Mar
8
By Rita Button
The Oswego, a boutique hotel on Oswego and Kingston, has changed in the last few months — both in the overall hotel administration and in the Bistro. While the administrative change for the hotel has just recently occurred, the changes in the Bistro were made just prior to Christmas season celebrations. It’s tough to understand the degree of effectiveness these alterations have wrought because of their proximity to Christmas. However, Vanessa Pennington, sales and events manager, assured me that January and February would tell the story fairly quickly!
Vanessa is excited about the changes, mainly because they dramatize the values the hotel has adopted to guide its direction. Two words that connect to the values of this hotel are “local” and “respect.”
The concept of local can be seen most easily in The Bistro where much of the food has been sourced locally: Qualicum cheese, Wild Fire Organic Bakery bread, Saanich eggs, meat from Slater’s Meats, seafood from Finest at Sea, charcuterie from Choux Choux, and lamb from Parry Bay Sheep Farm. The wine list also offers many choices from our province.
But local does not end with food. Entertainment, too, is a local product — especially the Jazz on Wednesday nights.
The biggest part of the local story, however, is likely the management company. While most hotels use management companies, The Oswego is one of the first in Victoria to use a local management company, Kingsbridge Management, owned by a resident of Victoria — Suzanne Gatrell. Suzanne has been the General Manager of The Oswego since 2007 and continues in that role. But Suzanne wanted to continue learning, to change from the micro-management of the hotel, so she created the Kingsbridge Management Company, and The Oswego is her first client. For now, she’s staying on as the main administrator, but she’s also looking for another client to grow the Management business, and hopes to have added multiple hotels to her firm by the end of 2016.
Boutique hotels are Kingsbridge Management’s main interest. Because the hotel is “one of”, the Company is able to brand the hotel as an illustration of its values. A very obvious value is to create a place where all are respected. You can expect the same service if you and a friend drop in for a glass of wine and a selection of cheeses, or if you are a part of a four course dinner at a table of twenty. All are equally welcome. Status and image of clients make no difference. A client or a guest is someone who is respected and whose needs are recognized.
Today, I sat on the couch finishing my cup of coffee after Vanessa had left. It was a comfortable place to be — I didn’t need to be a part of anything but myself. It was great.
You would enjoy the space and the service as well. But don’t take my word for it. Go and see for yourself.