Sidney’s Victoria Airport Travelodge relies on its staff to help put its best foot forward with its customers and this year, their hard work has paid off — the local hotel is among the very best in North America.
They were recently awarded with a Best of Travelodge honour, given out by their parent company each year, based on twice-yearly inspections and, to a great extent, what people say about the hotel in online reviews. General Manager of the Victoria Airport Travelodge, Nick Coates, says he regularly checks people’s reviews and for the most part, where they shine is in customer service.
“They make the difference,” he said. “In our online reviews, the staff here earn the most positive comments.”
Coates said it helps that the hotel has a lot of long-time employees, ranging from 10 years, up to more than three decades. That experience, wisdom and continuity of service contributes to how others see them.
“It’s great to be recognized in this way. And it all comes down to the people who actually do the work here every day. They’re the ones who make the biggest difference.”
On top of customer reviews, Coates said the company inspects each property in the Travelodge family for cleanliness and more — as well as one of the industry mainstays: how good their WiFi service is. Coates said good WiFi is something that almost every traveler demands of a hotel these days.
All told, Victoria Airport Travelodge is one of 38 properties to earn the honour this year — out of around 500 in North America. Coates added that certainly a good thing for the Sidney business, as it can only help when people look around to make a decision on where to stay while they’re on the Saanich Peninsula.
