Hotel Operations Partner Good evening everyone. Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy lives to celebrate with us. Because after all the time and experiences we ve had getting our beautiful Inn Chain Name ready, we are ready to celebrate! Please enjoy the refreshments and know that even though you ll hear from me, my wife and business partner, the folks at Inn Chain headquarters and our Mayor, we ll make every effort to keep it short and sweet and to not interfere with your fun. As I was thinking of what to say to you all tonight, I realized that building a hotel is a lot like creating a good, strong marriage: it takes much longer than you can imagine; it takes a lot of hard work that nobody tells you about --- and the results are far more satisfying than you could ever have imagined!
I remember way back in the beginning when my wife and I were just looking around for opportunities, we had a very special meeting with person s name at the Regional Economic Development office. As we talked about our desire to build a hotel, I could see that this woman was able to easily link how the needs of this community could be served by our interest. She looked us in the eye and announced that she knew of something that was coming available that might just do the trick for us. Out of that meeting, plus a conversation with a banker in our network, came an introduction to the late, great person s name. He was a man of great foresight, hard work and determination who was so committed to making this community stronger. One regret I have is that his untimely death means I ll never get to know him better. And yet, connecting with him opened so many doors for us. Thank you X and all the other XX clan members we ve had the pleasure to know and work with.
When I think back on the actual construction process, one of my big memories is standing outside and watching as 5 bulldozers dug deep, creating great piles of sand next to a hole that looked like it could contain a Toronto highrise! While standing there watching all the action and the size of this building, the project suddenly became real for me. I was a bit shocked, and if I m honest maybe a little scared about what we d gotten ourselves into, but all of a sudden it was truly our future that we were watching get created. As they say, we were now in so deep we had to keep going forward. Like all large construction projects, we had our share of challenges. And one of the things I learned most about working in this community is how many of the sub-trade people we worked with were personally interested and personally invested in making our hotel a success. It was clear that each of them knew very well that time is money and did their utmost to make certain we were ready for our opening day. I will always remember their willingness to go the
extra mile on our behalf. That kind of loyalty, for me, was truly inspiring and makes me glad to be part of the town name community. Now, before I turn you over to our invited speakers, I d like to share a final short story with you. We had just opened and had about 30 young hockey players anxious to give our pool a try. About an hour before they poured into the pool complex, we at long last got word from the health inspector that we were ready to go. We only had an hour to warm up the water, so it was definitely a bit frigid. But these were kids, anxious for a promised swim, and in they went, screaming their shock as they hit the water. I thought I might float away with the amount of backwash they created around the pool from their diving and splashing one another with great glee. And I knew that this was just the kind of thing that we d hoped for in building a community oriented hotel. I might have been wet and frozen but I was a very happy man.
And now, allow me to introduce you to rep s name from Inn Chain When they are finished: Thank you so much. My wife and I are very pleased with our decision to join the Inn Chain family. And now a man who needs little introduction, our Mayor XX has a few words to share with us all. Hotel Management Partner Thanks so much X. We appreciate you taking the time to come out and celebrate with us today. I have to tell you that one of our contractors complained to me one day when I told him that you had given me your personal cell phone number. His
mayor apparently hadn t been nearly so generous and didn t offer that level of service to him. Thanks for making us feel so special. When I think about all the preparations we ve been involved in for the past couple of years, I find that it is our staff who really capture my attention. I think of XX, who was hired as our Front Desk Manager and yet who willingly donned hard hat and safety boots for 4 months while construction was completed. Never once did she complain that this wasn t her job. And never once did she flinch, but always stepped in to do what needed to be done. When our 12 trailer loads of furniture arrived at various times, she pitched in, unloading and moving like a long-shoreman. And wouldn t you know that our 100 mattresses arrived on the hottest day of the year while we had no airconditioning. Still, there she was loading bedding into airless elevators, hauling them up to the 3 rd floor and making certain they were delivered to the appropriate rooms.
Thank you XX for your hard work and dedication. I am always impressed when I arrive at the front desk to see you at the computer terminal finalizing a reservation while at the same time talking to a different customer on the phone and answering another call. Talk about a multi-tasker! It is great to know that it is your face and your voice that are many people s introduction to our hotel. You represent us extremely well. On the housekeeping side, where would we be without XXX, who started with nothing and has created a well-oiled machine for us. From previous experience I thought that I could quickly assess a room s readiness for the next customer, but XXX has taught me a thing or two about attention to detail in making sure that everything is perfect before declaring a room ready. I love it when I get to learn from my staff!
And XXX had her whole family pitch in at one point when our spirits were low, deadlines were looming and it was hotter than Hades outside. We were sitting on the curb, exhausted from hauling furniture all day only to look up to see XXX, her kids, husband and Father heading our way to help out. What a spirit lifter than was! Thanks so much, XXX. But we ve made it and you re all here to celebrate our success with us. I appreciate you coming out. Enjoy the food and drinks. Talk to our staff, get to know them a little better. And don t forget to visit the four rooms we have on display be certain to pick up your gift bag before you leave. I d like to close by saying a huge Thank You, once again, to everyone who has contributed to this success. My husband and I might be new to this town but we look forward to becoming old hands in the community. If you have a project or idea we can
perhaps support, don t be shy about coming and talking with us. In the meantime, - enjoy.