I have a lengthy story to tell, but if you have the patience to read it, I guarantee you won't want to stay anywhere else. I passed this on to the manager and the staff as well as they needed to hear just how great they were to us! (heavily edited from original due to text length restraints)
First, some background. My family had just gone through a tragedy where my nephew died suddenly. So, for the funeral we had a bunch of family and friends coming in from all over Canada. I was hoping to get all the rooms in one hotel so we could all be together.
Unfortunately, we first booked all the rooms at a different hotel, not knowing better...
I was looking for a gathering room to house 80-100 people for after the funeral. I got a hold of Gillian right away and explained the situation and what we wanted--a room to gather. It was not a party, it was not a reception, it was not a celebration. We just needed a place where we could sit with one another, have a drink or two, perhaps a bite to eat and be left alone.
Immediately, she started to make things happen. Good customer service goes a long way and is always noticed and appreciated (especially when one has worked in the field before...), but this was beyond anything we could have imagined or expected. Because, you see, this all happened and we didn't even have a single room booked with you.
I made sure to tell her just how wonderful and cared about she made all of us feel--she truly was amazing. I mentioned that I regretted not booking the rooms at the Sawridge first and that if we hadn't already invested 2 days getting things sorted at the Radisson, I would move everyone over to the Sawridge.
At least I was able to give you some business with the gathering...
Fast forward now a day and it is time for family to check into the hotel. Within about 10 minutes of trying to check in to the Radisson, and not being able to (even though there was confirmation of a room in his name), my brother and his family walked out and crossed the street to you. He casually asked if you happened to have 11 rooms available for some combination of nights Thursday-Monday. And, in fact, you did!
My brother asked if he'd be able to block off those 17 rooms so we could transfer everyone over from the Radisson. Mohammed took my brother's phone (it had the list of all the rooms and types needed) and immediately started to book the rooms. It was done in 10 minutes. Honestly, it took me longer to cancel the 11 reservations than in took for my brother to get it done at your hotel.
We couldn't believe how easy it was and how wonderful the staff was being. And, it didn't seem like it was only because we were going through a difficult time, it truly seemed that it was just how you all take care of people.
But the story doesn't stop here.
My family and I walked into our room to see a beautiful gift basket waiting for us with a personalized note from Gillian. It was so kind and completely unnecessary that we were blown away.
We went and had a snack at the bar the first night and were greeted by the most fun, humourus, thoughtful and "good at what they do" bar staff. In fact, many members of my family would run into them again and again--either through having stuff brought to the room or sitting in the restaurant and they always made a point of saying hello and asking how things were going.
The gathering on Saturday night went off without a hitch. Thomas was so accommodating and helpful--and invisible! I can't tell you how many comments we got on that evening--the food was perfect, the venue was perfect, the staff was perfect, the vibe was perfect. It really takes some talented and caring people to pull off that kind of gathering with the respect it is due on such short notice.
A few other things--while alone seem minor, when you put it all together, it shows just how many things went right:
We all enjoyed the free breakfasts every morning--hot, fresh, and a good variety each morning.
The rooms were large and very clean!
All of the front desk staff were over the top helpful and accommodating--and not just your typical "make the customer happy" nice, but genuinely kind, compassionate and helpful. Helpful without making you feel like you were asking for the moon.
Tons of parking!
The décor in the main lobby is stunning.
All the food we ate there was delicious.
Check out was a breeze, we were sorry to leave!
I am sure there are many other tidbits about our experience with you that I have forgotten about, simply because there were so many, but I wanted to make sure you knew the majority.
We will be telling this story for years to come (and a completely different version about our experience at the other hotel).
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope you are able to give a shout out to Gillian, Thomas and Mohammed so they can also pass along kudos to all those working under them. read more