Krystine Hollowell receives award from Craig Sanders
Hoagland Properties, owners of Florence’s River House Inn and Old Town Inn, recently named Krystine Hollowell, the recipient of its prestigious President’s Award.
The company reserves the award for truly exceptional performance, far beyond that of a typical employee-of-the-year award.
“Krystine started working for us at The Old Town Inn in April of 2013,” explains Craig Sanders, company president. “She started as a housekeeper, was promoted to assistant head housekeeper within two months, and promoted again to head housekeeper just 10 months later. Krystine is now second-in-command when the managers are away from the property.”
“Krystine is a great example of dedication, hard work, dependability, and professionalism as well as being a darn nice person,” adds Sanders.
“Krystine is the first to arrive and the last to leave, and is never late,” says Sharon Birdwell, co-manager at The Old Town Inn who nominated Hollowell. “She is very detail oriented and organized. She charts staff efficiencies and finds ways to improve turn-around time while maintaining our extremely high standards for cleanliness.”
Hollowell often holds staff competitions for the cleanest rooms and quickest turn-arounds. They are rewarded for positive feedback on guest comment cards and online reviews. Hollowell will not release a room for use until she personally inspects it thoroughly, even to the extent of getting down on her hands and knees with a flashlight to check under beds and chairs, and behind dressers and armoires.
“She has also brought recognition to The Old Town Inn by making the beautiful towel art—swans, crabs, and other shapes—that delight our guests,” adds Birdwell. “She’s trained staff in this too. One morning she made 58 swans for a women’s retreat while tending to the front desk.”
“We continue to receive guest comments and reviews on TripAdvisor stating how happy our guests are with how clean the rooms are. It is fairly common to read guest comments like ‘this is the cleanest room we have seen on our trip.’ This due in large part to Krystine’s leadership and the examples she sets for her staff,” says co-manager John Birdwell.
“Our outstanding customer service has increased overnight stays for new and repeat customers, bringing more people to the Florence area for longer periods of time. That’s just one more reason we are so proud to give this award to Krystine, who deserves it so much, and we are very happy she is working for Hoagland Properties rather than the competition,” adds Sanders.
Hollowell received a plaque recognizing her achievement, a staff luncheon in her honor, and a cash award. The Old Town in is ranked number 11 in the country by TripAdvisor for best bargain hotels in the US. In January, Hoagland Properties received the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Siuslaw Award for excellence in customer service.
“The Chamber’s recognition validates everything we do, everything we represent. It is a reflection of the hard work of our dedicated staff and management who take pride in their work and strive daily to care for our guests so they return to Florence again and again,” says Sanders.