Culture
We believe that nourishing a positive, friendly and inspiring employee culture is crucial to our overall success. Crowne Plaza Culture includes employee events, community outreach and our Celebrate Service campaign, which recognizes and rewards exemplary Crowne Plaza employees. Check this page regularly for updates on Crowne Plaza Culture!
Praise for our Employees
“We write to you to formally express our sincere gratitude for the very cordial assistance you all provided in helping us to organize the “Happy 65th, Nash” event and ensuring that it proceeded so effortlessly. It was definitely a smashing success!
From start to finish, your professionalism and benevolence were deeply appreciated and we arrived on the day to find the room elegantly and intimately arranged!
Chef Tony, many heartfelt thanks for the splendid feast you prepared. Everything, from the appetizers to the buffet and the dessert, was all deliciously superb and thoroughly enjoyed by our guests who expressed high praises all evening! We particularly enjoyed the curry chicken and naan and we sincerely appreciated all your wonderful culinary efforts.
We must also say a very special thank you to Virgilio and his exceptional team of servers who were incredibly courteous and accommodating to our needs and the needs of our guests throughout the evening.”
- Nash, Vanessa, Darrell and Candice Baksh
Youth Without Shelter Partnership
We are thrilled to have partnered with Youth Without Shelter this year to do our part to help end youth homelessness. Throughout 2013, our staff will deliver a hot breakfast to the shelter each month, and our entire team is encouraged to donate a toonie and dress down on Fridays to help raise funds for YWS.
Cooking for a Cause
On Saturday November 17, our executive chef Tony Fernandes and garde manger chef Chaminda Palihawadana put on their chefs’ coats for a wonderful cause. They cooked for this amazing group who made a substantial donation to motionball for Special Olympics Canada in exchange for this private gourmet dinner experience. What a wonderful night!
Cafeteria Painting!
We love our new brand colours so much that our staff decided to get together on the weekend and paint the cafeteria to match!
Staff Appreciation Gala
Our annual staff appreciation gala started 2012 off with a bang! Complete with a Lady Gaga impersonator, live music, amazing prizes and a feast fit for kings, the event was a wonderful opportunity for our team to let loose together and more importantly, be recognized for the incredible work they do all year.
Youth Without Shelter Dinner
On January 19th, 2012, Chef Tony prepared a feast to bring to 50 homeless youth at Etobicoke’s Youth Without Shelter. Our staff had a memorable visit with these wonderful youth, who were so appreciative of a hot, gourmet meal.
The Great Airport Office Christmas Party in Pictures
An Evening of Elegance – Toronto Central Church Family
“Greetings from the Toronto Central Church Family! On behalf of the Pastors, members and friends of Toronto Central, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for making last evening a memorable one. The food was excellent. The ambience was fantastic and the staff was wonderful. Please take a moment today to congratulate the Manager, the Head Chef, the cooks and the work staff, for a great job! Well done. Thanks again for another terrific ‘Evening of Elegance & Entertainment’.…….till next year!.”
- Anneta Ralph, Toronto Central S.D.A Church
Praise for our Employees
“I was recently a guest at your hotel on a business trip from the United States. I just wanted to take a quick moment to praise the excellent customer service I received from one of your employees. I was in a jam and needed a ride downtown to catch a Blue Jays game. However, I didn’t want to spend the hour+ to take mass transit to the Rogers Centre. I called your Assistant Director of Sales, Evan Korec, to see if he could arrange transportation for me to the game. He informed me that it would be hard for me to be shuttled downtown, but he would be happy to give me a ride on his way home for the day.
I wanted to commend Evan for his outstanding customer service and willingness to help me in a city I was not familiar with. It’s not often someone takes time away from their busy schedule to help a guest in this manner. You should be very proud to have Evan on your team and he made my first trip to downtown Toronto much easier and less time consuming. Should I ever return to Toronto, you have a guest for life.”
