With an exclusive client dinner coming up for the Lunar New Year, we sit down with Olivia Tran to talk about celebrating culture in Canada, client service, and the prominent Louis XIII Fortress in Toronto, where she’s come full circle.

Written by Ross Dias

“In the service business, ‘no,’ is not an option.”

This was Olivia Tran’s mantra during her first job as a guest services agent at The Hazelton Hotel. She carried this motto through until she was later asked to lead the entire department.

From the exclusive demands of patrons to celebrity riders, if a request couldn’t be accommodated, Tran would come up a plethora of alternative options for clients to choose from. “The key is to satisfy and anticipate guest needs without ever saying no,” says Tran.

Her philosophy still rings true a year into her current role as the Canadian Director of LOUIS XIII, a luxury French Cognac produced by the House of Rémy Martin that typically retails for a minimum of $3,500 in Canada. Tran attributes her success in the role to nurturing customer relationships in a really organic way.

Connecting Past with Present

With all of Tran’s experience at The Hazelton Hotel, she seized the opportunity to connect the past with the present. It’s no coincidence then, that ONE Restaurant located within The Hazelton Hotel has now become a “LOUIS XIII Fortress,” housing a magnum crystal decanter filled with LOUIS XIII’s exquisite blend sourced directly from the Cognac region and aged for 100 years. It’s the only boutique Canadian hotel to carry this rare decanter, priced at a whopping $7,000.

This new LOUIS XIII Fortress is all due to Tran. She credits her creativity and ambitiousness to the strong line of women in her family. Her mother and grandmother taught her that with a little hard work, she could do anything she put her mind to. Tran’s parents brought her to Canada as a pre-teen, after fleeing the Vietnam war. She believes her own generation has the luxury to follow their dreams because their parents did everything in their power to ensure their struggle wasn’t handed down.

Louis XIII’s Lunar New Year Dinner

In early February, Tran will be celebrating her culture with LOUIS XIII and 40 of her dearest clients at an intimate Lunar New Year dinner at an undisclosed location in Toronto. The event will be in partnership with Fête Chinoise. Tran doesn’t believe in transactional relationships with clients, so she’s always on the hunt for new ways to cultivate what have become true friendships.

The LOUIS XIII experience is also a testament to Canada’s diversity—LOUIS XIII wants to celebrate one of world’s biggest cultural events with its most valued clients.

“A lot of Asian nationalities celebrate this New Year in the Asian community,” Tran explains. “It’s where people come home, spend time with their family and break bread. We’re not really out celebrating in public. Everything is very family-based, which I love. At our dinner, we want to recreate this experience with our valued clients.”