Vancouver Tourism Awards

Congratulations Megan Sadler, winner of the first Vancouver Tourism Student Award!

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:37:03 +0000

February 2012 Winner Chris Fox from C&N Backpackers Hostel

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:34:43 +0000

City Councillor Kerry Jang presenting February 2012 winner Chris Fox with his certificate and pin

Nomination: Chris was very kind and friendly to our group and myself who stayed at the hostel. He took time to talk with us and volunteered to share his experiences of life in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. He seems like a very hard working, humble man. Chris set up a private meeting room for us which was totally unexpected. He always greeted our group with a smile and made us feel right at home. He even spent time with me looking at old photographs of the building and explained its history. I would love to see Chris acknowledged for his service and care.

Tyson Beesley, Burnaby BC

January 2012 Winner Lund Milton from The Vancouver Aquarium

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:04:30 +0000

City Councillor Kerry Jang presenting January 2012 winner Lund Milton with his certificate and pin

Nomination: Where to begin. I was waiting under the awning with my daughter in her stroller for my family who were looking at the beluga whales when Lund approached me to see if I needed assistance. He told me about the new elevators, the new family friendly washrooms and asked again if he could assist me. I then asked him what happened to the octopus at which point he informed me she was hiding in her cave because she had laid eggs. He then accompanied me inside the movie line-up, spoke to several children along the way and then showed me where to octopus was hiding. He then told me a kazillion things about the octopus. Best of all he was smiling the entire time and happy to share his vast knowledge of the awuarium. I must admit- I was impressed that a volunteer had as much knowledge as he did. It was as is I was speaking to a marine biologist. He is an inspiration the volunteeres and his efforts that day were greatly appreciated. If I could sum it up- Lund went the extra mile and then some.

Mary Kapelus, Vancouver, BC

December 2011 Winner: Harpreet Palak, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:45:07 +0000

December 2011 winner Harpreet Palak with Deputy Mayor Kerry Jang

Nomination: We are writing to express our sincere gratitude to your hotel staff for the exceptional service we received during our recent stay. Your hotel has been our home for the past six weeks as our son was hospitalized at St.Paul’s after suffering a very tragic experience. We have been ebtween the hospital and your hotel 24/7 since the day he was admitted.

We would apecifically like to acknowledge a Front Desk employee by the name of Harp. This young lady has done everything in her power and beyond to make our stay at your hotel as comfortable as possible. She has truly gone out of her way to accomodate our every need and the kindness and compassion she has shown our family during this extremely difficult time is something we will never forget.

Over and above the condition of our son, we’ve had to leave the routine comfirts and simply pleasures of our home and make the best of creating a new day to day life in your hotel. Early on in our stay, it came up in coversation that Harp lived in Surrey not too far from our home. In learning this, she immediately asked if there was anything we needed from home and offered to pick it up and bring it to us. Since that day she has regularly gone to our home and picked up things we’ve come to realize that we need and delivered them to us. In doing so, Harp has saved us the back and forth trip and allowed us to stay close to our son.

Our healrtfelt thanks goes out to this very special young lady- words cannot describe how ome of her little gestures have provided us with great comfort in our time of need. We have personally thanked her and let her know how much we appreciate everything she has done for us, but we also wanted to ensure that her efforts were brought to your attention and recognized by your management team. She truly is an outstanding employee.

Pam and Jinder Gill

Surrey, BC

November 2011 Winner: Maryam Alborz, Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:32:36 +0000

November 2011 winner Maryam Alborz with Deputy Mayor Kerry Jang

Nomination: Yesterday as I was checking in I realized my Visa was missing. Without skipping a beat, Maryam at the front desk asked if I could remember where I left it. My panic had set in and I was only thinking I would lose me room without my Visa and this would destroy the conference and all the money I was spending to be here (I actually sold my gold jewelry to do this trip). Maryam remained calm, and I realized where I had probably left my Vusa, Within 60 seconds she was on the phone to the restaurant in Vancouver to track it down. Within 5 minutes they had phoned her back with a confirmation they had it!!! I raced back to Vancouver and two hours later Maryam was checking me into my beautiful room!

She is a hero and the reason I will tell everyone of this great experience. This hotel is great, but what makes it world class and a destination are hero’s like Maryam. Thank you so much!

Tricia Barker

October 2011 Winner: Krista Thomas, The Fairmont Waterfront

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:22:31 +0000

Nomination: Just to say a big thank you to the Fairmont and especially Krista Thomas for the excellent care I received after my accident. After checking in at The Fairmont Waterfront I went for a walk before dinner with a friend and had a fall injuring both wrists. On arrival back at the hotel Krista Thomas personally organized a sling, pack of ice cubes and a car to take me back to the hospital. I had my left wrist reduced under anaesthetic and arranged to go back for surgery on Friday morning. Krista organized a car to pick us up from St. Pauls, and had hot soup and toast delivered to our room. The next day she checked up on me a few times and organized a car to take me in for surgery on Friday. Krista also organized for me to stay and extra night or two as the tour was leaving without me on the Friday. The hospital kept me in overnight and the next day Krista had organized for me to be picked up again and to see the APT travel agent. The agent organized my flight to Calgary and shuttle bus to Banff to rejoin my group. I’m back now and recovering well. Thank you.

