In my experience good customer service in the hospitality industry should be a stick on; a given; taken for granted even. If you book a hotel and turn up at the allotted time nothing really should go wrong; your room should be clean, stocked with towels, loo paper and batteries in the TV remote-and if you’re lucky, a soft towelling housecoat with matching slippers in the wardrobe waiting to envelope your tired traveller's body.
I see most hotel managers and hotel guests nodding in agreement.
But, the real inn keepers are the ones who step up when things go wrong, especially when the holiday disaster you’re staring in the face has nothing to do with them and they still pull out all the stops to avoid making a bad situation miserable.
First up is David Yu from The Loden Hotel in Vancouver. We were booked to stay three nights before boarding a cruise ship to Alaska. We had already experienced an awesome 2 days on The Rocky Mountaineer so the staff at The Loden had a lot to live up to. The Loden is a small, classy boutique hotel in the very fashionable but understated Coal Harbour area of Vancouver. The cost of staying here is very reasonable given the facilities in the hotel including a gym and its proximity to a very upmarket area of Vancouver.
We entered our room and immediately encountered a bottle of Champagne and some Macarons along with a hand-written note from the Corporate Sales Manager Simon Potel wishing us a happy anniversary and a belated birthday for myself. Nice touch.
Our room on the 9th floor was the epitome of style and substance. Recently I learned that the left side of the brain refuses to switch off when it is asked to rest in a new environment and that is why so many of us fail to sleep properly on the first night of a vacation. The bed was so comfy that my left brain forgot to switch off and as I also suffer from chronic Tinnitus this was nothing short of a miracle.
Okay so far so good. After 3 restful nights and some unseasonably good weather (The Loden doesn’t accept responsibility for the weather even when it's scorching) we said goodbye to the staff and jumped in a cab to the Port of Vancouver.
Now, I’m not going to exacerbate my PTSD by retelling the disaster that befell us at the port, suffice to say we did not come with an American Visa or ESTA which meant that we were refused entry onto the ship. We were left stranded along with a Mexican family who had no money at all. At least we had plastic which was soundly thrashed as we forked out for three flights and two hotels in order to catch up with the ship after eventually securing our ESTA. The poor Mexican family left without their cruise and their suitcases. Our suitcases had already been loaded onto the ship and didn't come back therefore we had no option but to chase the ship to the next port or wear the same underpants for a week.
I frantically phoned the Loden as we desperately needed another night to gather our thoughts and make some big decisions. David was only too happy to help and found another room for us and told us if we needed another night it would be no problem. Thankfully Celebrity Cruises emergency travel team really stepped up and sorted our flights, including flights to Seattle, Juneau and Hoonah. We had one hotel to book in Seattle but it looked like all systems go. The next morning, we decided not to hang around the hotel waiting for an evening flight to the US so we hired bikes and The Loden put our luggage into storage. An hour into our cycle the heavens opened drenching us to the skin. We arrived back at The Loden like drowned rats unable to desert a sinking ship. The staff immediately asked if we wanted to use a room to shower and change and we jumped at their kind offer. At 5pm Eric from the hotel took us to the Sky Train in The Loden’s very own London taxi free of charge and we thought we’d never see the Loden again.
36 hours later We had successfully boarded The Celebrity Eclipse at Icy Strait Point to a rapturous welcome from the ship’s crew. We had also survived an amazing adventure with a small plane from Juneau to Hoonah in Alaska and seen whales and a Bear on the runway in Hoonah so we were well ahead of what the passengers of the Eclipse had experienced. The rest of the cruise was amazing but it was over too soon and we docked in Vancouver and began disembarkation. We had nearly 12 hours to kill so we were keen to put our luggage into storage.
On arrival we tried to put our luggage into the port’s storage facility and then a nearby hotel, but they were both full up. I then decided to contact the Loden and without hesitation they agreed to look after our bags for us before we flew from Vancouver at 9pm. They were simply amazing and we shared our cruise adventure stories with them. They once again offered us a room to shower in but we were in fine fettle and I felt that we had received more than enough hospitality from this wonderful establishment. Finally, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the adjoining Tableau restaurant and I squeezed in a cat nap on the comfy sofas in the hotel lobby before finally saying our goodbyes. I have to say without the Laden's involvement this holiday of a lifetime could have easily made it into my top five holiday disasters and I am so grateful to them for going the extra mile.
So, thank you to The Loden from the bottom of my heart for such a charming stay.
I’ll never forget the wonderful team led by Simon Potel. Thank you also to Dimitri, David, Jessie, Eric, Chiaki, Daria, Silvia and Thibault. Never forget. You are The Loden. Without you, it’s just another building with a bed.

From the minute I stepped onto the doormat I experienced hospitality that is hard to find anywhere. David checked me in and was efficient and informatve. We borrowed their complimentary bicycles two days in a row with no hassle. The bed was so comfortable and cozy. I grabbed a quick workout before checking out and discovered the best hotel gym ever. It was bright, clean and had everything I needed. Finally, the restaurant recommendations from the start were spot on. If I make in back to Vancouver I am staying at Loden.