Greek Hospitality Professionals Shine in Tripadvisor Exceptional Service Awards

Four hospitality professionals in Greece are among the winners of Tripadvisor’s inaugural Exceptional Service Awards. The travel site launched the awards to travelers asking them to nominate hospitality professionals who went above and beyond to deliver outstanding service in the past 12 months.

“Everyone who travels knows that the service you receive can elevate any trip to a memorable one,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

A recent TripAdvisor survey revealed that 67 percent of respondents did not think hospitality professionals receive sufficient recognition for their efforts.

“Through the Exceptional Service Awards, we’re trying to change that by acknowledging stars of the hospitality industry who made a difference by going the extra mile for their guests and clearly made a lasting impression on the TripAdvisor community,” Ms. Messing said.

After receiving more than 3,500 nominations in October 2014, TripAdvisor selected 40 winners across 21 countries worldwide. Winning hospitality professionals will receive a certificate and will be featured on TripAdvisor.

Below are Greece’s four winners with their award-winning exceptional service stories.

Yannis Mitsinis, Villa Anna Studios, Pythagorion
“Yannis came to the hospital and stayed with us until I was cleared to go home 6 hours later.”
Story by Tripadvisor traveler GARLICGILL
“I was taken ill on the first night of our holiday and consequently went to hospital the following morning. We were in a Greek hospital where very little English was spoken and all signs etc were only in Greek – therefore adding to the anxiety of actually being unwell and at the hospital. Yannis came to the hospital and stayed with us until I was cleared to go home 6 hours later. Translating and generally helping us to understand what was going on and where to go, speaking to the doctors to ensure I had the best treatment possible in the fastest time. If he had not been there my stay would have been a lot longer and definitely even more traumatic. He then drove us back to our hotel and on the way back phoned his family to see if they could cook me some food the way the doctors had recommended. On returning his wife then gave me this food insisting that I took the remainder back to my room for when I wanted it.”

Leandros Alygizaki, Leandros Beach, Kissamos
“Leandros contacted them (the car had the rental company name on) to say he had found the ring!”
Story by Tripadvisor traveler saml549
“Whilst on our holiday we used the Leandros Beach bar & had a whole beach to ourselves. When we left & travelled back to where we were staying I realised I’d lost my engagement ring. We travelled back to try to find it & tried to explain the problem to Leandros (who didn’t speak English). He helped us to look for it but with no success. We sadly left & returned home. Later that evening we received a call from our car rental company to say that Leandros contacted them (the car had the rental company name on) to say he had found the ring! They explained that after we left he searched for it for 3 hours on the beach! We visited the next day & sure enough he had it there waiting for me. I was so grateful to him & amazed at how much trouble he went to!”

Yiannis Kostagiannis, The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino, Messenia Region
“My wife & I cried from happiness and words cannot express how our son felt! Thank you, Yiannis!”
Story by Tripadvisor traveler jbrown2665
“Our young son lost his most precious toy, a soft “Batman” which was the first soft toy we bought him and something he literally carried everywhere he went. From the U.S. to Europe several times, it was never away from Jason and we were crushed to find out it was lost. Having retraced our steps for the entire day after we realized it was gone, we had no luck and when we bumped into the concierge for our floor, Yiannis, he saw the sadness in Jason’s eyes and sprang into action scouring the grounds of this massive resort to no avail. Yiannis put out an All Points Bulletin (“APB”) for the missing family member and ultimately found Batman in the resort’s laundry after it was inadvertently swept up with the bedding when the sheets were changed. It took nearly two days, but when we returned to our suite that night exhausted from the continuous search, Batman was on Jason’s bed resting comfortably. My wife & I cried from happiness and words cannot express how our son felt! Thank you, Yiannis!”

Emma, Yiannis Village, Sidari
“She really is such a lovely, wonderful woman who would go above and beyond for absolutely anybody.”
Story by Tripadvisor traveler XAlisonX
“Whilst on holiday in August my husband fell over and sprained his ankle which then swelled up and was difficult to walk on for the next few days. Emma noticed how much pain he was in when we got back to the apartment and got him lots of ice to hold against his ankle. She then got him some special medicated cream to rub into his ankle which helped a lot. Every day she asked him how he was and fetched him ice or whatever else he needed. She also gave him a lift in her car when he had needed to go to the shops. She really is such a lovely, wonderful woman who would go above and beyond for absolutely anybody. I am so glad to nominate her for this award as she truly deserves it. Our holiday, with Peter’s injury, had the potential to be the worst holiday ever but it turned out to be one of the best holidays we’ve ever had!!!”