We spend the afternoon with Cariane, Assistant Guest Services Manager at Le Germain Hotel Maple Leaf Square, in Toronto.

This is À la Germain, the podcast about the people who bring Germain Hotels to life every day.

I'm in the studio with Christiane Lorry and Hugo Germain.

Hello, everyone.

Hello.

Today, we're spending the afternoon with Cariane, Assistant Guest Services Manager at Le Germain Hotel, Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.

Cariane is from New Brunswick, and since 2017, she's traveled to different hotels across the country before finding herself at Le Germain front desk for the past two years.

Before starting her shift, we asked her how her experience here differed from the other hotels.

I mostly worked at small and independent companies, so I don't really have the big corporate mindset.

We have more locations, we have a lot of different hotels, and we're Canada-wide, which is amazing, but you still have the very independent boutique, very personalized feeling.

I don't feel like I have to be very cookie-cutter, like I have, it's very gray.

I have a lot of flexibility to make sure that I can give personalized everything to everybody.

Let's set the scene for our listeners right away.

Cariane doesn't look like the traditional person you'd find behind a hotel front desk.

She has a lock of red hair on one side, bright red-dyed eyebrow on the other, multiple ear piercings, and she wears a black suit with a big silver chain.

So when asked for specific examples of the Germain difference, her answer is pretty straightforward.

First, the way that I look is not very hospitality.

Well, in my experience, at least, a lot of hospitality is very, like, no, the last place that I worked at, like, women had to wear skirts and heels, no visible tattoos, no, like, ear piercings, just one in each lobe.

Like, men could have no earrings, no unnatural hair colors, like, and stuff like that, right?

So it's very cookie cutter.

Again, I get to bring my own personality into the mix, still deliver great service.

Cariane told us that it was while working at Le Germain that she had the confidence to change her look, which would have felt impossible where she worked previously.

How does seeing an employee express their unique personality feel to you, Christiane?

I really feel great.

And you know what?

I'd love to see more Cariane at the front desk.

It would be great, because it's great to have people that can actually show their personality.

And you know, she said that working at Le Germain was not only a place where she could be herself, but it gave her confidence to change some of her personality.

So I think it's great, and we would love to see more Cariane.

It's half past noon, and Cariane is starting her afternoon by looking at the various check-ins awaiting her today.

Like theater, she seems like she's prepping for the show ahead.

The main thing that I do every single day is anticipating.

So we look at upcoming reservations, we look at arrivals, we look at just anything that's happening in the future, and look at all the details of everybody's reservation.

So we look at how many people are coming, what are they coming for?

Like, do we have any information, or do they have kids?

How old are the kids?

Have they stayed with us before?

What were the comments on the last day?

Like, what did they order for room service?

Like, we look at all the details, and we try to anticipate what they might need for future stays.

This is an example here.

So we have this guest here who is a regular with us.

This gentleman stays with us every Tuesday.

Every week, every Tuesday.

And I was looking at his stays this week, and I noticed that there's a week missing next week in his stays.

And the last time that this happened was during the PDAC conference, and he had meant to book, but he couldn't because the corporate rate was not available.

So I noticed that next week was missing, and the corporate rate is not available next week.

So I just left a little alert on the reservation that will pop up just to ask if he intends to stay next week so we can confirm, like, do you need a room next week?

Like, can we fit you in somewhere?

Just to make sure that he doesn't show up next week expecting a reservation and he doesn't have one.

Laurie, it sounds like a big part of Cariane's job is staying one step ahead of the guests.

Can you add anything to that?

Yes, we want our guests to feel awaited for and welcome when they come in.

So doing those little gestures, being ahead of everything that could happen, at least what we can control or have an impact on is the best way to do that.

Same thing if you want to surprise a guest or do something that's very unique to that person.

It's the best way to do that.

Let's pause for a moment and talk about Le Germain Hotel, Maple Leaf Square in Toronto.

It was the second Le Germain location in Toronto, opened in 2010, the same year as Le Germain, Calgary.

This was an important period in the expansion across Canada, was it not, Christiane?

Oh, yes.

It was very important.

As a matter of fact, it's the year I got my super elite status with Air Canada.

Because I was traveling a lot between Montreal, Calgary and Toronto.

And as you know, I co-founded this business with my brother, Jean-Yves.

And I have to say that my brother has this very good knowledge of finding the right locations for a hotel.

He has been very good at doing it.

And I have always trusted him.

And I have to say that this particular location was a good example of how good he was and he still is.

Because we were in the field.

I mean, that hotel then was really across the track.

There was, I mean, it was a field.

So I never said anything to him, but I said to myself, I mean, this is a good leap of faith, you know?

But once again, he was right, because it turned out to be a great location.

And it was a good step in our history.

Because as I said, that year we opened two hotels, Calgary and this second location in Toronto.

So that was another step as well.

So yeah, and you know, the reason why I was traveling a lot, because it was very important for me to show our new employees, our new colleagues, what the culture of this organization was all about.

