New Concierge Gives Residents Something Extra
When Megan Angelini finished school in 2007, she went to work immediately for one of the most prestigious hotel brands in Canada, the Fairmont Group.
“Fairmont is very customer focused,” said Megan. “It’s a luxury hotel brand that believes in turning an ordinary stay into something memorable.” Megan moved through the ranks to become reservations and customer service manager in Calgary. Now she is taking her experience to United’s Fish Creek community in the role of concierge.
She describes her role as varied, but focused on providing the highest quality of service to residents. If you’ve ever asked a hotel concierge for theatre tickets, or advice on restaurants in the area, you get an idea about what Megan brings to United. Part of her position is to provide services that make people feel special.
While Megan is concierge at Fish Creek, she will also have a support role in the resident experience at both Fish Creek and Garrison Green communities. It’s about providing a best-in-class resident experience no matter which community you choose.
“It’s all about creating value and reaching for a memorable experience for residents and their families,” said Megan.
For Megan, it’s the little things that can really make a difference.
“It’s still early in my role. I’ve been here for three weeks, but I’m connecting with each resident, sitting down with them and getting to know them, even knowing how each one likes their coffee or tea,” said Megan.
She has a spreadsheet with each resident’s name and columns for their likes. “I’m learning what makes them happy.”
She makes special arrangements with the kitchen and lavishes special attention on birthdays and anniversaries. Being a concierge is half of her job, the other half is hospitality. Things like furniture placement, whether the plants need water or pruning, and how wall decor is handled. Presentation is paramount, she says. The atmosphere has to be pleasant and inviting.
Megan also plans to be very involved with the programming at Fish Creek. That will take some of the load off the programming employees as the rules around Covid-19 protocols are loosened and more programs can be offered.
“This has been a very cool opportunity to choose my own adventure. I can take my experience, add a dose of creativity and build a position from the ground up. That gives me a lot of flexibility. As I see residents, I ask them to reach out. I always ask myself, ‘what can I do to make their day?'”
One of those residents is Jean Geddes. “I think Megan is a wonderful addition to the community. She is talking about introducing some innovative things such as wall decor changes,” said Jean, who as a professional artist, had taken on some of that before Megan arrived. She put some of her artwork up in the lounge area on her floor. She was soon asked to do the same on the other floors, so she retrieved frames and paintings from storage and has decorated the walls in the lounges on all four floors at Fish Creek.
“It’s great to have someone with Megan’s experience to fill the role of concierge,” said Jean. “I think her time in the hotel industry, and her customer service experience, will be very positive for the community.”
Photos by Megan Angelini, Sherana Productions. Videos by Sherana Productions.
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Talk with one of our active living advisors about life in a United community. They can arrange in-person or virtual tours of our Garrison Green and Fish Creek communities. If you know a friend or family member who could benefit from living in a United community, send them a link to our website or blog, or arrange a future visit. We are happy to help!
To learn more about life at United’s Fish Creek community, watch this short video.
Or, to find out more about life at United’s Garrison Green, watch this short video.
