The most serious situations can often be softened by outrageous humour. Here is a story which really ‘takes the cake’!
Let me set the scene: Recently, my husband Edgar experienced a medical crisis in which he needed to be transported by ambulance to an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) more than an hour away from our home city, Pietermaritzburg. This was an emergency and I needed to be based near the Umhlanga Hospital. Our favourite hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel became my place of refuge. The management and staff provided a sound base from where I could visit my husband a few times a day, have my laundry done and be looked after in a myriad of ways. Despite the fact that this was the Christmas week where the hotel was fully booked with local and international holiday makers, the management and staff charmingly supported me and accommodated me as the story evolved over a four day period. Nothing seemed too much trouble for them.
When Edgar was discharged on Christmas Eve, we chose to spend the night at the hotel so that we could be near the hospital and also avoid the traffic on the journey back to Pietermaritzburg. On Christmas day as we were about to depart from the hotel, the General Manager, Wayne Coetzer and his team presented us with a gift, a cake made specially for us. But this was no ordinary Christmas cake!
Here is my response:
Dear Wayne,
I prefer your representation of events. It really does ‘take the cake’! ‘Ed in bed’ looks much happier (and healthier) than in the photo below where he is the ambulance bed.
Wayne, ‘thank you’ to you and your team for going to so much trouble and making us laugh. We love the detail on the cake – the drip, bottle, blood and bald patch at the back of Ed’s head are all relevant details. The cake was a great parting gift and we look forward to eating the delicious contents, too. Please thank Kevin, Tyler and whoever else was involved in the conception and execution of this hilarious Christmas present. Humour certainly does add life!
Warm wishes and grateful thanks from both of us,
Brenda
The Oyster Box Hotel has a soul. While maintaining excellence and professionalism, the management and staff get the job done. Yet, kindness and caring prevail and these values are lived consistently at every level in the organisation. I applaud the Red Carnation Hotels Collection in sustaining high standards yet making sure that they put people first.
For more information on the services offered by Brenda Eckstein International please contact brenda@146.66.90.172 or phone +27 82 4993311.
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