The Horizon

THE HORIZON VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

1ST QUARTER 2019

QUARTER 1
HIGHLIGHTS

 Message from the GM
 Corporate Social Responsibility

 Cook’s Corner
 Around the Hood
 Town Hall Meeting
 Colleague & Leader of the Year 2018

 Insta-Shang

THE HORIZON Page 2

Message from the General Manager

We will ensure I hope that 2019 is off to a great start for all of you. We have
that leadership had a very exciting, and busy, first quarter with several success-
ful events and activities throughout the hotel.
drives for
results With that said, as a result of your teamwork and continued ef-
forts, I am delighted to share that we are on track to meet our
- Guiding budget goals for the first quarter.
Principle # 1
We have taken the first steps to completing our Forbes Travel
Guide Five-Star training, after successfully conducting the first
set of learning sessions. These exciting and valuable learning
sessions will help us achieve our primary goal to become a
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel. As the year goes on, we
will be conducting additional training, so please stay tuned for
more information. In the meantime, it’s wonderful to see every-
one wearing the sharp new Strive for Five ID tags that help keep this goal top-of-mind.

Thank you to our colleagues who were able to attend the first Town Hall meeting of the year.
I would again like to highlight our great TripAdvisor success – becoming the #5 ranking hotel
out of the 137 hotels in Toronto. Last year at this time we were #12 – that is a climb of six
places in less than a year! You should all feel very proud. It would not have been possible to
achieve this without your hard work!

I would also like to share with you the official metrics system by which all Shangri-La Hotels
and Resorts are measured, the Balance Score Card (BSC). The BSC helps to guide us in four
key area of focus:

Our Business – help drive and
achieve business goals for the
hotel

Our People – investing in our
colleagues’ workplace satisfac-
tion, training, career goals

Our Guests – delivering five-star
service and experiences to guests

Our Community – building and
supporting organizations and
initiatives that help our community

We all have a hand in achieving these BSC goals. Combined with our ongoing Forbes Guide
Five-Star training, this sets us on the path to be a leading hotel in the city, as well as among
Shangri-La’s global properties.

Thank you again for your continued efforts as we Strive for Five in 2019. I wish you and your
families all the best as we welcome the next quarter and warm weather ahead.

- Ron Pellerine, General Manager

THE HORIZON Page 3

Recruitment News!

We will create Our new SLTO Family members from Q1

an environment

where our

colleagues may

achieve their

personal and

career goals. Jessica J. Anastasia P. Jack N. Anil Y.
- Guiding Concierge Lobby Lounge Sales Bosk

Principle # 5

Annie A. Brendan M. Ajerecho A. Roshanthan V.
Front Office Bosk Stewarding Security

Simon B. Himanshu P. Alexander M. Bibin J.
Events Banquets Lobby Lounge Culinary

Page 4 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

New hires from Q1 continued...

Karen T. BaoMing C. Soyi H. Tina F.
Bosk Culinary Reservations Culinary

Serguei I. Mona S. Marc L. Angela R.
Culinary Concierge Bosk Lobby Lounge

Movers & Shakers Quarter 1, 2019

Alisha P. Johnross W. Kayee Y.
Lead Reservations Chef de Cuisine Banquets & Outlets

THE HORIZON Page 5

Corporate Social Responsibility

We will remain IceWave 2019
deeply committed
On a cold February morn-
to our social ing our SLTO Red Drag-
responsibility by ons attended the Sick Kids
making a positive Ice Wave Volleyball Tour-
contribution to nament, at Beach Blast.
our communities, After game one the team
came together and won the
environment, next few games by margins
colleagues, of +8, clinching a spot in
the Quarter Finals. Thank-
guests and You to our amazing play-
business ers; Kofi D., Kieran R.,
Tamara S., Stephanie K.,
partners. Svetlana V., and Joachim
N. for their amazing ef-
- Guiding forts. Congrats Red Drag-
Principle # 8
ons. Stay tuned for
Summer Heatwave
dates!!

Garage Sale

On March 8, 2019, we hosted
our annual garage sale, which
was a huge success! We would
like to thank Alfonso C., Cristina
T., Michelle B., and Svetlana V.,
for helping set up and coordinate
this event. We also want to thank
everyone who contributed to the
garage sale, by donating and pur-
chasing items, which will be do-
nated to our Embrace partner,
Covenant House Toronto. With
everyone’s generous contribu-
tions we were able to raise a total
of $702.25.

