The Stars were all in alignment last night, when the Lord Elgin Hotel won top prize at the Stars of the City Gala. We are all still on a high today - what a fabulous night!!

With over 400 Stars awarded, the hotel was one of three finalists for Star Property of the year. We had quite the presence - nearly 60 of the hotel staff - almost all of whom were ‘Stars’, attended the event and we were not quiet. Every time our name appeared on the screen, we stood up and cheered like little kids - clapping and cheering!! Not only did we win Star Property, but the hotel had 3 finalists in different categories - all big Stars in their own right and the Evening Star went to our very own Christopher Ward. Chris, who works at our front desk, is one of those guys who just genuinely likes to help people and is always going above and beyond. He alone received over 49 nominations for Stars - an all time record says Ottawa Tourism.

FYI - Stars of the City is a program that Ottawa Tourism started years ago whereby visitors to our city can nominate those people that truly stand out. The program also delivers training that all of our staff can participate in, that encourages great service.

You know the really nice thing to see was when Chris won, each one of us went over to congratulate him. We were so happy for him. He truly deserved the award!! But it was also a testament to what great people I get to work with everyday at this hotel - truly committed people who love what they do. It’s also a testament to a great boss, our fearless leader, David Smythe, who really ignites all of the employees at the LE. He is a great champion for his team!!

Thank you to all our guests for the Stars!! You made our year!!

It was such a great night! We hosted a lovely reception in Confederation Park on Sunday evening (June 24th) and despite the cloud burst, our guests were kept dry and comfy under the protection of the tent we had compliments of our friends at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival.

As long-time sponsors of the Jazz Festival, we were able to invite our guests to a great night under the stars with the amazing drums of the Conga Kings - an 11 piece Rumba Group with 3 of the master congueros of Afro-cuban music. It was a great evening .. great music, fabulous food and drink and great company.

To our delight, this year, our partners at the Ottawa Jazz Festival awarded the Lord Elgin Hotel with the ‘Corporate Award of Distinction’. We have been working with the Jazz Festival for well over 10 years and it was so rewarding to have this award presented to us. With our location, it makes so much sense to give back to these festivals that provide the color and culture that make this a great town! Kudos to the unfailing efforts of people like Catherine O’Grady and the heads of all the other wonderful summer festivals and all those behind them for all they do to bring such fabulous entertainment to our city! We are proud to be a part of what you do!

In April, we have had the great pleasure of hosting the children that qualified for the annual CanSpell Spelling Bee, that is put on by CanWest. These are the brightest and most talented winners and runner ups - 41 of them, that come the Ottawa annually to participate in this week full of fun, learning, adventure and finally, to compete in the final spelling bee that took place this past Saturday.

This is our third year hosting these children and it is a great honor to be a part of this great cause - that is to promote literacy in our kids and then celebrate those that excel. As a mother of four boys, I certainly know what reading has done to enhance our kids lives. My son, who is 19, has taken his ‘gap’ year to circle the globe…first Australia and now is in Europe. Whenever he calls, his voice is full of excitement, as he is taking in so many of the sites that he has read about in his history books. As a lover of history and an avid reader, his travels and experiences have been enriched and taken on so much more relevance because of his reading.

It is great to have the children competing in CanSpell with us, because we are in some way, a part of a much bigger effort - to promote and celebrate reading for our children. Congratulations CanWest and thank you for allowing us to be a part of this great event!