Whenever we drove down Park Lane and passed The Dorchester my grandfather would tell us stories of how the top hatted and tailed doormen were wealthy men in their own right. Like palace guards they were the sentries who controlled the door and the forecourt and choreographed the comings and goings of power, luxe and history. For this they were gratuitously rewarded with cash and gifts and even the occasional hot tip on a horse or a stock.
In my career I have had the pleasure of working with a number of legendary doormen, gentlemen and one gentlewoman, who were as famous as the properties they manned.
Tipping in todays world is always a thing that intimidates many powerful people. Doing the math and the protocols at a dining room table with a cognac in one hand and a gold card in the other is much different than trying to figure out what to give a surly doorman on a crowded sidewalk on a rain driven New York night. The world wants a cab but they are all headed for Queens. The right bill in the doorman’s hand and the crowd is parted and you are safe and dry, ensconced in the back of a black sedan, on your way, on time, to an expensive Broadway curtain.
When I was a rookie Executive Committee member my family would arrive at the hotel for an MOD weekend and as they got out of the cab Sonny the head doorman would reach into his pocket and give my kids $5 each and tell them they had to be good boys. Years later after he had retired I was once again back in New York and heard that he had passed. I gathered a number of the staff and we went up to the Bronx to the wake to show our respect.
A great place for any General Manager to stay in touch with the reality of his property is to spend some time each day standing at the door listening to the doorstaff, the employees who are literally on the front lines. They will tell you the real deal of how you are doing. Listen!
davidmalcolmgibbons@gmail.com
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In my career I have had the pleasure of working with a number of legendary doormen, gentlemen and one gentlewoman, who were as famous as the properties they manned.
Tipping in todays world is always a thing that intimidates many powerful people. Doing the math and the protocols at a dining room table with a cognac in one hand and a gold card in the other is much different than trying to figure out what to give a surly doorman on a crowded sidewalk on a rain driven New York night. The world wants a cab but they are all headed for Queens. The right bill in the doorman’s hand and the crowd is parted and you are safe and dry, ensconced in the back of a black sedan, on your way, on time, to an expensive Broadway curtain.
When I was a rookie Executive Committee member my family would arrive at the hotel for an MOD weekend and as they got out of the cab Sonny the head doorman would reach into his pocket and give my kids $5 each and tell them they had to be good boys. Years later after he had retired I was once again back in New York and heard that he had passed. I gathered a number of the staff and we went up to the Bronx to the wake to show our respect.
A great place for any General Manager to stay in touch with the reality of his property is to spend some time each day standing at the door listening to the doorstaff, the employees who are literally on the front lines. They will tell you the real deal of how you are doing. Listen!
davidmalcolmgibbons@gmail.com
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