Pelee Motor Inn (now known as the Best Western Plus) holds a very special place in our hearts. My now-husband and I both went to Pelee as kids with our families. When searching for a wedding venue for over two hundred guests, we were elated that the Best Western Plus Leamington Hotel was able to accommodate us. We were able to utilize all aspects of the hotel for our big day: the lobby/lobby bar, the Bevel Room, the Monarch Hall, and the atrium (among 70+ hotel rooms). Our individual memories were able to come full circle as we celebrated our wedding day together in such a meaningful place. And boy oh boy… our wildest dreams were exceeded because of Ed Borland. The success of the weekend is due to him.

From the second we walked through the doors over two years ago, Ed went above and beyond in listening to our vision and exceeding our expectations for the duties that his job entails. Early on, he told us “my ultimate goal is for you and Brett to have the special day that the two of you envision and want and that's where my focus is and always will be”. Ed held true to his words and was personable, kind, and always willing to help and answer our many phone calls (at all hours of the day, seven days a week). He truly cared about our happiness throughout the entire process. Last summer, Ed blew our minds with an incredible food tasting where each and every dish was cooked to perfection (coming from an Italian family… this was an important factor when choosing our venue). Leading up to the wedding, Ed picked the best of the best servers and bartenders to work for us, met us on his day off to grab and set up chair covers and hotel Christmas decorations, met with us on numerous occasions to put our minds at ease (down to setting up and measuring distances between tables in our proposed seating plan so that we knew our guests would have adequate room to move around), suggested alcohol for a fun party shot that ended up being a huge hit, set up high chairs for our youngest guests, AND coordinated with Hydro One when they told us a week before our wedding that there would be a power outage during our event (which he was able to postpone). The weekend of, Ed and his team set-up/took-down the Monarch Hall overnight to flip the room for our brunch. Our guests were absolutely amazed that Ed slept at the hotel overnight to be there for us at all hours of the event.

As well as Ed, Quayd Rawlings made sure everything went smoothly and according to our intricate plan. From the moment we met him the week of our wedding, we knew he was a very kind and humble person. Above all, he was genuinely happy for us every time we saw him throughout the weekend. He would ask us how he can be of assistance, dropped everything to help out, and congratulated us many times.

In addition, we couldn’t believe the quality of the food (we had a five-course meal in addition to appetizers and pizza) and the fair pricing of our wedding meal. Furthermore, the entire hotel was spotless, decked out in holiday cheer, and felt very welcoming. We had over 140 people staying the night, and not one person complained about any aspect of the venue. People were raving about the fun bartenders (especially Michelle), the abundance of delicious food, and the exceptional service we all received all weekend. After the wedding, Ed and his team worked tirelessly to convert the ballroom into a Christmas-themed breakfast hall for us to have an out-of-this-world breakfast.

In summary, it was an absolute pleasure working with Ed, Quayd, Madi (the kindest receptionist/server we’ve ever met), and Kate (a fantastic sales manager) over the past few years. We highly recommend the Best Western Plus Leamington to any couple wanting to throw an amazing wedding reception, to any family wanting to get away and spend time with each other, and to any person wanting to stay at a place that makes them feel like family. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for pouring your passion into our day.