Business travellers feel at home at the Executive Royal Inn

In an era when most people feel rushed, stressed and a little out of control, the business traveller who walks into the Executive Royal Inn at Edmonton International Airport gets a pleasant surprise.

There’s an immediate sense of old-fashioned hospitality, where hotel staff make the guest feel at home.

While the Executive Royal Inn is amply equipped with 186 generously sized rooms, there’s an easy, small-hotel feel to the place.

And though the airport is close by, the traveller’s fast pace is temporarily put on hold, banished like muscle aches when you sink into a Jacuzzi at the hotel spa.

The Executive Royal Inn features a gorgeous lobby, terrific dining services and comfortable, business-friendly rooms.

There’s something of a sense of going back in time, yet the Executive Royal Inn has all the expected modern amenities – from high-speed Internet connections and spa/fitness centre to a conference centre, rental-car office and well-stocked gift shop.

“We like to remind people that there’s this terrific little hotel close to the airport near Edmonton that is much better priced than they probably think,” says Emma Pietroleonardo, general manager.

“We’re in a great location. It’s a first-class property.”

Some of the Executive Royal Inn’s guests are leisure travellers, but most are business people, including corporate and government executives and employees.

Anybody familiar with the region’s geography knows that the Edmonton International Airport is some distance from that city.

In fact, the Executive Royal Inn’s address, and that of its neighbouring businesses, is Leduc – the town famous for its 1947 oil gusher, which launched Alberta’s oil-based economy.

If you have to do it, the drive to Edmonton’s centre isn’t that big a deal, but many airline passengers with an Edmonton departure or stopover find it more convenient to stay overnight within sight of the planes. That’s kept business brisk at the Executive Royal Inn.

“The way the flights are set at the airport now, with the increased security, clients are required to be at the airport earlier,” says Pietroleonardo. “We find that those who have to catch a 7 a.m. flight usually have to be there at 5 a.m. Rather than driving through the night, they may choose to stay at the hotel instead, and you’re only three minutes away.”

In those cases, once the guest is done with the e-mail chores, he or she might want to explore the neighbourhood. Close by are two facilities where you can make use of that bag of clubs:

Red Tail Landing Golf Course, a championship 18-hole course, and the Leduc Golf & Country Club.

The little town centre, about five minutes away, has numerous attractive shops. They include an antique mall offering more interesting gift possibilities than those pricey airport retailers.

Leduc also has a Petroleum Interpretive Centre detailing the history of the oil industry, the popular Leduc Woods House Museum and an extensive network of parks and natural areas, for some walking or jogging before getting on a plane.

But if you’re in a mood just to dine and relax, the Executive Royal Inn’s renowned chef, Ray Nadon, is ready to impress down at the hotel’s Gazebo Café.

Ray has mastered the art of pleasing not only sophisticated diners but also the meat-and- potatoes crowd from the nearby Nisku Industrial Business Park at lunchtime. “He’s a terrific chef,” says Pietroleonardo. “He’s very creative. We’ve got a very hungry crowd, and he can produce a large amount of great food quickly.”

The hotel has two appealing spots to go for a drink. There’s an open-style lobby lounge, plus a sports bar for casual, conversational leisure.

Pietroleonardo and her colleagues are proud of all the amenities and qualities, but when pressed for a favourite, it always comes back to that welcoming mood.

Kate Ramsey, director of sales and marketing, says: “When you walk in, you are greeted by genuinely friendly people who remember your name time and time again,” she says.

“Our guests really enjoy the fact that we remember them, that there’s always a personal contact. Obviously, they like the nice, clean rooms – that’s important – but so often these days people are treated as a commodity.

“We consider our clients to be special, and they appreciate that.”

The Executive Royal Inn, Edmonton International Airport, is at 8450 Sparrow Drive, Leduc.

For reservations or information, call Kate Ramsey at (780) 980-6726; toll-free: 1-888-202-3770; fax: (780) 986-1864; e-mail: kramsey@royalinn.com or go to www.executivehotels.net for easy on-line booking.