The Victoria Hospitality Awards Committee recognizes employees in Victoria’s hospitality industry that go far above and beyond expectations. Recently, three individuals working in the hotel industry were recognized.
Theresa Ferreira — Oak Bay Beach Hotel
Theresa Ferreira’s nomination came from Dillon Carfoot, a concierge and Ferreira’s colleague at Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Carfoot explains that on the evening of June 16, the hotel welcomed guests from Japan who had just arrived in Victoria, yet when they were at the bus depot here, they had their wallets and some luggage stolen. Carfoot explains how Theresa and another colleague handled the situation with compassion.
“After finding this out, Theresa and her colleague Neeta went to buy them a care package of food from our Kate’s Café,” writes Carfoot. “And they were going to pay for it themselves! (The hotel ended up paying.)”
Duane Lachance — Fairmont Empress Hotel
Duane Lachance’s nomination came from Dale Walker, a tourist from Texas. Walker explained that he visited the Fairmont Empress while it was under construction in 2016 and the Gold Level wasn’t at all what he had expected.
“Duane worked with us for our next visit and took care of us,” writes Walker. “Our visit to the new Gold Level [was] a great experience and we will have wonderful memories of it. Thanks Duane!”
Christopher White — Fairmont Empress Hotel
Christopher White received nominations for this award from two separate individuals. The first, from Stephanie Carr of Kamloops, expressed how impressed she was at Christopher White’s professionalism, one-to-one attention and wit.
“We had a conference of over 200 nurses and physicians. We were astonished that he knew many members’ names and addressed them with enthusiasm and grace,” writes Carr. “Christopher created a sense of community and allowed our nurse team to feel special and one-of-a-kind.”
The second nomination, from Susan Holt, also highlights White’s thoughtfulness and warm character. Susan Holt writes, “Christopher always had a genuine smile and was so welcoming. Every time I came in the front door [during] my four-day stay, it was like coming home! He helped my family out numerous times — we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday and needed help with vehicles…and Christopher seemed to really want to be of assistance!”
About the Victoria Hospitality Award program
The Victoria Hospitality Award program was founded in 1994. A not-for-profit society was formed with a mandate to recognize individuals from the Greater Victoria area for outstanding hospitality. Outstanding hospitality is defined as a random act of kindness that goes over and above the expected to meet the needs of an individual. Committee members meet monthly to review ballots received and to select a winner. Monthly winners are presented with a signed Victoria Hospitality Award Program certificate, a letter of commendation, a City of Victoria pin engraved with the winner’s name, and numerous other gifts from Committee members representing various sectors of our community. The Society hosts a Special Event annually to honour all nominees and monthly winners. Nomination ballots are found online at Tourism Victoria or at victoriahospitalityawards.com.