- Joachim Nicholas, HR Coordinator

THE HORIZON Page 6

Around the ‘Hood... build on his experience. The
most memorable role, which
Cook’s Corner played a big part in shaping
Luigi’s, career was during his
Luigi De Guzman time with the Drake Hotel,
- Sous Chef (Banquets) where he worked as Executive
Sous Chef. Not only was he
Welcome back to Cook’s Corner - this There is a sense of comradery - able to develop his leadership
quarter we are featuring Luigi De Guz- there are different “members” skills, but he worked with an
man, our Sous Chef who has been who have their own roles on the amazing team of colleagues,
with Shangri-La since last September. team, but each person becomes a with whom he still keeps in
After chatting with Luigi, I was able to unit that is vital to delivering a touch with today.
hear some interesting stories about the successful performance or creat- What makes Luigi happiest at
places he has worked and how he ing that perfect dining experience
came to be the chef that he is today. for guests.

When asked, which Chef Luigi
admires most, he named celebrity
Chef Marco Pierre White, who
was the youngest chef to be
awarded three Michelin stars. He

Josh K. Commis 2 - Bosk admires that Chef White is true work is seeing everyone on his
to himself. team collaborating - sharing
Luigi began his career as a cook when ideas, helping each other out,
he came to Canada in 2007, and his After The Keg, Luigi went on to and creating a vision together.
first job was with The Keg at Yonge work for Beerbistro, where he He also enjoys cooking Italian
and Eglinton. He later realized his tal- was also recommended by his cuisine as it reminds him of
ent for cooking and has since been manager to enrol in the cook ap- comfort, family, and home,
building his career at various establish- prenticeship program at George which represents his Filipino
ments. Brown College to further devel- heritage. His favourite recipe?
op his culinary knowledge and Spaghetti Alla Carbonara.
An interesting fact that I learned about skills.
Luigi is that outside of working as a That’s it for this month—
chef, he is also a musician. In fact, he Luigi has since gone on to work make sure to tune in next
really enjoys that working in the kitch- for a number of restaurants and month to see who we will fea-
en feels similar to playing in a band. hotels in Toronto, and even got ture next!
the opportunity to go to South-
ampton, Bermuda where he lived - Shirley Leung, HR Intern
and worked for 1 year.

Ultimately, his heart was still in
Toronto and he eventually
moved back and continued to

THE HORIZON Page 7

Cook’s Corner

Spaghetti Alla
Carbonara

INGREDIENTS
2 oz. Guanciale (diced)
5 oz. Spaghetti
1 oz. Onion (brunoise)
4 Egg Yolks
1 oz. Olive Oil
3 oz. Parmesan Reggiano
1 oz. Chives
1 Lemon for the skin

METHOD:
1. Bring large pot of water to boil

and add salt.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water.
3. While the pasta is cooking,

heat pan and render the guan-
ciale until desired crispiness.
4. Add onions and a touch of
olive oil.
5. Remove pan from the heat.
6. Once pasta has reached al
dente, toss it to the pan and
add a bit of water that was
used to cook the pasta.
7. Add the egg yolks and season.
8. Add chives and grated lemon
peel.
9. Make sure the sauce has coated
the spaghetti.
10. Plate spaghetti and grate par-
mesan as desired.
11. Serve and enjoy!

THE HORIZON Page 8

Around the ‘Hood...

F&B Division - Bosk

We had a busy Q4, and we were all Cupid’s Cloud Dessert
excited to begin 2019 on a high note. Forbes Training  
We had our annual team outing in
January, where we all got together for
a pot luck dinner followed by ex-
changing Secret Santa gifts. It was
great to see everyone having fun out-
side of work.

Winterlicious was the first big high-
light for us, keeping us very busy for
the second part of January. We did
more than 1,000 covers during Win-
terlicious and our colleagues made
sure every guest, who came to experi-
ence Shangri-La luxury service, had a
fantastic time.

All of our colleagues made sure to
create a lifetime memory for our
guests during their Valentine’s Day
dinner. We had flowers set up on all
of our tables. Chef Jolan’s dessert,

Cupid’s Cloud, was the most popular
item on the menu.

The entire Bosk team had the oppor-
tunity to get trained by Jason from
Forbes. The trainer was here to go
through all the Forbes standards and
provide in-depth information about
Forbes Five star service. The team
was thrilled to be a part of an excit-
ing three and a half hour session
which covered all the standards
about luxury service.

We also launched Tea Leaves as our
new tea supplier for all of our F&B
outlets. Tea Leaves offers organic teas
and is also made in Canada with the
highest quality ingredients.

