Treating guests like family and maintaining high standards of cleanliness is important at Canalta Hotel in Rimbey.
This philosophy certainly keeps guests coming back year after year and may have also been a deciding factor in earning the hotel the Business of the Year (with 15 or more employees) award sponsored by Sunny 94.
“I was shocked,” said general manager Konnie Meissner, adding she was “pleasantly surprised,” to receive her award at the Chamber of Commerce awards evening held at the Peter Lougheed Community Centre on Oct. 20.
She said receiving the award would not be possible without her staff.
“I have a fabulous team,” she said. “Very good, very friendly staff.”
She said the hotel has won numerous housekeeping awards and also won the Best First Impressions Award in 2015.
The 51-room hotel features a pool and waterslide and a meeting room. Continental breakfast is served from 6 to 10 a.m. and fresh popcorn is available every afternoon.
Meissner has worked for Canalta for 17 years, the first seven of which she spent in Vermilion managing the A & W there.
She has been general manager at the Canalta in Rimbey since it opened in 2006.
Meissner is the daughter of the Audrey and the late Earl Varty.
She is married to Robert and the couple has three children. Their sons live in Vermilion and their daughter Jenna is a massage therapist and lives in Rimbey.
Meissner enjoys being part of the Rimbey chamber of commerce and believes they are doing a great job for the town.
Nominations for the chamber business awards were made by chamber businesses and the final decision as to the winners was made by a secret nomination committee.
Other nominees for business of the year (15 or more employees) were Legacy Ford and Rimbey Co-op.
Carrie Vaarstra from the Chamber said 55 nominations were received including business awards and the customer service person award.