Working in the hospitality industry, I have had the fortune and misfortune of coming across a wide variety of people. Often times, we have no idea what goes on in a person's life. Are they rich or poor? Happy or sad? And today, when they enter our place of business, what has brought them to us and why are they in an agreeable or disagreeable mood? Each day, in different ways, we all strive to connect with our guests to make their time spent away from home a more enjoyable one.
As a bellman, we have the opportunity to engage in short conversations with our guests. How was your day? What's the weather like back home? What brings you to our hotel? Any plans for your stay? Yet after all the pleasantries pass, the guest judges us based on our level of service and we judge them on the amount of their tip. Though it may seem superficial, the reality is that as bellman, we live off of the tips we earn and we work hard to achieve them. A former bellman once showed me a web page entitled, "The Original Tipping Page" with an article on how to "correctly tip a bellman." After showing the page to several of my cohorts, we each agreed that it was for all intensive purposes, accurate. But who best represents this model? My generation? My parents generation? My grandparents generation?
This year and more specifically, this past week, I have come into contact with several members of the "older" generation. These are the people whom we call "grandpa" and "grandma". Most times, they are set in their ways and can be hard to reason with. But they also can tell some pretty fantastic stories and they understand the value of hard work. More importantly though, they understand the value of paying for hard work. I'm the first to admit that I love when the "older" generation comes in to my hotel. I don't have to fight them for bell carts (like I do with the 30 somethings and their soccer groups) and I don't have to worry about getting quarters or a $1 bill. This is the generation the consistently gives $5s, $10s and for the fortunate few, the coveted $20s. They are appreciative and understanding and never in a hurry. In short, they are the perfect guests. The kind everyone fights over, wants to assist and will go out of their way for.
But as this generation disappears and our parents become the new grandparents and we start to become parents...will this understanding and appreciation of the hard working bellman still exist? Or will we be overrun with families pushing us out of the way to take our carts, load their own luggage and save a few bucks? My advice? Follow the lead of the "older" generation. Shell out a few bucks, sit back and relax and let the professionals do their job. =)
