With great customer service, comfortable rooms, and awesome amenities, the Candlewood Suites Asheville Downtown has established itself as a prime hotel in the area. But, that didn’t just happen overnight.
As Director of Sales Amber Sloan notes, community partnerships are imperative to be successful in the hospitality industry.
“Working in the hotel industry, I have learned that partnerships such as the Chamber are so important,” says Sloan. “They are vital to success when it comes to building your foundation and networking. These partnerships will always be there when you need someone or have a question.”
Check out our full Q&A with Sloan below…
Tell us about your business and the role you play in it.
Our hotel offers the comfort you deserve, such as larges suites, comfortable beds, fully equipped kitchens with stovetops, dishwashers, microwaves, and refrigerators in each room. While lodging in our hotel, check out Asheville’s only Green Roof lounge with mountain views where you can host your next even, with over 11,000 square feet of space, the options are endless! You are also invited to use our meeting rooms, free guest laundry, and 24-hour business center, indoor pool/jacuzzi, large fitness rooms and outdoor grills. Our hotel’s location puts you close to it all: dining, shopping, and entertainment. Our hotel is less than 3 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway allowing easy access to stunning mountain views and hiking trails and located only 0.5 mile from the heart of downtown.
What is your company’s relationship with the community?
As part of the Asheville community, we love to invite visitors in show the charm of Asheville. As residents to the area, we want them to understand the small-town charm of Asheville and beauty of the area. We want them visiting the local vendors and understanding what makes Asheville’s character unique and thriving.
What does “hospitality” mean to you?
Hospitality: Going above and beyond to make sure that you leave every person you meet with a smile and remembering your name because you treated them with respect and kindness. That is the southern hospitable way. You should always make visitors feel welcomed and want to return and feel like they are at home!
What experience do you strive to create for your customers?
Leading off hospitality the most important thing working in the hospitality industry is making sure each guest does not feel like a guest, but they feel like they are at home. When working in an extended stay hotel we strive to make sure we know each persons’ name what brings them in and try to make their stay as personable as they would like. We go above and beyond to make sure they have everything they need from check in to check out, and beyond.
What do you enjoy best about working in your industry?
Working in the hotel industry is beyond one of the best experiences you meet some of the most incredible people. You are introduced to people from all over the world, some are there for weddings, births of grandbabies, sad days, and some are working on a project for a year at a time who become family. It’s a great experience that is rewarding and ever changing at the end of the day.
Through your experiences, what have you learned about customer service?
Customer service is the most important thing to every business and is what will make or break you. This is the one thing that must remain consistent and is the vital part to running a successful business. You have to make your customers/guest happy so that they return, and word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Working in the hotel industry, I have learned that partnerships such as the Chamber are so important. They are vital to success when it comes to building your foundation and networking. These partnerships will always be there when you need someone or have a question. They are key to the success of every business when it comes to opening the doors and truly assist in providing you the proper contacts to get the foot traffic moving.
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