The New Brunswick nominees are among 42 finalists hoping to earn top spots Nov. 3 at a gala in Saint John.
Karl Doestch of the Delta Fredericton Hotel is a nominee in the Employee of the Year category, his second year in a row as a finalist.
“Karl is the very epitome of what you look for in the hospitality business. He’s so great with our guests,” said Delta Fredericton general manager Sara Holyoke. “He’s got a great attitude and he is very hard-working.”
As a banquet server, it’s his personality that has endeared him to hotel guests, Holyoke said. Both last year and this year, his nomination for the award came at the recommendation of hotel clients.
Although he didn’t win last year at the Ottawa event, to be a finalist two years in a row out of all the Canadian hotels and hospitality businesses nominating candidates is exciting and prestigious, Holyoke said.
Doestch is humble and didn’t mention to his co-workers that he was nominated again this year, Holyoke said.
In the past, he has earned the Employee of the Year Award from the Delta Fredericton Hotel and Employee of the Year for Silver Birch Hotels, which formerly owned the Fredericton hotel.
The 30-year-old said working in the hospitality sector helped him overcome his shyness and to be more of a team player. He does banquet setup, porter and server duties.
“My philosophy is to work as hard as you can and what you put into your job and the effort that you make and everything that you do in a day, the reward you get in that day is seeing the customer’s reaction on their face,” Doestch said. “If they have a smile on their face at the end of the day, you know you’ve done your part in making them happy and succeeding in your job.”
Doestch said returning guests expect high-quality service and you have to know and anticipate their needs.
“I definitely enjoy what I’m doing right now. Basically, it comes down to the staff I work with and the people I meet in the community,” he said.
He said he may not always be doing the same job, but he wants to continue to work in the hospitality sector.
Win or lose, Doestch said he doesn’t do his job well just to earn accolades, although that’s gratifying.
“As much as I enjoy recognition, that’s not what drives me to do this,” he said.
Fredericton’s edVentures summer program, launched in the summer of 2008, allows tourists to participate in hands-on learning programs in craft and culture. There are 120 workshops teaching skills from rug hooking to digital photography.
The Fredericton program is one of three contenders for the association’s Deloitte Innovator of the Year Award.
The program has already collected two New Brunswick Tourism Innovation and Excellence awards.
The city’s tourism manager, David Seabrook, said the nomination is validation that the city is developing quality tourism programs that can hold their own with others in the country.
“We think we’ve built a national-class learning-vacation program in craft and culture,” Seabrook said.
“New Brunswickers should be proud that so many of our tourism products and people who work in the tourism sector are considered worthy of this national recognition,” said Tourism and Parks Minister Stuart Jamieson.
“The finalists are excellent examples of the vision and innovation that will ensure a strong future for New Brunswick’s tourism industry,” said Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick president Joanne Berube-Gagne.