- Sandesh Subramanian, Assistant Man-
ager (Bosk)

THE HORIZON Page 9

Around the ‘Hood...

Sales & Marketing

The Sales & Marketing team is happy to announce The meetings allowed the team to invest valuable time
that Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto hosted the first ever into strategic planning to lead us all into great financial
North America Sales Kick-Off Meeting. The two day success in and beyond 2019. The meetings ended
meeting was the very first time that all sales teams with our annual Client Appreciation Party in celebra-
from the North American Global Sales Office, Shan- tion of Lunar New Year and our guests were able to
gri-La Hotel, Toronto & Shangri-La Hotel, Vancou- connect with our Global Sales Team, Vancouver
ver have met together. Leading the team and North sellers, and members of our senior leadership team.
America Sales Meeting was Jonathan Caplan, Vice
President, Sales, The Americas along with special  
guest speakers; Mr. Oliver Bonke, President & CEO
of Shangri-La Hotels and Resort; and Mr. William The week was a huge success and allowed an oppor-
MacKay, Executive Vice President, Operations, Eu- tunity to showcase the hotel to our fellow Shangri-La
rope & Americas.   colleagues in a positive light and solidify the future
direction of the North American sales teams.
 
- Olivia Davis, Communications Coordinator

THE HORIZON Page 10

Around the ‘Hood...

Chinese New Year

In February, we rang in the Lunar New Year
with a number of festivities. Throughout the
month of February, the hotel honoured the Year
of the Pig with a special Chinese New Year Af-
ternoon Tea and 14-foot hand-crafted silk wish-
ing tree in our Lobby Lounge. Our tree was
enjoyed by guests of the afternoon tea who were
invited to write a wish on a special tag that was
tied to the tree in hopes of having their wish
granted in the New Year.

As we welcomed the New Year, we also wel-
comed special guests from our New York, Van-
couver and Corporate offices. On February 5,
the first day of the Lunar New Year, invited me-
dia, guests and colleagues were treated to a tradi-
tional lion dance throughout the hotel. Shangri-
La Hotels and Resorts President and COO, Mr.
Oliver Bonke and our own, Mr. Ron Pellerine,
“awakened” the lions with a traditional eye-
dotting ceremony, which led into a stunning
demonstration of acrobatic talent by the lion
dancers as they blessed the lobby and entire ho-
tel - driving evil spirits away. In addition, over-
night guests of the hotel received a special Lunar
New Year amenity created by Head Pastry Chef,
Jolan Thiry and his team.

It was a great team effort supported by many
departments. We thank you all for making this
year’s Lunar New Year celebrations a success!

- Olivia Davis, Communications Coordinator

Page 11 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Around the ‘Hood...

Chinese New Year

In celebration of the 2019 Lunar New Year, the communi-
cations department is proud to share a segment featuring
our popular annual Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea.
The segment was broadcasted at Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto
on CP24 – Toronto’s top breaking GTA news for the GTA
broadcaster.

Our Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea was a part of an on-
air four-segment feature that included our very own Ron
Pellerine, General Manager, and Jolan Thiry, our Pastry
Chef. In partnership with our long-standing wedding event
planner client Rebecca Chan, CP24 filmed Jolan giving host
Jamie Gutfreund a tutorial on how to glaze our signature
Lychee Mooncake pastry.

The second segment was filmed in the Lobby
Lounge with Mr. Pellerine, host Jamie
Gutfreund and Rebecca Chan. Ron spoke to
the different types of pastries and savouries
in the afternoon tea, while taking the oppor-
tunity to wish everyone prosperity and good
fortune in upcoming Year of the Pig. In addi-
tion to showcasing our Chinese New Year
Afternoon Tea, we provided an afternoon tea
for two giveaway for viewers at home to win.

The segment was a huge success and generat-
ed a lot of on-screen branding for Shangri-La
Hotel, Toronto. A huge thank you goes to
Mr. Pellerine, Jolan, and to everyone involved
in helping us deliver another excellent seg-
ment piece.

- Olivia Davis, Communications Coordinator

Page 12 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Around the ‘Hood...

