I havent seen Cinderella Man, but
I understand the movie, which stars Russell Crowe, is based on the
true story of James J. Braddock, a Depression-era family man who
ends up risking his life as a boxer to put food on the table.
Crowe often plays
roles in which he represents the common man. In Gladiator, his
character ultimately showed himself as a family man fighting for
justice, while in Proof of Life, he played a hostage negotiator for
an insurance company trying to help a family.
I dont know much
about Crowe, but Im guessing he has an affinity for such
roles.
So Im not surprised
that he may be up for an Academy Award for his Cinderella Man
performance, which was much better than his recent antics at a
trendy New York City hotel.
You might recall
that he was staying in the city to promote the film, but apparently
he had trouble with the telephone in his hotel room.
So he went
downstairs and threw it at the front desk -- unfortunately hitting
an employee in the process.
He was arrested,
held for a short while, and released. He later
apologized.
Crowe made news
because hes a celebrity. Still, you cant come away from his
incident without gaining a better appreciation for how difficult it
is to work at jobs that require much interaction with the
public.
For a couple years
after college, I worked at the trendy Bloomingdales department
store in New York selling mens clothes.
I worked there
during the trial-by-fire holiday seasons a few times -- ringing up
sales for endless lines of shoppers, straightening up display areas
again and again and again, folding and refolding items, searching
for items in stock rooms for appreciative customers and for others
who felt you were some sort of indentured servant.
In those days,
Bloomingdales had what amounted to a no-questions-asked return
policy, and, believe me, people took advantage of it.
You wouldnt believe
the stuff they would return. Some returns were routine: the item
was an unwanted gift or was the wrong color.
But there also were
customers who returned items just to see if the store would take
them back. Once a guy returned used underwear. The store accepted
it back, and he left with a new pair.
Thank you for
shopping at Bloomingdales.
It was an
interesting, valuable experience working at Bloomingdales. But it
was tough.
Hotel jobs are
tough, too. Some guests make a huge mess, taking advantage of the
housekeepers who will clean up after them, no questions asked, just
like the Bloomingdales clerks who asked no questions when customers
exploited its liberal return policy.
And then theres the
occasional telephone that takes flight.
Fortunately, that
doesnt happen every day.
And thank goodness
it doesnt, because there are plenty of great people working in
hotels.
We may not always
know who they are as we pass them in the hallway or as they serve
us food, check us in and handle our bags. But most are dedicated to
going above and beyond in order to serve guests.
They are people
like Carol Wade, who has worked for the past 33 years as part of
the housekeeping team at the Radisson Detroit in Bloomfield Hills,
Mich., and Harold Rudy Maduro, a 17-year food and beverage employee
of the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino in Palm Beach, Aruba.
They were named Radisson Hotels & Resorts employees of the
year.
Carol was noted
for, among other things, not missing a day of work in 32 years,
while Rudy often makes time to teach Papiamento (native Aruban
language) to guests.
Imagine those
hotels without staff like Carol and Rudy.
David Greydanus,
Embassy Suites senior vice president of brand management, once told
me, All of our research shows customers like bells and whistles and
new products. But at the end of the day, they just like friendly,
efficient service.
So with all the new
doodads, I dont think we can forget that it takes people to take
care of [guests].
Just a little
something for us travelers to think about as we take off for
vacations and business trips -- Russell Crowe, too.