Success Stories > Brookstreet Hotel
Brookstreet Hotel
Achievement type: Tourism Association of Canada Award
Date achived: November 05 2007
Ottawa’s Brookstreet Hotel is renowned for their creative and cutting edge Human Resource practices – they have garnered many awards since their opening in 2003.
Among Brookstreet’s innovative practices are their S.P.I.C.I.E.R. values - Sensational experiences, Passion, Integrity, Commitment, Innovation, Empowerment, and Respect. These values are incorporated into every element of Brookstreet. They shape the orientation, guide performance reviews, and are the backbone of the S.P.I.C.I.E.R. Awards, which recognize the invaluable service that the hotel’s staff (“partners”) contributes to the overall success of the hotel. These quarterly peer-nominated Awards are celebrated in style at a wine and cheese, and the recipients receive a trophy, a day off with pay, and a copy of their nomination so they can view what actions and attitudes prompted their win.
“The S.P.I.C.I.E.R. values have been part of our culture from the outset,” explains Chantal Smitheram, Casting Director at Brookstreet. “We had the luxury as a new, independent property to spend time creating a unique environment and culture. We carefully examined what values we wanted to guide daily interactions, and we felt that these best promoted the relaxed professional atmosphere we desired.”
Linked to these values, Brookstreet’s B1 vision promotes partners to excel in four areas: B unique, B known, B loyal, and B profitable. The overall aim is to bring out and be the best – in guest experiences, in customer service, in daily operations. Partners are encouraged to develop their unique talents and creativity, communicate their ideas, and get to know the hotel as a whole so they can provide valuable feedback.
“Everything we do here, we try to do in a unique and active way,” continues Smitheram. “These innovative HR practices keep our partners’ attention more focused, and they learn and communicate more easily. We work very hard for our partners. We value their unique talents and skills, and recognize that they make or break our success.”
To ensure partners are comfortable and happy with its workplace practices, Brookstreet provides “Unchain your Brain” learning sessions to promote communication, innovation, and a comfortable work environment. They consistently review their values and workplace practices, soliciting feedback from partners about ways to enhance the performance of the hotel – both from a guest and a staff standpoint.
The commitment to keeping an open dialogue with partners is clearly a success: internal surveys indicate that 93% of partners are proud to work at Brookstreet, and 91% would recommend it as a great place to work.
Contact information
525 Legget Drive
Ottawa, ON K2K 2W2
Tel: (613) 271-1800
info@brookstreet.com
www.brookstreet.ca