Empowering Guests at the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel
The Vancouver International Airport is a major trans-pacific hub. As such, it has allowed for a thriving hotel market in Richmond, where it’s located. Of all the hotels in downtown Richmond, one stands out for its premium options and its outstanding service: the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel. Consistently top-ranked for guest satisfaction and highlighted within the Marriott network as one of its most exceptional hotels, the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel is also one of Nespresso Professional’s exceptional partners in the service industry.
When asked about the key to the hotel’s success, Yannick Simovich, General Manager of the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel, is unequivocal. “We have the philosophy of putting people first. Over the years, the hotel has become a gathering place, a community hub. Our regular guests really call it a home away from home. 65% of our associates have been with the hotel since its opening in 1998. They have deep connections with our guests. It feels like one big family. I’ve never seen it anywhere, and it works, it’s great.
Yannick Simovich is himself an experienced hotelier. “I got the job in the industry by coincidence. I basically did a training apprenticeship in Switzerland, in Gstaad, and then made my way through the ranks.” During his time in the industry, he has seen it evolve into a different world. “During my apprenticeship in Switzerland I worked with some really old-school professionals that did things in very regimented ways. That’s how it was, and not really how it is anymore. And that’s alright. You have to be able to give new customers what they want.”
Yannick Simovich,
"Expectation can make or break guest experience, so consistency is crucial."
General Manager of the Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotel
Part of this new reality is to provide your staff and guests with the right tools to create their own ideal experience. “To create an environment of the highest quality, you empower people. Nespresso Professional complements all our other services really well. Coffee is the first thing that you have in the morning. It needs to have an impact.” Part of the tools employed by the hotel to empower its guests is its reliance on accessible Original machines in private rooms, convenient and simple Zenius machines in conference rooms and a versatile and premium Aguila 220 in its exclusive lounge, the M Club. Wherever their guests find themselves in the hotel, they can make an exceptional cup of coffee to fit their needs. “I think Nespresso is fantastic. When guests come to a hotel, they don’t expect Nespresso, and when they see it, they’re really surprised and very happy. And people that experience it for the first time fall in love with it.”
For Yannick Simovich, an especially powerful pairing with Nespresso is their M Club. “It’s definitely the best place to have a Nespresso. It’s a small area, but it’s really well designed, and you have your privacy, you have beautiful booths, communal tables and little separate tables. You feel very relaxed. There’s a little fireplace, charging stations when you put your phones on the counter, televisions, magazines. You have everything you need.” It’s where we decided to put our Aguila and people love it. They serve themselves. The fact that you pull down the handle gives you the experience of being your own barista.”
At the Marriott, this type of hands-on empowerment is an integral part of their philosophy. “We truly believe quality means pursuing excellence. We can’t stop at good, we strive to exceed expectations and continue to raise the bar of excellence.” And how does Nespresso Professional match that ideal of excellence? For Yannick Simovich, it’s there “from the packaging of the coffee, to the look of the machine. Once you pour the coffee and you see that beautiful crema on top, as well as the smell and the feel... It’s the experience itself that goes beyond drinking coffee.”
