able to issue a $275 cash refund after he had walked into the hotel on his project- ed day of arrival, cancelled his reserva- tion and loudly demanded his deposit back.
Dude wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer.
The police were called. The guy tried to duck them in the back parking lot; ended up smashing into a parked car. Did some jail time... Scary stuff.
Most of all, though, it was long hours, lots of 5pm complaints that check-in time is 3pm, and “Why isn’t my suite ready??” I disliked most every minute behind that desk.
With what I learned though, I wouldn’t trade any of it.
Across my vantage point was the bell stand, which I missed, watching miserably
as my buddies wheeled luggage and counted bills.
The stand resided in front of a wide wood paneled pillar. On the pillar was a big sign board listing the day’s meetings and events which were posted in white New Times Roman letters pushed into a black felt mat.
Not exactly the Digital Age back then...
Pity the night shift “bell squid” (another one of the guys’ nicknames) that had the responsibility of plugging-in the next day’s events, especially when there was a major convention in town.
On the other side of the pillar was a bulky marble desk, unused except by a representative who was set-up behind it during the holiday season, working hard to sell out those New Year’s Eve pack- ages.
Extraordinary Meetings & Special Events The Franklin Institute
For information please contact the
Facility Sales Department at 215.448.1165 or visit our website at
www.fi.edu/tfi/info/rentals
Meanwhile, upstairs on the second floor was Mr. Terry Shaik, the General Manager. In his short time with the Sheraton Valley Forge through 1988, one of Mr. Shaik’s marked decisions was to incorporate a new position - a concierge who would work behind that big and boxy desk. One day, he called me up to the office.
“We would like you to be this property’s first concierge.”
I listened to my superior’s words and immediately thought about Coop, how great he’d be at that job, but Coop was already veering into his own areas of tal- ent and interest: The Sales Dept. From what I hear, my man can still charm the bills right off of them.
It was April of ‘88, the month I happened to get engaged when I broke the news to my fiancé, Dana: “I’ve just been promoted to concierge!” “That’s wonderful!” was her natural reply. “What will you do?”
“Well...” I stopped to think to myself. “Yeah, what will I do?”
I had never been a concierge before, didn’t know any, yet, but felt as if I had already been performing many concierge duties from behind the bell stand and front desk. I had made scads of restaurant reservations, booked the occasional limo, and certainly knew the area.
I could do this.
My first task then, was to find out who else was doing it. I immersed my days in calling hotels to learn who was out there in concierge land. The Four Seasons? Yup. The Warwick? Ditto. The Ritz Carlton, as well. All city-dwellers. I was alone in the suburbs.
I fell in love with the job; the art of hospi- tality and its subtle nuances, and most of all, I enjoyed the exhilaration I felt from making people happy. I soon realized that this is exactly what I wanted to do for the next forty or fifty years.
222 North 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.448.1165
78 May June 2011
GM shmee-em. I was born to be a concierge.
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