- Jonathan
Staff Pumpkin Carving Competition
We can’t believe Halloween has come and gone already! Once again, our staff pumpkin carving contest was intense, but the grand prize (a pizza party) went to the front office department. Their evil smoking pumpkin was a hilarious nod to our new status as a smoke-free hotel. Check out the winner and the other amazing entries:
Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage Conference
We are proud to have hosted the Canadian Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage for a conference and gala from September 23rd – 25th. We are so honoured to have received a beautiful appreciation letter from the CAPIH President:
“What a delicate, delightful, mouth watering dinner, prepared to perfection! The buzz in the room was all about the food, infusion of spices, the beauty of the presentation, the exquisite taste of the French food, slow cooked in Indian spices, the mouth watering desserts, all perfectly paired with a great selection of matched wines. Our key-note speaker, Ex-minister Mr. G. Kennedy, even commented on this being the best meal he has ever had. This, from a man who regularly dines with Ministers and Celebrities!
We are truly appreciative of your staff who worked tirelessly over days to achieve this level of perfection. They really do you proud.”
- Dr. Madan Roy, CAPIH President
The Ultimate Chef Experience – Donation to motionball
The Runway Run
Mother’s Day at La Brasserie
La Brasserie was the place to be on Mother’s Day!
The Green Key Award
We are so honoured to win this prestigious award! The Green Key Award recognizes a hotel that has shown national industry leadership and commitment to protecting the environment. The Green Key Eco-Rating Program is designed to recognize hotels that are committed to improving the environmental and fiscal performance. It has always been important to us to be environmentally conscious and participate in corporate social responsibility.
Here are some highlights and accomplishments we achieved in environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility:
- We have a formal, written environmental policy in place.
- An Environmental Committee has been assigned responsibility for directing and co-ordinating environmental initiatives within the hotel.
- Communication strategies regarding environment initiatives and practices for all staff have been implemented.
- We sponsor and celebrate environmental events, including Earth Day.
Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Travel Buyers Dinner
On March 23 2011, we had the honour of hosting a welcome dinner for a wonderful group of travel buyers and agents from Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Province, who work to promote Canadian tourism in their home towns.
The elegant dinner represented Canada from the East to the West and included chicken consomme, fresh greens with grilled scallops and tiger shrimps, grilled Alberta AAA beef tenderloin and Ontario Pork served with puree of sweet potato and asparagus.
Our Culinary Team Cleans up Again!
Once again, we are celebrating our culinary team! On March 8th, three of our chefs, Din Nouri (Left) Kirk Hudson (Centre) and Michael Howell (Right) and were honoured by The Escoffier Society of Toronto with one Gold and two Silver medals from the Culinary Salon 2011, a prestigious culinary competition that took place at the Direct Energy Centre.
Under the direction of our Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director Tony Fernandes, Michael Howell won a Gold medal for his presentation of a three-course Casual Luncheon, while Din Nouri and Kirk Hudson won Silver medals for their presentations in the same category. Congratulations chefs!
Staff Appreciation Night
On January 8th, 2011 all Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel staff gathered in our stunning Algonquin Ballroom to celebrate their hard work in 2010 and let loose together. Service Awards recognizing our long-time employees and Moments of Truth participants were given out before an amazing Elvis impersonator warmed up the dance floor!
Youth Without Shelter Dinner
On December 21st, 2010 six of our hotel staff members packed up a holiday feast prepared by our Chef Tony Fernandes and headed to Youth Without Shelter to bring a gourmet dinner to 50 Toronto youth without homes. What a rewarding experience!
Staff Gingerbread House Competition
Before the holidays, each department at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport hotel participated in a Gingerbread House Making Competition. As usual, the competition was fierce, but the winning team’s creativity scores were off the charts! This detailed replica of our hotel was unbelievable!
