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The Rewards of a Good Deed
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the
lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, the
couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and
explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are
taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into
the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to
sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to
make you folks comfortable for the night."
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me,
I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them.
So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,
"You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the
United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you."
The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As
they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed
exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he
received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and
enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a
visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue
and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale
reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.
"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to
manage."
"You must be joking," the young man said.
"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around
his mouth.
The older man's name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent
structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became
its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the
turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the
world's most glamorous hotels.
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the
lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, the
couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and
explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are
taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into
the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to
sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to
make you folks comfortable for the night."
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me,
I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them.
So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,
"You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the
United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you."
The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As
they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed
exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he
received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and
enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a
visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue
and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale
reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.
"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to
manage."
"You must be joking," the young man said.
"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around
his mouth.
The older man's name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent
structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became
its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the
turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the
world's most glamorous hotels.
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