And at the time, I was one of the person that was able to communicate that culture.

So the culture of this company, the culture about being human, being generous with our guests, I mean, it has been on for years.

It's not something we're trying to implement.

It's been there for years.

So yeah, it was a very important step in the history of our organization.

We asked Cariane how she felt about working for a family business.

Here's her answer.

I think it makes it more homely, more welcoming.

It doesn't feel as cold.

I always think of big corporations as very faceless.

It's always you're handed a rule book and you don't know who's the person behind it.

You don't understand the thoughts and reasonings.

But because again, we see them, we hear their stories.

I follow Christiane, Madame Germain on LinkedIn.

I always see her share stories and post stuff.

So I always really like hearing about that.

It really puts a face and like a story to the company and it makes it feel more human.

Christiane, you may want to be careful with your LinkedIn posts, you're being followed.

Yeah, well, that's one of the reasons why I do it.

And one thing that I like about this is that she calls me Christiane, which is wonderful.

Everyone knows my last name is Germain.

So Madame Germain, I mean, I can't, I really don't like this, but Christiane is really, really good.

The day continues and Cariane checks in the first guests, including a small family with an eight-year-old child.

Hello.

How are you today?

Good, how are you?

Good, good, good, thank you.

I wanted to see if our room was ready.

Sure, let me have a quick look.

I think you even did the pre-registration online, so all I need to see is your photo ID.

Amazing.

I like your hair.

Thank you so much.

I love your hat.

Thank you.

Are you guys coming in for the game tonight?

We're coming in for the game tomorrow.

Tomorrow night.

Is this your first time in Toronto?

First time for this guy.

All right.

That's exciting.

In Canada.

Oh my gosh.

Then you're going to have to have some poutine.

We talked about that.

Yeah.

Once check-in is complete, along with a few poutine recommendations, the family goes up to their room and Cariane approaches her concierge on the side.

What Maple Leaf stuff do we have here?

Do we still have hockey cards?

I have a little boy that just checked in to 7-12.

He's going to a Leafs game tomorrow.

His name is Declan.

Super fun little dude.

His first time in Canada, first time in Toronto.

He was a friend.

He was like, I love your hair.

I was like, thanks.

He was so nice.

We asked Cariane what she was cooking up.

We usually try to do kids amenities, but we didn't have the age of the child, which is pretty important when we try to give an amenity because we don't want to overshoot and either give them something that's completely age inappropriate or, yeah, so we want to make sure that we give the right age.

Didn't have any ages, didn't hear back from the guests, so we had nothing prepared.

But it's his first time in Canada.

They're going to a Leafs game tomorrow.

He was super fun, full of energy, so just asked for to do a little something special.

They're going to the CN Tower and Rec Room later today, so while they're out, we're going to prepare a little something in the room, just to say welcome to Canada.

Hope they have a great time.

Just a little something as well for the Leafs game tomorrow.

Yeah.

Laurie, how do you feel about the attentiveness that Cariane is showing the guests?

This is fantastic because she did something for the young boy while the family was there, so it was not necessarily at the beginning of this day, so she took the situation and she kind of built on it.

So it shows how caring she is, and that's an important part for people that works in our hotels and in our industry because that's the job.

We're taking care of people, welcoming people, so that's great to see.

Cariane puts a lot of her personality into her sense of hospitality, which makes it all very natural for her.

We asked her what the best advice she's received was since her arrival.

Somebody said one time, in order to be in hospitality, you have to be hospitable, which sounds redundant, but it's true.

You have to be welcoming.

You can't just be like, hi, checking in.

You have to make the effort to be like, hi, these are my guests, welcome to my home.

Can I take your jacket?

This is where you can put your shoes.

You have to be really welcoming.

We're bringing them into our space, so we have to make sure that they feel at ease.

What do you think of that ego?

I think that she's putting in words exactly what she did in the previous extract, where she basically put herself in the shoes of the little dude, as she mentioned.

It was his first day in Canada, and she tried to picture what it would be like for being the first time in Canada.

What would I do?

And the first thing she thought about was the poutine and the things that they need to see, they need to live, they need to experience, so that this little dude is going to have something memorable to think about in the future.

And I think that's all about generosity, putting yourself in other people's shoes and try to understand what the reality is and everything, and I think that this is basically walking the talk.

Despite all the goodwill in the world, mistakes do happen, and this afternoon, Cariane receives an unpleasant e-mail from an angry guest.

Can you show where you're working on Thursday the 28th?

At the desk?

Do you guys remember this person?

I'm trying to get more information.

There's not any pass on.

It's not in the changes log.

Do we know what time she took it?

8 or 7?

Yeah.

The thing that I'm thinking is it was a pre-reg, so maybe we accidentally gave the wrong pre-reg keys.

That was not me.

No, but I'm wondering.

I just want to know what happened, because she's obviously very mad, but I have no information.