Janet Cuddihy

September 2011 Winner: Shawna Kostiuk, Pan Pacific Hotel

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:08:14 +0000

September 2011 winner, Shawna Kostiuk, with Deputy Mayor Kerry Jang

Nomination: She worked tirelessly assisting us with the recovery of our lost passports. She used every resource at her disposal on our behalf. Shawna was totally professional, exceptionally competent and very compassionate. Her efforts led to the return of our passports the following day from the taxi cab company.

Rod & Paula Hurly

St.Petersburg, FL, USA

Thank You, Donors!

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:35:42 +0000

On Friday October 28, the 22nd Annual Vancouver Tourism Awards Gala Breakfast took place at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel. Over 650 members of the travel and hospitality industry were treated to an inspiring and, not to mention, hilarious presentation by Ben, Jonnie, Duncan and Dave of The Buried Life.

After the presentation came the prizes! Over 300 people nominated throughout the year had a 1 in 3 chance of winning amazing industry prizes donated by hotels, restaurants and attractions from all around the Pacific Northwest. We just want to send out a big THANK YOU for all the generous donations. Thank you for making a difference in someone’s day and helping to inspire them to continue to make a positive impact in Vancouver tourism.

Generous donations provided by:

Abackus Communications Inc.

Absolute Spa Group

A.E. Vancouver Private Tours & Charters Inc.

Air Canada

Arts Club Theatre Company

Ballet BC

Banana Leaf Malaysian Cuisine

Bard on the Beach

BC Ferries Vacations

BC Lions Football Club

Beyond Restaurant & Lounge

Brewster Travel Canada

Cadillac Fairview- Pacific Centre

Calgary Zoo

Canadian Family Magazine

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Century Plaza Hotel & Spa

Chambar

Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites

Circle Craft

Coast Coal Harbour Hotel

Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites

Coast Vancouver Airport Hotel

Delta Vancouver Airport

Delta Vancouver Suites

Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa

Dockside Restaurant

Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group

Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association

Empire Landmark Hotel

Fairmont Banff Springs

Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort

Fairmont Empress Hotel

Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle

Fairmont Pacific Rim

Fairmont Palliser Calgary

Fairmont Vancouver Airport

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

Fish House in Stanley Park

Five Sails Restaurant

Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver

Georgian Court Hotel

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen

Gotham Steakhouse

Grouse Mountain Resorts

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre

Hampton Inn & Suites

Harbour Air Seaplanes

Harbour Cruises

Hard Rock Cafe Seattle

Helijet Airways

Heritage Park Calgary

The Hills Health Ranch

Hilton Vancouver Airport

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vancouver Downtown

Holiday on Horseback

Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Hy’s of Canada

Joe Fortes Seafood House

The Keg

Ki Moderne Japanese & Bar

Listel Vancouver Hotel

Loden Vancouver

Maplewood Farm

McDonald’s Restaurants

Metropolis at Metrotown

Old Spaghetti Factory

Opus Hotel

Pacific Coach Lines

Pacific National Exhibition

Pacific Sands Beach Resort

Palomino Restaurant & Bar

Pan Pacific Vancouver

Prince of Whales Whale Watching

Purdy’s Chocolates

Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport

Red Robin Restaurants

Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel

River Rock Casino Resort

Robert Held Art Glass Studio

Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

Top Table Restaurant Group

Vancouver Art Gallery

Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre

Vancouver Maritime Museum

Vancouver Canadians Baseball

Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Trolley Company

Vij’s/Rangoli

Wedgewood Hotel

West Coast Sightseeing

Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Westin Bellevue

Westin Grand Vancouver

Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler

Where Calgary

Where Canadian Rockies

Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resort

Wild Whales Vancouver

Ziptrek Ecotours

NEW WorldHost Training Services Website and WorldHost e-News

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:15:29 +0000

It is with great excitement that one of our sponsors, WorldHost® Training Services, announces the launch of the new WorldHost® Training Services website: www.worldhosttraining.com. The website was officially launched at the BC Tourism Industry Conference late October in Victoria. The website reflects a new brand and showcases the training solutions and partners that have made WorldHost® a leader in customer service training for 25 years. WorldHost® still has a presence on the Ministerial website (under the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation) but the new website focuses entirely and directly on WorldHost® customer service training.

On the new WorldHost® website, there is a provincial training calendar that highlights upcoming workshops and corporate training opportunities, contact info o delivery organizations across BC, profiles of customized solutions and an opportunity to register for the newest training solution, the e-learning module, Communication Tools for Service Professionals, to be launched later this month. The site will continue to highlight Recognized WorldHost® Businesses along with exciting highlights of WorldHost® training around the province.

WorldHost® is also announcing WorldHost® e-News, a new quarterly electronic newsletter you can subscribe to! The e-newsletter is full of information and updates regarding the WorldHost® network, program announcements, inspiring customer service stories, tips from the experts and much more. To subscribe, please click here. The WorldHost® e-News checkbox is already selected for you, so simply add your email address and voila!

August 2011: Summer Day, Blue Horizon Hotel

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:09:30 +0000

Councillor Andrea Reimer and Summer Day

We arrived at the Blue Horizon with an Audi All Road packed to the gills with a Thule carrier on top. Unfortunately, the carrier made our car too tall for the hotel garage. Ms. Day, cool as a cucumber, helped us unload the car, unload the carrier, take the carrier off the car, and put it into storage. She was relaxed, helpful and turned our crisis on Robson Street into a smooth arrival. She is the most helpful hotel employee I’ve ever encountered!

Ed Greenberg,

Boulder, CO