Best Western Plus recognized for customer care during COVID

September 8, 2020  |  Waterbury Roundabout

General Manager Melissa Moore and staff leaders gather with the M.K. Guertin Award plaque outside the Best Western Plus Waterbury-Stowe. Left to right: April Sturgeon, Theresa Corologos, Mari Jo Witham, Beth Rillo, Melissa Moore, Randy Donald, Chef Tim Chalifoux, and Ronnie, Moore’s hearing-assist service dog. Courtesy photo.

For the second year in a row, the Best Western Plus Waterbury-Stowe has been recognized with the company’s M.K. Guertin Award for its service, quality, value, and commitment to guests, the company announced this week. 

Framed within the COVID-19 pandemic this year, Best Western President and CEO David Kong noted that the facility’s staff commitment to guest service has been “a grounding force” this year.

The Best Western Plus Waterbury-Stowe is one of only a handful of properties across North America to receive this honor, named after the brand's founder M.K Guertin. 

The hotels receiving this honor must also meet other Best Western standards and membership requirements. The award comes with a plaque and an undisclosed monetary prize which General Manager Melissa Moore will distribute among staff.

Kong said the award is the company’s “most prestigious honor” that holds much meaning in the organization. “The award recognizes properties that best demonstrate our foundational commitment to providing superior customer care. This commitment has not only led us to become a trusted leader in hospitality for nearly 75 years, but it has acted as the grounding force for our brand during the onslaught of COVID-19,” he said in a statement announcing the award. 

“It is an honor to present this meaningful award to exemplary hotels like yours that go above and beyond to deliver superior care to guests in good times and tough times,” he said.

Each Best Western brand hotel is independently owned and operated. Located at the intersection of Blush Hill Road and Vermont Route 100 in Waterbury, the 83-room Best Western Plus Waterbury-Stowe has been part of the Waterbury community for over 40 years. 

In addition to a heated indoor pool, the hotel’s amenities include a walking trail and a children’s playground. 

This year it has offered guests a daily COVID-compliant build-your-own breakfast to-go included with their stay. The hotel also this year began offering dog-friendly accommodations, an outgrowth of the presence of Moore’s own ADA hearing-assist service dog, Ronnie, who is considered part of the hotel staff. 

“He goes everywhere with Melissa and is always by her side. In fact, the hotel opened up designated rooms to dogs and their people as of this summer, at the urging of Ronnie,” said spokeswoman Vicky Tebbets. “He welcomes other dogs and wants his friends to know that he is working, though, and can't play.”

With its headquarters in Phoenix, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is a privately held hotel brand within the BWH Hotel GroupSM global network that includes 17 brands and approximately 4,700 hotels in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide.