Posted by Mark Currier on Fri, Dec 02, 2011
By Jeff Landry
During the month of September, the Curbside Hospitality Human Resources team threw off their business casual attire and donned the signature orange and black for an eye-opening tour on the curb. The “Day in their Shoes” program pulled seven corporate employees out of their comfort zone and put them at locations throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire to spend a day training and working as a Curbside hospital valet.
The impetus behind the initiative was clear. In order to fully and efficiently service our field employees, and by extension our clients, we at the corporate office needed to know exactly what they go through on a day-to-day basis. How busy are the valets during the day? How does weather impact their job? Do they have everything they need to take their service to the next level?
As the Payroll Manager, and relatively new to Curbside, I was slightly terrified. I didn’t know the first thing about a hospital valet parking operation. I was dispatched to Portsmouth Hospital and placed under the tutelage of longtime valet Bill Clemens, who displayed great patience and knowledge and quickly put me at ease. He walked me through the extensive Driving Safety orientation, gave me a tour of the operation, and stationed me at the front door to greet and welcome guests.
As I observed and interacted, what struck me most was the rapport that the valets had with patients and hospital employees. They knew everyone, and everyone knew them. It seemed like they had a story about everyone, whether it be a witty anecdote or a moving experience. Patients greeted them as longtime friends, and many, when they found out I was from the corporate office, pulled me aside to make sure I knew how appreciated they were. It became clear that Curbside employees didn’t just work at the hospital. They were truly part of the hospital family!
The experience was similarly positive at other locations. Office Assistant Shaunte Ferguson was impressed at the fluid, seamless operation the Mass General valets had developed. In visiting Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Office Manager Alexice Harwood was surprised at how far beyond valet parking the service extended. Manager Clark Webb and his staff routinely went above and beyond, from helping patients with wheelchairs to running important errands for hospital staff. Above all, though, Alexice was struck by the thought that, “this job is not as easy as it looks!”
The consensus all around was that it was helpful to see just how tough the hospital valet job can be. Senior VP of Administrative Services Leanne Gent was exhausted after spending a day legging it back and forth from podium to garage at Winchester Hospital. At Mass General, HR Coordinator Meg Vallee saw the potential hazards of working in a dark hospital garages with cars whipping around tight corners, and could only imagine how tough it’ll be in the winter months, standing in bitter cold with snow piling on their shoulders.
Despite the challenges inherent to the job, we consistently found Curbside employees rising to the challenge and taking to heart our message of “Whatever It Takes.” In tough conditions, under stressful circumstances, it was great to see our valets showing true compassion and care for the patients and staff members of our partner hospitals. In experiencing what it was like to wear the orange and black and spend a day in a valet’s shoes, we gained a better appreciation of what it meant to be Curbside.
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Wed, Jun 22, 2011
Curbside Hospitality names two "Good Work Inspired by Good Karma" Award Winners:
"Good Karma" Winners: Charles Haviland and TJ Messina at Putnam Hospital
A letter arrived here in the corporate office from a Putnam Hospital patron regarding Charles Haviland and TJ Messina:
“I arrived at the hospital for an appointment. Unfortunately, I hit the curb and my tire blew out. Your valet staff immediately took responsibility in helping me. They said ‘go on in and we’ll take care of this.’ Charlie Haviland, in particular, proceeded to change my tire. I could have called AAA and would have never gotten the immediate attention as was performed by these gentlemen. TJ Messina is also to be commended. He told me to be careful not to exceed 50 miles going home and to be sure to check all the tires when I got home. Their kindness and concern, for a woman in distress, was so heartwarming. I made my appointment, got my tire fixed, and didn’t miss a beat. I cannot say enough for these two individuals and the service I received. Thank you!”.
"Good Karma" Winners: Ali Bazidane & Miloud Allouane at Massachusetts General Hospital
“Ali & Miloud were recently recognized by Massachusetts General Hospital for their "exceptional performance and dedicated commitment to service excellence". On May 26th, MGH CEO Dr. Peter Slavin presented letters of commendation to both employees during a formal gathering. The award is particularly noteworthy given the size and scope of the institution. MGH employs over 20,000 individuals; handles nearly 1.5 million outpatient visits and is ranked #3 nationally in service quality by U.S. News.”
Congratulations to these very special employees!
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Thu, Jun 02, 2011
Curbside Hospitality's Mass General North Shore team, led by our outstanding manager, Jesse Meserve, has been honored in the 2011 Tribute Catalog for this year's NSMC Cancer Walk.
"Coming to the Cancer Center can be a stressful experience for patients and their families. By making a personal connection, however small, the greeters help to ease that tension. Sometimes it’s talking to someone about last night’s Red Sox game. Other times it’s as simple as a smile and a hello. Whatever it is, the team makes sure the patients feel cared for. They love what they do and it shows.“– Rick Colley, Supervisor, Mass General Hospital Police, Security and Outside Services.
The article outlines all of the great work that our Curbside greeter team has been doing for the patients and visitors of Mass General/North Shore.
In addition to leading her team to this great success, Jesse and fellow Curbside employees will be participating and raising money for the 2011 NSMC Cancer Walk. The event will be held on Sunday, June 26th, 2011.
This year, proceeds from the Walk and Run will support the renovation of the inpatient oncology unit at our very own NSMC Salem Hospital as well as wellness services and support programs for the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers.
Since the event directly reaches two of our Curbside locations, we will be doing our part by participating in this hugely successful charity event.
To learn more about the NSMC Cancer Walk/Run or to make a donation, please visit our team page at http://nsmcgiving.partners.org/curbsidehospitality.
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Tue, May 10, 2011
Last Friday, Curbside Hospitality held it's annual Mother's Day flower giveaway in honor of Mothers across the nation.
The event took place at Curbside Locations across the country, where our employees were supplied with beautiful single stem carnations to hand out to patients, visitors and employees.
Our employees are often the first and last interactions at our accounts and this event helps to make those interactions extra special and unique. Patients, visitors and employees were wearing big smiles after coming in contact with our orange clad team on Friday.
We were so happy to have so many of our locations be able to participate this year. It is an exciting event for our employees because it allows them to provide an even more exceptional experience for our customers than the usual.
Curbside kicks off events like these throughout the year as part of our "Curbside Care" Program which is designed for our customers to make their experience with Curbside go beyond their expectations. It is all a part of our company vision to "Make people's lives better, one small gesture at a time." Based on the event feedback we have received so far, we have done just that by simply handing out flowers as an unexpected gesture. Curbside looks forward to continuing this event in the future.
"We handed out 200 flowers to some very grateful mothers! It was truly a warming experience for everyone." - Curbside Manager at Medical Center Plano
"The little things that Curbside does sure makes us stand out as a valet service….We decided to not only make our customers day by giving them flowers but also spread some cheer in our own hospital… " - Curbside Manager at Medical Center Odessa
A special thank you to all of the Curbside employees who participated in the Mother's Day Flower giveaway across the country!
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Thu, May 05, 2011
Curbside Hospitality's
Surgical Liaison Service
When people ask us the question, what services does Curbside offer? the answer is usually easy. Answering that we provide hospitals with valet, shuttle, parking management, concierge and greeters is straightforward and easy for others to understand since most are familiar with these great services. However, just the mention of the words "surgical liaison" gets an immediate look of confusion and wonder.
So what does this fancy title really mean?
Curbside Hospitality has been working hard to provide solutions and improve patient satisfaction at hospitals across the country, and by launching the Surgical Liaison service we are able to reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt in surgical waiting rooms.
Curbside provides your facility with a highly trained intermediary who can interface with your surgical and recovery teams to provide family, friends and loved ones with a steady flow of information and answers to the many questions they will undoubtedly have.
Surgery is one of the most difficult times for a patient’s family, friends and loved ones. Our goal is to make this as positive of an experience as possible by having a surgical liaison there for you in a time of great uncertainty and delicate emotional states.
To learn more, please click here to download the surgical liaison info sheet.
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Mon, Apr 25, 2011
How much do you know about your healthcare valet parking provider? Read our "10 Things to Know" document to find out what items are crucial for having a successfully run parking operation.
(Click the image below for the full PDF.)
For more information on our valet parking services, click here.
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Thu, Apr 14, 2011
Red Sox season has finally made its way to Boston, and the Curbside Corporate team chose to "Dress for Soxcess" with the Jimmy Fund for the home opener last Friday.
Members of the corporate office elected to donate money in order to help the Jimmy Fund shut out cancer.
We were able to raise $155 dollars to help this wonderful cause.
In exchange for making a donation, corporate employees were able to dress in their favorite Red Sox gear to work on Friday, April 8th.
We are always looking for ways to help the community and were happy to make a contribution.
Curbside Hospitality takes great pride in giving back to others and knows that together we can "make people's lives better, one small gesture at a time."
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Wed, Mar 30, 2011
Curbside Hospitality is pleased to announce the opening of two new locations, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Crown Colony Office Park.
At Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Curbside will be providing Patient Assistant services. The hospital is located in Bennington, VT.
In addition, Curbside will now provide shuttle services for Crown Colony's office park in Quincy, MA.
Curbside continues to grow steadily, expanding services and adding locations to existing accounts across the country.
Curbside is looking forward to continued positive relationships with these existing accounts and to create long lasting partnerships with our newest accounts!
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Mon, Mar 07, 2011
The NVPA Valet Olympics brings a whole new level of professionalism and competition to the valet industry, where the very best valets in the country meet and face off to bring home the coveted Herb Citrin trophy.
Curbside Hospitality's Tom Greenawalt, Adam Lerch, Brian Alberti and Chris Ocampo strutted their stuff in the 2011 NVPA Valet Olympics last week. The olympians participated in four intense competitions in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and gave an admirable performance in each.
The first event was the key jumble, where valets had to match keys to tickets as fast as possible. Olympians were under high pressure to match the keys and lock the podium at light speed.
Competitors and spectators cheered on as each participant dove across the finish line.
The remaining three events were held outside on the top of the hotel parking garage- an appropriate location for 9 valet companies to compete.
Stakes were high as the athletes were competing to win a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta 2 year lease.
Not only were their key matching and driving skills tested, but these guys had to be in ship shape to sprint across the finish line during the valet relay.
The luggage load was the third event, where competitors had to load up a trunk and wheel the bags without letting them slip and fall off of the cart. The crowd went wild as the olympians loaded up the vehicle faster than ever.
The fourth and final event, was the Individual Maneuvering Slalom. This was by far the most exciting and suspenseful competition, as valets swerved in and out of strategically placed cones between two concrete walls. The crowd gasped and cheered as the athletes zipped through, some just barely touching the concrete.
Valets cruised through the cones like only true professionals know how, sporting the brand new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.
Curbside's valet team showed great pride for their jobs and for Curbside as they dashed and swerved during each event. They each put on a very impressive performance and we hope to take home the gold at the 2012 Valet Olympics, to be held in San Diego next year.
Posted by Maggie Coughlin on Mon, Feb 28, 2011
This week, Curbside Hospitality is sending our best valet team to sunny Ft. Lauderdale, FL to participate in the 2011 Valet Olympics presented by the National Valet Parking Association.
The Valet Olympics will be held during the NVPA's annual conference and will consist of about 10 leading NVPA member companies from across the nation. Teams will compete for the coveted Herb Citrin Trophy and will be showing off their valet skills in a variety of events.
The Valet Olympic games will include:
- Key Jumble
- Valet Relay
- Luggage Load Relay
- Individual Maneuvering
These intense competitions will focus on both team and individual performance.
Curbside's 2010 Valet Olympic Team
So which company will take home the trophy and the title for best company in the valet parking business for 2011?? Stay tuned to find out.
Let the games begin!!