It’s Friday in August — hot. Forty degrees-plus hot with the humidity. Although not unheard of in Dryden, it is unusual and the air conditioning is working extra hard today. Mike Readman, general manager of the Best Western Plus Dryden Hotel and Conference Centre, walks up and down the halls personally handing out free ice cream and bottles of cold water. Not for the guests, most of whom are already checked out or going about their day. Instead, it’s for the employees, who are busily getting ready for the weekend ahead.
“We had had three or four days of heat and I thought it would be a nice perk. I put different varieties of ice cream on a cart with some cold water, and I just went around the building thanking people,” Readman said. “With the temperatures — it really plays on you after a while. The ice cream made a lot of people’s day.”
It’s that kind of employee appreciation that makes the Best Western Plus Dryden one of the 5 Best Places to Work in Northern Ontario.
The hotel is a fairly big property for the region with 89 guest rooms, seven conference and meeting rooms that can accommodate from eight to 160 people, a full restaurant and lounge, and of course all the amenities you’d expect for business and pleasure such as a swimming pool, exercise room, business centre, and laundry service.
There’s one amenity you might not expect — a helipad. But it’s generally not catering to your sleek luxury helicopters. Instead, it’s a convenient landing spot for pilots with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), firefighters, or other resource-related business overnighting or attending one of the many events held here each year. For example, Dryden is home to an MNR forest firefighter training facility, and the hotel accommodates participants as well as some of the in-class training.
The Best Western Plus is also a popular tourist destination and wedding spot in the summer and a host for hockey teams attending tournaments in the winter. In other words, it’s busy-busy all year round for the 80 or so staff who ensure the guests are taken care of. That’s why, Readman said, it is so important that the management takes care of the employees.
“I’ve had the fortune of working with great bosses myself,” Readman said. “I feel the difference in the culture. If it’s a team approach and you’re supported by your managers and your owners, it gives you a sense of pride. When you feel like you’re on a losing team and no one is supporting you, it affects your morale, your work, your mental state.”
The thank-yous don’t have to be huge, but they have to be often. High-fives are a big part of the culture, Readman said — little ways of showing appreciation. Listening to employee feedback is important, too. One example is the new floor scrubber, purchased to help lobby staff keep the front entrance clean in winter when hundreds of people per day tramp in slush and road salt. “It still takes an employee, but it doesn’t physically strain them — they don’t feel wiped out at the end of the task.”
The restaurant kitchen recently underwent a minor renovation as well, thanks to suggestions from the staff. Changes included everything from a new line fridge to rearranging equipment to increase flow, increase efficiency, and decrease staff stress.
“We all have to work, so I’d rather they come to a place and have a sense of pride and a sense of ownership. I think the customer wins in the end, which is ultimately our goal.”
And customers have been noticing. The Best Western Plus Dryden is highly ranked on Tripadvisor.ca and won the Certificate of Excellence the last several years, awarded to hotels around the world that “consistently earn great reviews from travellers.” Readman himself won the Dryden District Chamber of Commerce Manager of the Year award for 2015.
This year, the Best Western Plus Dryden celebrates its 40th anniversary — and consistent employee recognition a big part of its success.
“We all want to know that at some point someone is realizing we’re doing a good job,” Readman said. “I think our team should hear that.”