Rooms Division - Concierge

Find Your Shangri- As part of the education for  showcase the restaurant to the
La recommending the best Toron- members. The monthly meet-
to has to offer, team members ing included guest speakers
The Concierge team had an ex- went on various outings includ- from industry professionals as
citing start to 2019. In Quarter ing: Katana on Bay, Goldie well as a special presentation
1 we launched three editions of Lounge, The Last Ship and Jer- from the Black History Society.
the “Find Your Shangri-La” sey Boys. These outings were a
Newsletter. This informative great opportunity for our team Cupid Concierge
guide highlights the best that to bond and also sample the
Toronto has to offer each experience of some of our rec- For the second consecutive year
month, showcasing notable ommendations. the Cupid Concierge desk was
events taking place in the city as installed for Valentine’s Day in
well as insider conci- Clefs D’or conjunction with the Guest Re-
erge recommendations that lations team. The selection of
are current with the season. The In February the Shangri-La Ho- florals and other gifts made for
January issue featured our Con- tel, Toronto proudly hosted the the perfect last minute romantic
cierge’s favorite places for ice- monthly Les Clefs d’Or meet- presents for guests.  
skating. In February we fea- ing. The Toronto members had
tured our Concierge’s favorite a successful meeting and were Training
Romantic Spots and in March very impressed with our hospi-
we featured our Concierge’s tality. The meeting was kicked In February, Concierge Olivia
favorite Bars & Pubs. off with a welcome reception at V. commenced cross training in
Momofuku’s Kojin. The Kojin the Guest Relations department
Ryan with dog team did an amazing job to to learn more about their opera-
tions and assisting the team.
Les Clefs d’Or Meeting Dessert Christine K. has also facilitated
cross training for Front Office
functions with Robin E. and
Olivia V., learning check-in pro-
cedures.

In Quarter 1 we received the
results of our Forbes audit with
Concierge achieving a score of
95% and 94.75% for the service
interactions. Our team contin-
ues to review standards to con-
sistently deliver 5- star hospitali-
ty and prepare for future audits.

THE HORIZON Page 13

Around the ‘Hood...
Rooms Division - Concierge

Farewell New Colleagues 

In March we said goodbye to Two new on-call Residential
Julie L. as she concluded her Concierge associates joined
time living in Toronto soon to our team in the first quarter,
return to her native France. Ju- with Jessica J. starting in Jan-
lie made some great contribu- uary and Mona K. joining the
tions to the team over the last Bluemoon team in March.
two years and she will be
missed by colleagues and our - Robin Elliott, Chef Concierge
guests.

Katana on Bay piano dueling night

Farewell to Concierge Julie L. Ryan C. preparing for Chinese New Year

Laura C. holding pig for Chinese New Year

Holiday Party 2019
(Left to right) Julie L, Priyan W, Olivia V, Robin
E, Laura C, Disney L, Conny S.

Page 14 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Around the ‘Hood...

Rooms Division - Concierge

Essence of Shangri-La

Matthew M., Winner of Essence Isabella O., Winner of Essence Sophie Z., Winner of Essence
January 2019 February 2019 March 2019

MONTHS TOTAL SALES SALES TARGET 2019 ACTUAL SALES
January 2019 2018
February
March $ 1.604.60 $3,000.00 $6,695.25

$4268.59 $4,000.00 $7,026.83

$3698.80 $4,000.00 $4,706.45

Essence of Shangri-La Sales
Quarter 1, 2019

THE HORIZON Page 15

Around the ‘Hood...
Rooms Division - Guest Relations

Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Desk , 2019
Valentine’s Day set-up for Mr. Babyev
Valentine’s Day Desk was presented
with great enthusiasm by the Guest
Relations Team.

Having flowers, chocolates and Es-
sence of Shangri-La products for sale
was of great convenience for our
guests and also generated revenue for
the hotel with close to $2,000.00 on
Valentine ’s Day. YAAY!! Great job
Team!

New Intern 

The Guest Relations Team is delighted
to welcome Ivy Tran from House-
keeping who is our new intern for
three months (January – April) and
promises to be of great support to our
team.

Clarice G. with a beautiful floral arrange-
ment for our specialty suite stays

Ivy T. and Christine K.

Romantic setup for Mr. Ng Beautiful bouquet of flowers given to our
guests who are celebrating their birth-
(Left to right) Christine K, day/milestone Anniversary at check in.
Patrick M, Clarice G

THE HORIZON Page 16

Around the ‘Hood...
Rooms Division - Guest Relations

Guest Experience Proposals at Shangri-La

Guest Relations team has continued diligent Room setup for Mr. Morra’s proposal
work with assisting guests with special occa-
sions, proposals, anniversaries and birthdays.
The Guest Relations team put genuine effort
to create memorable and unforgettable ex-
periences by reaching out to the guest(s) pri-
or to arrival, engaging with our guests during
their stay and decorating rooms with special
set-ups.

