Ella the Canine Ambassador: Oak Bay Beach Hotel welcomes new team member

The Oak Bay Beach Hotel has welcomed their newest team member, Ella the Canine Ambassador.

Ella will serve a mission to enhance the overall guest experience through her warm and welcoming presence.

Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Anneke Avila said that that they had been considering adding a dog to the staff for the past few years but it started to become more real when the application process started at the end of last year.

"After discussions with our team, we decided to add our name to the BC and Alberta Guide Dogs Association at the end of 2022 to adopt. We then had to wait for a dog to become available who would be the perfect fit for our hotel," said Avila. "We received a call in May for a lovely young Labrador named Ella who had just completed her training, but could not be approved as a guide dog due to a small defect in her eye. A few weeks later, she arrived in Victoria! We have spent the last few months slowly onboarding her into her new role to ensure she was content and comfortable before we announced her officially to the community.

Ella will also help promote the hotel's dog-friendly suites, where guests can share their luxurious experience with their own furry company.

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Since making her debut at the hotel, Ella has excelled as she has brought nothing but big smiles to their guests.

"She has brought so much more joy and smiles to our guests and employees than we could have imagined," stated Avila. "Faces light up when they see her and her wagging tail walking towards them in the lobby."

Outside of helping market the company and providing joy to all, Ella can be found greeting guests as they check-in.

"Ella has her dog station (bed and toys) located next to our concierge desk where she rests, however she can usually be found outside the Front Entrance of the hotel with our Welcome Ambassador, watching our guests come and go, and accepting as many pets and tickles as she can along the way," claimed Avila. "She will often wander up to greet guests who are waiting to check-in and provides a welcome distraction when the hotel is very busy.