Culinary World Cup Team Send-off Party
On November 16th, we hosted a send-off party for our Chef Tony Fernandes and the other members of Canada’s Golden Horseshoe Culinary Team, before they boarded a flight to Luxembourg to compete in the Culinary World Cup 2010. CBC News, The Mississauga Business Times, GoodLife Magazine, Restaurant News, Canadian Hospitality and others came to interview Tony and take a sneak peak of some of the dishes they would prepare at the Culinary World Cup.
We’re proud to announce that Tony and his team members competed against 2,400 chefs from 53 countries and came home with Silver and Bronze medals for Canada!
Staff Pumpkin Carving Competition
This Halloween, each department at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel was challenged to a pumpkin carving competition. Eight departments participated and employees took time before and after their shifts to strategize and create their masterpieces. The top three teams won pizza lunches for their whole departments and the first place team was presented with a Gold Cup, which will be proudly displayed until next year’s winner is chosen. The entries were fierce, spooky and downright impressive!
Celebrate Service
Our year-round Celebrate Service campaign is made up of two programs: Moments of Truth and Promise Pins.
Moments of Truth
A Moment of Truth is recognized when an employee truly goes above and beyond their call of duty for our guests. We’re thrilled to share these recent guest testimonials about our wonderful staff:
“I was recently a guest at your hotel on a business trip from the United States. I just wanted to take a quick moment to praise the excellent customer service I received from one of your employees. I was in a jam and needed a ride downtown to catch a Blue Jays game. However, I didn’t want to spend the hour+ to take mass transit to the Rogers Centre. I called your Assistant Director of Sales, Evan Korec, to see if he could arrange transportation for me to the game. He informed me that it would be hard for me to be shuttled downtown, but he would be happy to give me a ride on his way home for the day.
I wanted to commend Evan for his outstanding customer service and willingness to help me in a city I was not familiar with. It’s not often someone takes time away from their busy schedule to help a guest in this manner. You should be very proud to have Evan on your team and he made my first trip to downtown Toronto much easier and less time consuming. Should I ever return to Toronto, you have a guest for life.”
- Jonathan
“I am writing to you to let you know that we had such a positive experience with your hotel when Rashieka Ganeswaren helped us locate and deal with our elderly father, who was forced to stay overnight in Toronto due to an Air Canada flight cancellation. I want to ensure that you know about this as it is quite rare these days to encounter such thoughtfulness and exceptional customer service.
Our dad is almost 90 years old, and while still bright and capable, he is very hard of hearing and has difficulty walking. Initially, when his flight did not arrive in Hartford as expected and family members were scrambling to find out where he was and what had happened, we were very worried. Finally, after many calls and waiting on the phone, an Air Canada representative was able to tell us that dad was going to be staying at the airport Crowne Plaza hotel. He arrived safely home yesterday.
We were so very lucky to have Rashieka as our contact, because she went far and beyond her obligation to ensure that we were able to contact dad and that he was safe, comfortable and cared for at your hotel. I can’t tell you how relieved we were to have her kind reassurance. I want to make sure that she is recognized for this and that you know how very fortunate you are to have such a wonderful, competent person working for you. Thank you again for all the assistance to us.”
- Anna-Maria
I just want to inform you a guest in room 911 ordered a pizza from Tony’s Gourmet Pizza Menu on Wednesday night, and after she was finished eating, she called the switchboard. She insisted that I thank the chef a million times for her, because she stated that it was the best pizza she ever had. She was so impressed by it, claiming everything on the pizza was made to perfection. The two chefs on duty were Michael Howell and Tyler Eberitt.
- Jean, CPTA Staff
Promise Pins
Promise Pins is an initiative to reward employees for delivering on the Crowne Plaza’s Brand Promise of “a better meeting experience for meeting planners and a better night’s sleep for meeting attendees and guests.”
By receiving positive comment cards from guests and performing towards the Brand Promise, employees can work towards receiving a Platinum Pin and a $50 American Express Card!