We went to ask him for further details.

This person apparently had an issue at check-in.

They were given keys to an occupied room and then had to wait a really long time to get new keys to another room, and they didn't get any follow-up from us.

And I was trying to look into it, and I can't find any evidence that it happened or any information regarding that happening, so obviously we want to fix it, but I have no idea what happened, so I'm just trying to investigate and do a little digging to see exactly what happened and how can we prevent that from happening again and how can we make sure that this guest is not too mad at us, which I would be too if I was given keys to an occupied room.

That's definitely not a pleasant feeling.

Christiane, is Cariane doing the right thing by finding out what really happened?

I don't like the expression making mistakes, because there's something positive about making mistakes.

It's you tried something.

So I'd like to emphasize on that.

It's good to try something.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

And what's important is to learn from it.

So that to me is positive.

And yes, sometimes you want to know what happened, but as I said, you can't really find out.

And it's a great opportunity to gain back a guest.

Because when someone is not happy and you actually get back to this guest and you try to understand and you explain what actually happened, most of the time you gain back a guest for, I hate to say for life, but it's a good way to gain back the trust and the confidence.

So it's a great opportunity.

And find out what happened, but don't waste too much time, because sometimes it gets just, okay, we made a mistake, let's get back to the guest, and we'll do something to gain back that confidence.

In a timely manner, it's very important, but I think it's showing that you care about the issue.

If you show that you care, you understand and you admit that something went wrong, but you want to make it right.

At the end of the day, 99% of the time, you're going to be able to turn their situation, not only turn it, but you're going to be making a guess, most probably, I'm not going to say for life, but for a very long time.

That being said, you go, sometimes there are people that are very transparent about it, then they actually let people know it's their mistake and it makes it a little easier to solve.

Indeed, yes.

Eventually, one of Cariane's colleagues remembers what may have happened that night.

I think I know what happened.

There were two keys, and they were similar last names, so I gave them one, but then there were like ten people checking in, and both of them were gone, and by the time I could send some people out, so both of us were occupied, and then finally Gosha got free and I sent her with him.

That's what happened.

Gotcha.

That is what happened.

Yeah.

I will note that down.

That is what happened.

Perfect.

Thank you for the clarification.

Yeah.

With the mystery now solved, Cariane can move on to the next file, and this one is rather unique.

Because the hotel is in the middle of two huge arenas, it sometimes welcomes VIP hosts from the worlds of sport and culture.

And just then, a man over six and a half feet tall strides towards her.

Cariane?

Possibly.

That's me.

Eric, I'm assuming.

Nice to meet you.

Good, good, good.

Yeah, so we'll take you down, I think, for a little bit of a walkthrough just to see kind of what it is.

This man is the head of security for an artist who is performing in concert in two days' time.

Cariane takes him on a tour of the secret tunnel that the hotel has access to so that he can get to the arena discreetly.

So this way right here.

I'll just leave that open for now.

So we usually do the walkthrough from the elevator all the way to this way to the loading dock.

Exactly, yeah, yeah.

After the visit, the security man leaves and we approach Cariane for more details.

This was the head of security for, again, a talent who's going to be playing headlining at Scotiabank Arena.

So we have underground access to the arena for talents and VIPs who are staying with us who want to access the arena without being seen by anybody.

So this happens pretty often.

Usually head of security wants to do a little walkthrough before so they can see any potential issues, have an idea where we're going, what we're doing, what's happening.

They always want to be aware beforehand so they can make plans, contingency plans always.

It's not the first time he stays with us, so he decided to come back, so it looks like he enjoyed his stay the first time.

We asked Cariane what she thought these VIPs were looking for in the Germain Hotels.

I think they probably like the homely feeling.

Again, when you go on tour for a really long time, all you see is, you see that a lot.

They talk about gray hotel rooms, and every hotel room looks the same.

So I think we do have a little cachet, a little something different that we bring.

Every single one of our hotels has its own theme, I think.

We have our own vibe.

Again, we're very sports-themed here because of our proximity to the arena.

So we always try again to make it very personable, very homely, safe, but also something different.

Hugo, how do you feel about that?

I think obviously she's bringing very good points.

One thing she does is that, as you probably noticed, she didn't mention the artist's name while she was describing the situation.

I think one of our roles is obviously being very welcoming to artists and people well known in this world.

The other thing we need to do, however, is to be discreet and to make sure that when they're coming into our hotel, they know that we're not going to be either publishing, putting on anything on social media or anything like that.

That's one of the reasons why they come back because they feel comfortable.

They're trusting our judgment on that.

And I think that's why this particular artist came back and will probably come back in the future because he feels like at home and nobody knows about it.

You're going to tell me who he is when we're off mic, right?

I don't even know, so that's the thing.

They're so discreet, they won't even tell you.

That is the end of our episode.

Thanks to all three of you, and especially to Cariane for agreeing to share her day with us.

See you in a future episode of À la Germain.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.