Vancouver Island's Crown Isle Resort boasts concierge of concierges in Andrew MacMillan
Add commentsI’ve stayed at some of the top resorts in the world for this job, places in Cabo where the pool seems to meet the sea, the Four Seasons Whistler, the ex-Four seasons and even better service now Island Hotel in super wallet trendy Newport Beach. I’ve spent a day at Trump National LA when The Donald himself wanted his staff to convince me that the place was a Top 10 California course (close, but still not Top 10).
Yet through all this luxury service, I’ve never been treated quite as well as I was at a recent stay at Crown Island Resort, a Vancouver Island pure golf retreat an easy two-and-a-half-hour drive from Victoria.
That’s because Crown Isle has Andrew MacMillan, a guest relations/concierge specialist who would put movie concierges (that guy from Pretty Woman has nothing on him) and old English butlers to shame. MacMillan’s meeting you as you check in, making sure your group has everything it could possibly need - and several things you probably never even thought of. He’ll give you suggestions and hand drawn maps of his favored short cuts (no cop-out easy Mapquest directions here). He’ll even give the non-golfing spouses in your group calls to make sure they have something to do for the day.
Now, I’m not naive enough to miss the truth that MacMillan might have done a little extra for someone he knew was a golf writer. But the regular guests I talked at the resort raved about him just as much as I did.
The funny thing is that many of them assume that MacMillan actually is a former English butler or assistant to royalty too. He never booked the Queen’s days though. His accent’s actually South African.
The important thing is he brings a real love for making people enjoy their vacations to the job, proving that one man can elevate an entire resort. And Crown Isle’s already a must-visit escape, a spot where golf rules, the king Jacuzzi suites will blow you away and a man can be a man, puffing Cubans (no embargo in Canada) in a cigar room.
The super concierge ensures you’ll be raving about Crown Isle’s service for long after the smoke’s lifted though.
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4 comments
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§ Ron Mon®
said on : 2008-05-17 @ 09:57
Nice job. It's wonderful news that you're becoming aware of the presence of others in this world. -
§ Stanny Jackson said on : 2008-05-22 @ 23:29
Dear Chris, Andrew MacMillan is my son in law, and is as wonderful as you present him to be. Thank You.
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§ Naomi Gaglardi said on : 2008-05-23 @ 10:47
Andrew is a fabulously thoughtful person! So glad to see him get the recognition he deserves. In our culture true service (the person's heart attitude is that they 'get to serve you' not 'have to serve you') can be hard to find these days. We are friends of Andrew and his lovely wife Rebecca and one of our fondest memories is of them treating us and a few couples to a curry dinner at our house. He shopped, arrived early and prepped - so that when all the guests arrived those who wanted to learn how to make the dish could participate and those that wanted to just visit/relax could do that too. A great time was had by all - and as per usual, every detail was seen to, and my kitchen was left spotless. Andrew is a true gem of a person, and I'm privileged to know him.
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§ Debbie (Ketch) Koopman said on : 2008-05-27 @ 06:07
Dear Chris, You did a perfect job of summing up Andrew at best. He is absolutley everything you have described. I am one of those who considers it a pure blessing in life be friends with Andrew and Rebecca.
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