The Magnolia Hotel - Boutique-licious
How the Magnolia Hotel and Spa is staying true to the boutique style.
These days just about anything can be "boutique." There are boutique nightclubs, boutique spas, boutique glasses frames—hell, there are even fake-boutique brands! The “boutique” label typically describes hotels that are intimate, luxurious or quirky and that differentiate themselves from larger chain hotels by providing personalized services. Well, the Magnolia Hotel and Spa has managed to keep a true boutique style, even through some major changes.
Victoria residents know the hotel in different ways: business-types watched its once Asian-cuisine lunch spot re-open as Prime Steakhouse and university students remember the hotel for its brewpub, which spa-goers were happy to see transformed into what is now a double-the-size Spa Magnolia. But the changes should come as no surprise since the Magnolia defines its boutique style through their ability to respond quickly to clientele needs. In fact, the Magnolia’s staff pride themselves on tailoring guests’ visits. I visited this hotel last month, where Ronette Nyhan, director of sales for the Magnolia, explained she learned the best way to froth bath bubbles was with a whisk—after one client requested that his bathroom look exactly like the one featured on the Magnolia’s website.
The Magnolia Hotel and Spa is now attempting to offer pre-packaged personalized services (don’t mind the irony). Ronette tells me their most popular packages are the “Perfect Date Night,” which offers guests a 30-minute couples’ massage and a chocolate fondue in the Spa Magnolia, and the “Victoria Secret Shopping” package where guests of the boutique-hotel get acquainted with Victoria’s boutique shops. Although not as much fun, the one I found most practical was the “Ferry on Us” package which includes a round-trip ferry ride (car plus two passengers) for guests coming from Vancouver or Washington (by the way, from Vancouver that’s worth about $144).
Well, they say the best hotels are short on rooms. So if you can score one of the Magnolia’s 64 suites, staff will certainly go to lengths to provide some very attentive boutique-style service.
The Magnolia Hotel & Spa
623 Courtney Street
250.381.0999
Published March 9, 2010
Emily Kennedy writes from Victoria B.C.
