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Double dose of awards for Best Western

Trail's Columbia River Hotel garners international kudos

Geno LaRose, general manager of sales at Trail’s Best Western Plus Columbia River Hotel attributes excellence in the hotel’s day-to-day operations that has the hotel winning international awards - the Best Western Chairman’s Award and the Trip Advisor Award of Excellence 2014.

“We focus on our product, price, service and atmosphere,” he said. “[We] do it in an effective, efficient and excellent manner for all of our customers, the company and employees.”

LaRose says it is the staff at the 61-room hotel that puts it the winning category for the Chairman’s Award, given to the top five per cent of Best Western Hotels on a global level. The award takes cleanliness, maintenance, design and customer service into consideration when choosing recipients.

“It’s one of those things that just reconfirms what we do on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s the whole team at the hotel.”

The Trip Advisor Award of Excellence holds a different meaning for LaRose and fellow staff at the Columbia River Hotel because the recognition is based on guests reviewing their stay in Trail. To be considered for the Award of Excellence, businesses must maintain a four-out-of-five star rating on the Trip Advisor website, as well as getting up-to-date positive reviews.

“It’s a faceless kind of review,” said LaRose. “It’s one of those anonymous ones and to know that we are appreciated even without our direct involvement in the reviews, for example, it is great. It is unbiased opinion and that is excellent. They aren’t looking at you from across the desk. They are at a computer elsewhere, so they could vent.”

The hotel would not have received these prestigious awards without teamwork and LaRose says it shows everyone coming together to maintain excellence.

“Thanks to all of our guests for coming to the property and everybody on staff for doing such and excellent job.