’ PLACES
Lodging & Leisure’s portfolio now includes some of the Coast’s most popular and iconic attractions. While Lambert holds cosmetology and real estate licenses, she explains that “one thing after another” brought her into the family business.
“My parents started building homes before I was born,” says the Alabama native, who relocated to Mississippi as a teenager. “As time went on, we brought the homebuilding venture to Mississippi. After Katrina, they looked around and saw that people needed a lot of housing very quickly; that’s when they stepped into (rehabbing) storm-ravaged apartment complexes.”
The White House Hotel, which opened in 2014, marked the business’s first foray into hospitality, followed by Margaritaville Resort in 2016 and Centennial Plaza Resort in 2019. Hotel Legends debuted in 2020, and Paradise Pier Fun Park brought even more family-friendly fun to Biloxi in 2023. Most recently, Hippie Fish, featuring two mini-golf courses and a massive arcade, opened at Centennial Plaza last June.
Katrina reduced many of these sites to storm-raved shells, which had sat empty for years and carried a lot of emotional weight for locals. Lambert explains that Lodging & Leisure’s work has been transforming them into places people proudly bring their friends, family and out-of-town guests.
‘We started rebuilding over a decade ago, and each opening felt like a step toward bringing the Coast back.’
“We started rebuilding over a decade ago, and each opening felt like a step toward bringing the Coast back …,” she says. “Every one of those projects took real grit, and a lot of people poured themselves into making them happen.”
When she looks at the properties today, Lambert sees a collection of “yes” places: “Yes” to a family who needs something fun to do after dinner. “Yes” to the couple who wants a wedding that feels like a movie. “Yes” to the local who just wants a great night out.
“(The properties) are different in personality; some are playful and high-energy, some are calm and classic, and some are designed as community gathering points,” she says. “But what they share is intentionality. They’re rooted in the Coast. They’re built for real people, not just photo ops, and they’re meant to create connection.”
BEYOND HOSPITALITY
As a “lover of all things travel,” Lambert’s affinity for adventure extends beyond her career. The devoted wife and mom, who is married to her high school sweetheart, spends much of her free time on the road with her daughter’s show-choir group — and she’s also learning to speak Italian.
“(Given) my desire to spend real time abroad one day, I feel it is important to know the language,” she says.
While she enjoys exploring, Lambert’s heart remains on the Coast, where she’s had a hand in creating countless treasured memories. The best feedback she receives from guests involves moments, not amenities. It’s the “thank yous” she hears for bringing loved ones together for the first time in years, or for helping a family start a new tradition, that mean the most.
Being a part of people’s stories, even for a short time, is a privilege she doesn’t take lightly.
“What’s been most impactful is realizing we’re not just in hospitality; we’re in the business of helping people mark life,” she says. “When a guest tells us they felt cared for, or a local says they’re proud of what’s happening here, that’s the win.”
Coast’s allure is growing
For years, one word dominated discussion about Mississippi Gulf Coast tourism: potential.
Today, Tessy Lambert of Lodging & Leisure Investments says another theme has come to the fore: momentum.
“I’m seeing families, visitors and locals plan full trips around things like Hippie Fish and Paradise Pier, and that shift is huge for the Coast,” she says. “It means we’re becoming the kind of place that holds people longer than one night and keeps locals proud to live here.”
The Coast isn’t a “second-choice” destination,” Lambert adds.
“It’s a place with soul,” she says, “and it deserves to be talked about that way.”
‘FRIENDLY, UNPRETENTIOUS AND FULL OF SMALL PLEASURES’
While its neighbors may have their own beautiful stretches of coastline, Mississippi’s sweet spot is “how “livable” a vacation here feels, according to Lambert.
“It’s friendly, unpretentious and full of small pleasures — good meals, slow mornings and sunsets that make you stay a little longer,” she says.
In a culture that’s in constant motion, the value of a rejuvenating getaway has only grown. People are tired “in a deep way,” Lambert says, and they crave a break from the daily grind and endless to-do lists.
“The Coast doesn’t need you to work hard to enjoy it,” she says. “Just show up, give it a little time and let it do what it does.”