Sensing Rosie’s hesitancy, Drew spoke up quickly. “I won’t reveal a word, I promise. What happens at happy hour stays at happy hour.”
“Let me get some booze into my system first.” Rosie took a long drink of her margarita before describing her meeting with the hotel’s new general manager. Her voice was grave as she outlined his expectations.
Drew wished he could help. Like everyone who worked with the Duchess, he knew the place sorely needed renovations. He also knew the last manager had done a shitty job. But Rosie and her team worked their asses off. It wasn’t fair that the new guy could threaten to fire them just because he wanted a fresh start. Though he’d given them a chance to save their jobs, attracting more guests during the holiday season sounded like a ton of work.
“I’m sorry to drop this on you,” Rosie said to Selena and Charlie. “It’s a big bombshell, and I know it wasn’t what you were hoping to hear tonight.”
“It’s not your fault,” Charlie said. “Ever since we got a new GM, I was worried something like this might happen.”
“Same here,” Selena added. “At least we know you’re willing to fight for us.”
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep you both at the Duchess.” Rosie’s voice wobbled. “Not just you, but all the staff. I don’t want to lose anyone.”
Drew regarded her with admiration. Even though she was probably the most at risk of losing her job, she was more concerned about her team than herself.
“Just let us know what you need.” Selena topped up everyone’s glass, then called their server over and ordered another pitcher. “Even if it means working extra hours, I’m in.”
“I’m in, too,” Charlie said. “Though I think our boss is delusional if he believes we could ever match the popularity of the Grand Duke. That place is an institution.”
More than once, Drew had heard stories about the rivalry between the two hotels, but he’d never understood why it went so deep. “This might sound clueless, but why do you consider the Grand Duke your biggest rival? There are lots of other upscale hotels in downtown Victoria. Maybe they aren’t as famous as the Duke, but they’re definitely your competition. Right?”
Rosie rubbed her forehead, as though the very thought gave her a headache. “You’re not clueless. The question comes up all the time with our new hires. It’s because of the Lyons family. Back in the 1920s, they built the two hotels to complement each other. That’s why they’re only a block apart.”
“They’re like a big brother and a little sister,” Charlie added.
“When the Lyons sold the Duke to a major hotel chain, some members of the family resented it,” Rosie said. “They refused to sell the Duchess, hoping its status as an historic boutique hotel would still draw in guests. And it did…for a while.”
“But when the Duke’s new owners spent a fortune updating it, the place soared in popularity,” Charlie said. “The Duchess couldn’t keep up. From what I understand, the family planned to bring it up to speed ten years ago, but they didn’t have the money. Meanwhile, the Duke’s star has kept rising. It’s currently the top-rated hotel in all of Victoria.”
“So, the Lyons family resents the Duke for its success?” Drew asked.
“With avengeance.” Rosie pounded the table with her fist. “Other hotels might be our competition, but the Duke is our sworn enemy.”
She said it with such emphasis that Drew laughed. Watching her get fired up about her hotel was something he’d always enjoyed. “That’s how my gym feels about KanaFlex. They have over two hundred locations in Canada, and they’re always cutting their rates to attract new members.” Realizing he was derailing the conversation, he shot Rosie an apologetic look. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get you off track.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “But we need to focus on our game plan for the Duchess.”
“I think amping up our Christmas spirit could be fun,” Charlie said. “I’ll make sure the front desk is brimming with holiday cheer. If our decorating budget doesn’t cover it, we can bring in stuff from home. We should also give out cookies at check-in, like they do at the Doubletree. The night auditor makes a mean spritz cookie.”
“Cookies are great and all,” Selena said, “but how are travelers going to know the Duchess is ‘holiday forward’ or whatever?”
“We’ll have to get the word out as soon as possible,” Rosie said. “Maybe then we can draw in visitors who haven’t booked hotels for December yet.”
Selena snapped her fingers. “I just thought of another perk we could offer. Remember when we used to host a weekday happy hour for our guests at the cocktail lounge? They loved the free wine and cheese. Our last GM nixed it, but we could start it up again, this time with festive seasonal cocktails.”
“Great idea,” Rosie said. “Those happy hours were always a big hit.”
Drew spoke up, eager to contribute to the conversation. “How about adding some family-friendly activities on the weekends? Like cookie decorating or Christmas crafts? My sister’s a preschool teacher, so I could get some ideas from her.”
Rosie beamed at him. “I like it. Those activities could get messy, but we could set them up in the breakfast room. One of our main goals is to draw in more families.”
Her grateful smile filled him with a warm glow. He kept going, wanting to win her over. “You could also provide a hot cocoa bar in the breakfast room on Friday or Saturday nights. With different toppings, like whipped cream, sprinkles, and crushed-up candy canes.”
“Yum. Now I want hot chocolate.” Charlie grabbed a handful of tortilla chips from the basket. “What if we combined the cocoa night with a Christmas carol sing-along? Wouldn’t that be fun? And if we decide to host weekend activities for families, we should have someone dressed as Santa. The kids could visit him, like they do at the mall.”
Rosie frowned. “Those Santas are dubious at best. The last time I took my youngest cousin to see Santa at Mayfair Mall, the guy reeked of booze.”
Before he could overthink his decision, Drew spoke up. “I’ll do it. I’ve got a Santa suit.”
