A
guest had a flight in a few hours, explained the front desk manager of the
Marina Marriott. His wife was ill and needed a doctor’s note to reschedule. How
fast could I get there?
“Very
fast,” I said. It was Saturday evening, and I was reading a book.
The
Marriott had called regularly for decades before falling silent a few years before.
Hotels occasionally do that, and this call gave me hope.
My
competitors enjoy an active social life. It was the weekend, and hotels often
turn to me when the regular doctor is hard to reach. After caring for the
guest, I returned to the lobby and tracked down the manager who shook my hand.
“Thank
you so much for coming,” he said. “We have your card.”
I
drove off in a happy mood. These urgent requests arrive several times a year,
and my prompt response has won me new clients.
But
not often. Few hotels give a high priority to providing medical services. The
Marina Marriott reverted to silence.
Still,
I have fond memories. Twenty years ago, Loews in Santa Monica phoned when its
regular doctor hadn’t appeared after several hours. I hurried, but when I
knocked on the guest’s door, it was the regular doctor who answered. The
embarassed manager promised to make it up to me and kept his word.
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