Clarice executed a special set-up for Mr. Do-
doo and his fiancé in February. Mr. Dodoo
wanted to create just the right moment and
Clarice met with him to coordinate cham-
pagne, floral arrangements and framed pic-
tures of the couple set-up in the room.

Anniversary Stays

Proposal set up for Mr. Dodoo

Birthday Stays

Birthday setup for Ms. Thomsen Birthday setup for Ms. Su

Special setup for Mr. Chen

THE HORIZON Page 17

Around the ‘Hood...
Rooms Division - Guest Relations

Special Gifts from
Shangri-La Family

Guest Relations team had sent a gift on behalf
of Shangri-la Family to Ms. Haque. Our regu-
lar guest, Ms. Haque (Diamond member
GC42) is having twin babies in March. Also
Mr. Luckman’s birthday is in March and he is
a big fan of Yukata. Daniela from Sales has
ordered Yukata from Shangri-la Tokyo, Japan
and we engraved his initials, GL.

Family Stays at Shangri-La Engraved Yukata from Shangri-La Gift for Ms Haque’s soon-to-be-
hotel, Toronto born twin babies
Tokyo, Japan

The Guest Relations team has continuously
delighted and greeted new & return families in
Q1. Our Shang Kids Program is officially run-
ning and we have had three families booked
under Shang Kids Package so far. The Shang
Kids Package includes Kids activities such as
(B-wall tour, Kitchen tour) and Kids amenities
in the room, Tent, Stepstools, Kids hangers,
bathrobe and slippers.

Shang Kids package room setup Kitchen tour with Chef Jolan

Shang Kids package room setup Moras family with Chef Quinn Morass family with Chef Isaac

Page 18 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2018

Colleague and Leader of the 4th Quarter (2018)

Congratulations!
Colleague of the 4th Quarter ~ Kayode G., Security

Leader of the 4th Quarter ~ Johnross W., Culinary

Page 19 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2018

Colleague and Leader of the Year (2018)

Congratulations!
Colleague of the Year ~ Rosario R., Housekeeping

Leader of the Year ~ Kristi G., Learning & Development

THE HORIZON Page 20

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Colleague Holiday Party - Around the World (January 27)

Page 21 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Colleague Holiday Party - Around the World (January 27)

THE HORIZON Page 22

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Chinese New Year - Lion Dance (February 5)

Page 23 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Town Hall Meeting (February 28)

THE HORIZON Page 24

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Colleague Appreciation Day (March 8)

THE HORIZON Page 25

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Birthday Celebrations in Lotus Lounge

Page 26 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

Insta-Shang: A photographic journey back through Q1 2019

SLTO Family Pub Night: Office Pub (March 27)

Dear SLTO Family,
Thank you so much to those who have taken the time to share their stories and photos from this past
quarter. The Horizon Newsletter is only possible with all your support and content. I hope that in the next
quarter we have more fun and engaging stories to share with all f our colleagues.
Until next time, have an amazing quarter ahead!
- Joachim Nicholas, HR Coordinator

Horizon Newsletter Word Scramble Trivia

Please submit a completed copy of this Anagram for a chance to win
1 of 2 $25 Tim Horton’s gift cards!

Once completed, please fill out the ballot at the bottom and submit
to HR, before Monday, April 22, 2019

Prizes! Questions Prizes!

1. The SLTO Red Dragons played at the _________ Ice Wave
Volleyball tournament.

2. Chef Luigi’s favourite recipe is Spaghetti Alla _________.

3. For the second year, the Concierge and Guest Relations team installed the
Cupid _________, selling last minute florals and gifts for guests.

4. The Guest Relations team provides custom guest experiences during occa-
sions such as weddings, proposals, anniversaries, and _________.

5. The Bosk team participated in the ______ training to learn more about five
start service standards

6. During Shangri-La, Toronto’s Lunar New Year segment with CP24, Chef
Jolan gave a tutorial on how to glaze our signature Lychee ________ pastry.

7. Proceeds from our Garage Sale held on March 8th, 2019 will be donated to
our _______ partner, Covenant House Toronto.

**Bonus Question: What is our Strive for Five motto?

Prizes! Answers Prizes!

1. K S C D I K I S = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Name:
2. R N A C O A A R B = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Department:
3. N G R O C I E E C = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. D R B T S H Y A I = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. S R O E F B = _ _ _ _ _ _
6. K O N E M O A C = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7. R E M C B A E = _ _ _ _ _ _ _