27 Aug August’s Featured Artist Never ‘Tires’ of Helping Others

a href=”http://townepark.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Feat-Artist3.jpg”>Steven Kopelman, Assistant Account Manager at the Four Seasons Washington, DC, was named this month’s Featured Artist due to his unwavering assistance to a family who had hoped to enjoy a night out together before a torn tire almost derailed their plans.

Despite the fact they weren’t even guests at the hotel, Steven stayed an additional four hours after his shift (one he had picked up on his off day to cover for an under the weather co-worker) to ensure the issue was resolved. In going the extra mile, Steven provided this family with a peace of mind, allowing them to enjoy a meal together at their favorite restaurant.

An email from the family, written to the CEO at Four Seasons and the General Manager/Regional Vice President of the Four Seasons, Washington DC, can be found after the jump. It praises Steven’s goodwill and clearly explains why he is Towne Park’s Featured Artist for the month of August!

I write to you on behalf of myself and my father, to share with you an exceptional experience that we had at Four Seasons Washington, DC last evening.

My parents, my two young daughters and I had decided to dine at La Chaumiere restaurant in Georgetown. I was visiting from Delaware, and my parents, who are from Virginia, wanted to take us to La Chaumiere, one of my favorite restaurants.

In the course of attempting to parallel park the vehicle in front of the restaurant, the front right tire hit the curb and was torn. Upon inspection, it was clear it had been irreparably damaged. My father and I were not sure what to do; however, rather than return home, we decided to bring the car to the Four Seasons. Upon pulling in the covered valet area, we were greeted by Steven Kopelman of Towne Park. Flustered and stressed by what had just occurred, and uncertain as to what we should do next, we explained the situation. Within minutes, Steven had the entire situation under control.

Steven’s first act of kindness was to offer to comp my father’s parking to relax us and assuage my father’s concerns. I insisted that was not necessary because we would be at a restaurant that reimbursed Four Seasons’ parking, but he insisted and said it was his pleasure. He then strongly advised that the tire had been compromised, and he did not want to risk our safety by driving on it. Next, he told us he would contact Mercedes 24-Hour Roadside Assistance on our behalf and oversee the entire repair process. He asked my father for the necessary paperwork to facilitate the repair on our behalf, and despite our protests, he insisted that he had everything under control. He simply told us to enjoy our evening.

By the time I followed up with Steven, a mere 10 minutes later, he had already put his action plan into gear. He had contacted Roadside Assistance and gave his personal cell phone number for the service to contact him to arrange the repair. He told me he would contact us when it was complete. I felt completely relieved, and immensely grateful.

By the time dessert arrived, so did Steven. Rather than call us on our cell to report on the progress, he literally walked across the street to the restaurant to personally assure my family that all had been taken care of, the tire had been changed and the vehicle was safe for travel. He instinctively understood how stressful that situation was for us and had our best interests and safety in mind; and he went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that he absorbed the burden to save our evening. He did all of this for complete strangers.

It is not often in life that one is fortunate enough to meet someone like Steven Kopelman. Not only did Steven display a level of professionalism that is truly uncanny, but the empathy and kindness that he extended to us, without hesitation, is exceptional, and quite honestly, unparalleled. Steven is a stellar representative for Towne Park and The Four Seasons, and he should be commended for his crisis management skills and his natural ability to provide extraordinary customer service. He put our needs first and for that I will be forever grateful.

I do hope that you will convey our heartfelt gratitude to Steven, as well as share our feedback with the Towne Park executives. They should know how fortunate they are to have a man of Steven’s caliber in their employ. We look forward to seeing Steven on our next trip to Four Seasons Washington, DC.

Steven Kopelman

Congratulations! Steven will be attending the Leadership Summit meeting in 2013, actively participating in Executive Vice President, Hotel Operations Matt Cahill’s breakout session!

Please contact your District Manager for the “Featured Artist” Nomination For