My Last Nite as a Hotel Manager for the Foreseeable Future

Please forgive the egomania /narcissism but have to tell about it . You can call it closure , final statement , wrapping things up but feel the need to write about it all .Hope you all enjoy reading

Saturday was my last day as ass't general manger of the hotel . Am on leave this week getting everything settled before I start my new job a week from today at corporate in  LA then it's off to sunny , manic , overcrowded , noisy , crime ridden Manila  which I'm looking forward too  It's gong to be a change going from working on the floor of a hotel to being an efficiency expert telling other people how to run their hotels but will give it my best .

Although things have been bad for the last year because of the fool who is general manager have loved my job which goes back to 2009 . Before that I was in the bar first as a waitress then a bartender , working in the bar was good training since you see /experience so much  !  As the ass't general manager loved the responsibility of handling the whole hotel , sure it could be intimidating & nerve racking but getting the job done had great satisfaction . Loved meeting all kind of people from not only the USA but whole world The challenge & satisfaction from the job also helped me get thru the break up of my 11 year relationship .

Part of me was hoping for a major incident to happen on my last  so I could go out with a bang with everyone talking about what a super manager  I'd been . Maybe like earlier in the week when  I'd brought in the cops to evict a middle aged couple of  Polish  immigrants who had been screaming & fighting in heir room , vile creatures !  Stupid people too , the wife who had a body shaped like a beer keg put a curse on me&  the Securitys , the cops too  Or a few days  before that when we had a famous country singer who had to be rushed to the hospital . He turned out to be OK and sent us a giant fruit basket   Nothing like those things happened , didn't go out with a bag but a whimper which in the end was fine with me . Less report writing & phone time the next morning going over things .

 Nothing was happening  when I came on at 2PM , I felt like the nite watchman at a furniture store since there was nobody in the lobby . Nite watchman  in the pool area/gym  too since it was empty  . Did  my usual walk thru all the departments  , chit chatting with staffers / a few guests . A last time event , the porters hadn't begun to set the grand ballroom up for the  wedding reception that nite so I took the opportunity to see how far I could kick my shoes . It's an old tradition of mine , have used it as an ice breaker with female staffers & to chill in the face of all the running around I did  As always  was able to get my heels the width of the room but still  fell short of having them go across the length , short legs / weak leg muscles. Another unfulfilled dream ...................but somehow I carried  on  

Was joined ny my replacement Stacy at 4PM , she's aggressive & pushy by nature and that nite was practically bursting with enthusiams about taking over as ass't general manager . She  got  ahead of herself bossing around a bellman then talking down to the restaurant hostess  Came to include me too  , Stacy went so far as to tell me I could go home or hang out in the bar with her taking overwith her calling me if I was needed . Smiled , joked about that being a good idea but had to stick around .Instantly she went from being hyper energetic to the human version of a deflated tire . Hee hee. While I'm not popular with most of my fellow managers  after dealing with that barracuda Stacy they will be praying for my return   

Nite time incidents . A cross section of people & experiences.

5PM  , the yuppy army couple in the lobby then restaurant .They seemed more like lawyers  or bankers then soldiers in their JCREW clothes & UMC vibe but were Lt Colonels in the army  .  Both in their 4's , tall each being over 6' tall, 5'3"me had to look up at them   Very focused & driven but still had a real people quality . They must  have spent time in Europe since the wife was holding her knife & fork Euro style when eating in the restaurant  and she and the oldest girl were talking in French .Their daughters  were 11 and 13 were like miniature adults being able to carry on a good conversation ,  they went to the same school in Washington DC where the Obama girls did .Like many Americans the parents were laffing in disbelief about Trump

The wedding reception . The hotel host 30-40 a year almost all on Saturday nites. Have enjoyed working them , nice to be part of the happiest day in the bridal couple's lives & keeps me busy . Because of working so many unless something stands out they blur into one giant water color  painting .  2 things stood out at that reception however ......................

The first was the bridal couple walking in to the tune of  A LITTLE NITE MUSIC  , both all smiles and the crowd applauding . What was different  was the bride ( who even in the white dress looked like she had been around ) was carrying 3 year old boy . Right away I noticed  some of the groom's side were staring or looked shocked .Later learned that the boy was from the bride's previous relationship  Overheard the best man telling his date how the bride  insisted on bringing the boy into the reception  even though the groom said his parents wudn't like it . I understood but also admire the groom  for taking in the boy , haven't known too many guys who wud want to raise another man's kid . Hope it works ! 

The 2nd  interesting thing was that this was the first time in years I've seen an all black band  perform at a white wedding . Don't know why but black groups have performed only at black weddings . As the nite went on the crowd liked the band although most of the older people were left cold when the band did a rap number  The Twist contest was a huge hit with everyone     

The singer was a short roundish girl named Mona in her early -mid 2's  .She had a good voice  & put lots of work into her songs . What I liked best about her was when she let down a middle aged white guest who was begging to go up on stage and do a reggae song .Mona let him down eay , telling him she'd let him but it's in the contract only the band can perform .He went along leaving a  huge Mona fan . I suddenly felt older then the hills when  Mona asked me & the sax player what reggae music is ?                   

Mona's mom who was the manager  & what I first thought was the ultimate stage mother.Think she'd wanted to be a star but that didn't happen so all her energy was going into making her daughter the next Whitney Houston . She looked straight out of the 80's videos on VH1 , about 2'of hair on the top on her head , brite purple lipstick , in a canary yellow double breasted coat with wide lapels, a wide gold belt , black capri pants , orange 6" heels   .You really couldn't miss her ! Still nice , she  loved the music and was proud of her daughter which suddenly made her more then some wanna - be who was trying to live thru her kid

9 PM I lose Stacy .While overflowing with energy suddenly said she didn't feel well and disappeared .Never look a gift horse in the mouth so I didn't ask any questions . She came back around 10PM still looking energetic & now happier  saying she was fine now . Huh ? Right after she went over to TT the banquet captains one of the Securitys  came up to me giggling with the news that he'd just witnessed her & Sous Chef Duncan having fun in his office.The exact term was she was "Doing him a favor " . Check the Urban Dictionary for that

Banned a  hooker around 10:45PM .She was a surprise sight  unless theres a convention the girls are rare on Satudays since their bread & buter of male business travelers aren't around .As far as looks go she was well below  our usual ladies of the night , badly overweight with terribly dyed blonde hair which I think looks stupid on any black women anyway , huge round elephant legs .She didn't like being detained and was wolfing ( talking tough  ) about suing the hotel  . So I gave her the choice of agreeing to being forever banned from the premises or I'd bring in the police .She glared at me in shock then yelled   FU but a second later agreed to being banned  .When she left the Security guys who were both black themselves were laffing away at how someone so unattractive ( their words were more graphic ) could ever hope to make it a hooker. I left the boy's locker room and went back to the lobby .

12:30AM , finish my last nightly  report and am about to leave . None of the crew says good bye & good luck , that wasn't surprising since things like that don't happen anymore because of the horrible  atmosphere created by the general manager . Looked around my micro office ( it used to be where the Xerox machine was ) and said good bye to it    Put on my coat ,  took off my now pinching heels and headed toward the door . One more thing came up , that was Stacy who still looked fine to me claiming to be too sick to drive home wanting me to OK her getting a comp room .Smiled and did so . I knew Duncan was waiting for her , wonder what excuse he gave to his wife about not coming home ?

Anyway 7 years is over, on to bigger & better things . Someday may write a book about my manager days 

Thanks for reading