Greetings all from Cowtown Alberta! For my internship I am working at a brand new boutique hotel located in downtown Calgary called Hotel Le Germain. Hotel Le Germain is a lovely property that just recently opened, which is owned by Groupe Germain, based in Quebec. It is a growing brand with 5 Germain properties and 2 Alt properties. Hotel Le Germain Calgary is their first hotel outside of Eastern Canada and I am proud to be a member of the team that is sharing the Le Germain brand with Western Canada! To see a video tour that I put together on Youtube it has videos of two different room types, our fitness facility as well as pictures! ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjdqsa1cliy As my family is from Calgary, I currently live in my family home in Northwest Calgary neighborhood of Arbour Lake. This is my home sweet home. This is my bedroom little but very me, I redecorated when I moved back home. Before work most days I walk my dog Kody or we just play in the backyard. My neighbourhood is great as it has a lake, fields, and tons of pathways.
On my free time (which is rare) I enjoy very low key gatherings with friends. My backyard has become the go to place for all summer events. I work as a Guest Service Agent on the Front Desk, which means I hold varying hours. I work either AMs or PMs and it takes me between 45 minutes to an hour to commute to work. I take Calgary transit from my place, which means a 10 minute bus ride and a 25 minute train ride. On the train I commonly readmostly travel loges, which allow me to daydream! Once I am off the train I have only a few minute walk through lovely downtown Calgary. I pass or view two major landmarks, Stephen Avenue and the Calgary Tower. This is the outside of the Hotel. The property is the first mix purpose property in Calgary, containing an 143 room hotel, meeting space, a spa facility, 10 floors of office towers, and 40 upscale condos, in two towers the connect at the top. The Employee entrance leads to the lower levels of the hotel were the staff change rooms and break rooms are.
I arrive 10 minutes early as our uniforms take a little prep. The females at the front desk wear dresses from Marie Saint Pierre, a designer out of Montreal. I love our uniforms and we are even supplied with sachets to put our keys in! This is our back office space where we have a debriefing together before every shift. The de brief ensures that every member of the Front Office is well informed and up to date on any changes to policy, guest concerns and general hotel information. This is our lobby and Front Desk Area where I spend my day. The hotel opened on February 18 th, 2010 and has been growing and improving every day since. The hotel is getting very busy and we are starting to welcome back regular VIP s guests who have stayed with us more than 10 stays! As everyday is quite different, giving a timeline breakdown would be very difficult. Here is what I do in a common day. Check ins and outs, reservations, hotel inquiries, guest inquiries (we can make anything happen here at Hotel Le Germain!), concierge services, hotel tours, reports, cashier services, and really anything that may come up in a day. I also run reports, prepare for daily arrivals, wake up calls, assistance for condo owners regarding concierge services, and any other task or responsibility that may come up daily. At Hotel Le Germain we try to ensure our guests feel welcomed in every way. We pride ourselves in wowing guests and making them loyal to the Germain brand. We really do go above and beyond for our guests and those efforts are recognized in a program called GTails where employees are recognized for exceptional guest service. Follows are a few reviews that we have received. We just hit #1 on TripAdvisor for most popular hotel in Calgary out of 92! And I just love to brag about that! From the moment I called in to do my "specially accommodating" reservations [I'm a nut about my pet] to the moment I sadly departed Calgary, these people [restaurant included, which I know isn't you but it
is attached so it is just as important to know] continually surpass expectations and strive to make sure a job is done well. We've worked with other boutique hotels in Calgary before and our experience with Hotel Germain doesn't even compare, it was in a league all its own. My stay at this hotel was nothing short of perfection. The rooms are designed beautifully, very modern feel, located in the heart of Downtown Calgary and the service was fantastic. I m definitely going to be a regular. See more great reviews at ~ http://alturl.com/bmini Our breakroom is in the lower levels and has a cappuccino machine, fridge, microwave, and vending machines for our use. We bring our own meals which I have come to love as it allows me to eat healthy foods that I love as opposed to cafeteria food. On days that I do not bring a lunch I stroll down the famous Stephen Avenue (only a block behind us) and enjoy street vendor food (I love sharwma!) Back to work after break wowing guests and coworkers alike! The time passes quickly when we are busy and I enjoy every minute we have a great team here the Hotel Le Germain! This is Pierre Yves and Amanda B fellow rock stars. Upon cashing out, giving a pass a long to ensure that the next shift is well informed of pending guests requests or concerns, I sign out and make my way home.
The Famous Stephen Ave on my way home C Train Station I get home around midnight and am very ready to relax with a movie or a book. Always with my main girl Kody though! And that is a day in the life of a Hotel Le Germain Guest Service Agent Intern! Andie Verge