An interview with Hotel Le Germain Ottawa’s concierge

A year ago, Andrew Van Der Hoeven helped opening the brand new Le Germain Hotel Ottawa and is now a trusted figure for our guests, who go to him for recommendations and his favourite spots around the city. Even though he had worked in a hotel before, Andrew wasn’t in the hospitality industry anymore: he worked at locally famous Beau’s Brewery.

" I used to work at a hotel and was volunteering at Beau’s Brewery at night and during the weekends. I really understood their values and their way of looking at the industry, and I loved their environmental vision. After some time, they offered me a full-time job there. I worked there up until Le Germain Hotel Ottawa was ready to open. I love those guys, it is still my favourite brewery. But I missed the hospitality industry", remembers Andrew Van Der Hoeven.

Just a few weeks into his new job at Le Germain Hotel Ottawa, Andrew contacted the nationwide concierge organization Les Clefs d’Or, from which he used to be a member. " I reached out to them to see if there was a possibility of me coming back", says he. After discussions, he was welcomed back within the organization. " That was a big milestone right at the beginning of this journey."

And so, this journey is one year old this spring. He now thinks that the Le Germain Hotel Ottawa has found its rightful place in the city. " The city needed a hotel that exceeds expectations. I do think that we are still one of a kind in Ottawa."

How can he now convince people that refers to Ottawa as a boring city to see its much entertaining side? "We are lucky, we have a very vibrant restaurant scene right now with a lot of fine dining options. We are also very proud of our craft scene, which includes microbreweries and everything DIY. We have so many festivals! There is at least one every week! You can go to the lake, you can go to the mountains to hike, do a river tour on the canal. It’s never ending!"

More so, Ottawa has something that no other Canadian city has: "a real pride of being Canada's capital", says Andrew, without missing a beat. "We also have the pride of being the sister city of Gatineau and bring our two cultures together." If you ever find yourself in Ottawa, don’t hesitate to ask Andrew for his recommendations, although he’ll probably suggest a microbrewery…!