I had seen a guest at the Banana
Bungalows, a budget motel near the Hollywood freeway converted into a hostel.
It was my first visit, so I wanted to introduce myself. I caught the eye of the
desk clerk, a youth with a shaved head, tank top, and jeans.
The quality of front desk personnel
varies directly with the quality of the hotel. Since hostels are a nonprofit
enterprise, their employees fall below the bottom of the scale.
“Could I speak to the front desk
manager?”
“I guess that’s me.”
“I’m Doctor Oppenheim. I took care of
the man in bungalow ten. Did you call me?”
The clerk shook his head no.
“Maybe one of your colleagues?”
“I’m the only one on duty.” It’s a
mystery how often I find no one willing to admit referring a guest. I began my
sales pitch.
“Who do you call when a guest wants a
doctor?”
“Nobody gets sick. We send them to an
ER.”
“You must call someone. Someone
called me…. I’m a fulltime hotel doctor. All the hotels use me.….”
At chain hotels, staff maintain eye
contact and a smile as I speak. I often sense their lack of interest, but at
least they remember their manners. The Banana Bungalow’s clerk kept nodding to
encourage me to get to the point. He flicked an impatient glance at a guest
standing nearby.
“I’m always available.”
“We don’t really need a doctor.”
“Here’s a number anyone can call 24
hours a day. Could you post it?”
“No problem.” The clerk snatched my
card and then turned to the waiting guest.
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