Executive Hotels & Resorts of Alberta – Second to none service

Executive Hotels & Resorts is a Vancouver based privately owned hotel branding, management and development company. The company’s primary business is the management and marketing of four star hotels and resorts under the Executive Hotels and Resorts brand worldwide. Currently, there are 17 hotels managed and/or licensed by the company with several new hotel projects in various stages of development.

Alberta is currently host to four Executive Hotels – one in Edmonton, two in Leduc and a property in Calgary – privately owned and managed by Saskatoon based firm Remai Hotel Group and President Ellen Remai. The Saskatoon based firm owns 12 fine properties on both Saskatoon and Alberta. When asked about the president’s leadership-style Kyle Chrumka, Regional Director of Sales for Executive Hotels of Alberta said, “She’s hands-on with all properties that she owns to date.”

As a regional chain, Executive Hotels & Resorts of Alberta positions themselves as a boutique-inspired hotel for the executives at work and play. To help support their strategies, one of the features on which they pride themselves is their hands-on approach. “What we can really bring to the table is customer service that is second to none,” Chrumka says. “Our teams here at all four of our properties do a very good job when it comes to training and really understand the requirements of our clients and really try to go above and beyond.”

Their priority for high value offerings and personalized service is how they are able to stay in business. “Once we show a client the value in staying with our hotels, they generally stay with us for a good long time, and we are very thankful to them,” says Chrumka. “We’ve been very successful with repeat business. Our teams do such a good job at taking care of these clients, they just keep coming back.”

It is no surprise to see hotels fairing well when the economy is in an upswing; when demand slowed, however, Chrumka says the company had to reinvent itself. “It went from being a reactive industry to a proactive industry,” he explains. “We had to work very hard to maintain the accounts they had, as well as attract new ones.”

All four of the Executive Hotels are full service properties that include meeting and banquet space enabling them to accommodate small intimate meetings or gatherings for as few as two people to large festive gatherings or business conferences for 300 guests. “We have an amazing banquet staff at all three properties, and our director of catering is also hands-on, and really provides that team dynamic,” Chrumka says.

“We strive to make sure our clients are well taken care of,” he continues. “The one thing you want to make sure of is clients don’t have to worry about is what is going on within the hotel. We make sure we’re very hands on, and we do our utmost to set them at ease. When they come in here, they’re relaxed and able to sit down with friends and families and enjoy the evening and we take care of the rest.”

When clients come to Executive Hotels & Resorts of Alberta with an opportunity to host an event, they have expectations. The company’s goal, Chrumka says, is to exceed those expectations.

Team dynamic

The features that make Executive Hotels & Resorts of Alberta excellent for guests are the same features that make it excellent for employees – in particular, their personalized care and attention. “The only way we can be successful is if the employees within the organization are successful,” Chrumka explains. “We as managers do whatever we can to be able to help train and empower the employee in order to make decisions.”

Executive Hotels & Resorts nurtures a team culture where they strive to ensure everyone feels welcome and a part of the organization. “We recognise the people cleaning and fixing the rooms are just as important, if not more important, than the managers,” Chrumka says. “We really focus on the team dynamic and making sure everyone is on the same page.”

Moving forward, the company’s goal is to keep moving in the direction they are already heading, and stay on top of any industry trends that may pop up along the way.  “Were very excited about our future,” says Chrumka. “We see an upturn in Calgary as well as Leduc and Edmonton, where we have our properties. Occupancies are gaining, and as long as we continue to empower our staff they’ll take care of it for us. As long as we can provide that service for our clients, we’ll have that retention and continue to gain.”

Chrumka is confident in saying that Executive Hotels & Resorts of Alberta will continue to be responsive to clients’ needs, and it is their hope to continue to grow and propser – and maybe expand to more provinces in the future. “We think we’ve done a pretty good job here in the province of Alberta as well as Saskatchewan, but we wouldn’t mind branching out to provinces like Manitoba as well as Ontario and see how we can compete with the big boys out there,” he says. “Maybe five to 10 years from now we won’t just be local-wide, we might be nationwide – if not North American wide.”