I Finished Reading Hotel Babylon

Great book for anyone in the hospitality industry. It is right on the money and I found so many times I could relate to what was happening or what they were talking about. Put this one on your birthday or Christmas wish list.

Thoughts of a Bellman

I Just Roll With It.

"The person who brings up the bags and opens the room for you should get $1 or $2, unless you have a whole trolley of luggage, when it should be more." - New York Times


Of course, you can always require three whole trolleys for your numerous and heavy boxes and shrug it off with, "I'd tip you but I'm all out of cash." I just keep it polite and hope that tomorrow is a better day.

Anyone hiring?

Visit his blog at ChezBez

We Bought some Vegas Doorstops

Our hotel decided to buy a couple of the Vegas Doorstops to see how well they work and if they are as good as they sound, I'm sure we will buy more. We even bought holsters for them. *smiles* Yep, it's gonna be like a real wild west hotel with all the bellman packing heat.

Stay tuned to this blog for future updates on how cool these make the bellmen look.

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Simplicity is the Key Advantage

With the door straight open to a 90 degree angle or more, place the Door-Pro Doorstop over and onto the middle hinge-pin. Using it on the middle hinge balances the weight of the door. See "How To Size."

The Door-Pro Doorstop is constructed to slide over and onto the top of the hinge-pin and down alongside the hinge plates. The doorway is now easily accessible.

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The Door-Pro Doorstop is made only to be used on the hinge-pin.Do not wedge doorstop in door jam.

Tipping

By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY

Against the flood of Chinese imports, the USA may have a new export when the 2008 Beijing Olympics gets underway: the American way of tipping.

In China, some tipping already occurs at big-city hotels, but it "will still be a novelty" when the Olympics begin next August, says P.M. Forni, author of the 2002 book Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct.

CHART: What to tip, in 77 countries

China is just one of several countries where tips had been uncommon but where an increasing number of service workers are expecting them.

Americans routinely tip while abroad, and that, according to Forni and other experts, is driving the trend. And, as practices change, many business travelers are finding it all very baffling.

Forni calls tipping abroad "a territory fraught with awkward moments."

Business travelers' confusion is understandable, says Lynn Staneff who compiled a tipping guide for 70 countries for Magellan's, which sells travel supplies from two California stores and a website. Tipping is common in some countries, not done in others, or only done in some cities, she says. Whom to tip varies by country.

"I have absolutely no idea what to tip outside the USA," says professional speaker Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Tipping practices are "in a constant state of change, so what was appropriate the last time you visited a foreign destination may be inappropriate the next time you go," Staneff says.

According to her guide, tipping is not practiced in 11 countries — Brunei, Malaysia, Japan, Oman, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. In most countries, travelers are expected to tip to a waiter or waitress 10%, pay the equivalent of $1 per bag to a porter and round the taxi fare to the next unit of the local currency.

Many countries in Asia and Western Europe add a service charge to a restaurant check, exempting diners from tipping, Forni, the author, says. In Japan, Staneff says, tipping is perceived as insulting.

Business traveler Hershkowitz-Coore gets around her confusion by tipping 20% everywhere — "exactly as I would here, unless the bill states that service is included."

She says she's had people tell her a tip was unnecessary. "But when I tell them that I understand and would like to thank them, no one has turned it down."

Frequent business traveler Robert Grimes, who is the chairman of a consulting company, says he angered a taxi driver in the United Kingdom when he rounded off the fare to the next pound.
The cabbie thought the tip was too small and threw coins out the window at him. Though tipping is not generally practiced in Thailand, Grimes says this month a taxi driver in Bangkok seemed insulted that he wanted change.

The best way to avoid insulting or embarrassing a service worker is to ask a hotel concierge about local tipping customs when checking in abroad, Forni and Staneff say. If no concierge is available, it's OK to tactfully, and graciously, ask the worker or the head of the service whether tipping is acceptable.

Former Las Vegas Bellmen Build a Better Doorstop

By Howard Stutz, Las Vegas Review-JournalMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News
Jul. 24, 2007 -



Brian Agster and William Hengler, two Mandalay Bay bellmen, spent two years designing and developing a doorstop that was easy to use, decreased property damage and was safer than the old-fashioned models.

Getting Strip hotel purchasing departments interested in their product was another challenge.
Today, bellmen, maids and guest room service personnel in thousands of Strip hotel rooms, including resorts operated by MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment, utilize the Door Pro, produced by Vegas Doorstops, a business founded by the two bellman.

Agster and Hengler have taken the doorstop outside of Nevada. It is being used at more than 600 hotels operated by Walt Disney World, Hyatt Hotels and the Marriott Corp. The next step is getting the doorstop in the hands of a distributor, which could place the product into 26,000 hotels and motels worldwide.

In 2005, the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show in New York honored the Vegas Doorstops' device with the "Best New Product Award."

By the way, Agster and Hengler no longer work as bellmen.

"We're really too busy and that's a good thing," said Agster, the CEO of Vegas Doorstops.

Hengler serves as the company's president. The Door Pro is manufactured in Las Vegas and distributed out of Las Vegas.

When the pair came up with the idea, they made the pitch to hotel purchasing departments. The company's success, Agster said, was in understanding the needs of hotel operators.

"If you don't have a product that is different and solves their problems, you won't get into these big properties," Agster said. "It was not only an amazing amount of persistence, but most importantly a great product that got us through the door of these big properties. You are not going to get any time with these buyers and purchasing agents without a fantastic product."

Mark Stolarczyk, vice president of corporate purchasing for MGM Mirage, was the first buyer to give the two bellmen a sale. He said their energy and creativity impressed him. He said the product made sense for use at MGM Mirage properties.

"It's not often that I meet a new supplier for the first time and become as impressed as I was," Stolarczyk said. "They had a professional presentation and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and pride about their product."

Because of Nevada law, Agster and Hengler had to get the written approval of Mandalay Bay officials in order to patent the doorstop because it was developed while they worked at the casino.

"They signed off and told us to go make a million bucks," Agster said.

The story comes from the Las Vegas newspaper, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Visit the official Vegas Doorstops website for more information

Cool Thing for Hotels to Offer

Kid Play...Bellhop or Cook for a Day at Rihga Hotel in Tokyo

If you visited Tokyo this summer, stayed at the Rihga Royal Hotel and brought the kids along, they could have been in for a special treat.

The hotel offered a different kind of internship. Reserved to kids age 3 to 12 who could try their hand at "five different types of work: housekeeping, doorman, front desk, floor service and kitchen, with 72 different tasks to tackle" according to Springwise where I found out about this program. It might also be a good way for kids to learn about etiquette and help them respect people who serve them when they travel.

This Kid Play was offered in July and August only.

This was found on Serge the Concierge. Visit for more interesting things.