Dave the Valet
By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to stay in some great, old, historic hotels and
each time, it has been a treat. I’ve been lucky to spend a couple of nights in the
penthouse at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and the Mayfair Hotel in St. Louis.
It’s always a little intimidating when driving up to the front door and seeing the uniformed
doormen and parking valets. A guy rushes up and grabs your suitcase and you stick a
few bucks in his hand as he quickly gives your bags to another guy who puts in on a
luggage cart when you stick a few bucks in his hand, only to realize that another guy is
going to take you to the registration desk and you have run out of one’s and you give
him a fiver for a thirty-foot journey.
After getting your key, they ring a bell and tell you they will send your luggage to the room and to go ahead and get on the elevator. A knock on the door and the bellhop comes in with your luggage, opens the curtain, and tells you how the thermostat works. He politely asks if everything is to my satisfaction and pauses for a moment. A ten-dollar bill seems to be in order, and I am down about twenty dollars and finally sitting on the bed.
My wife and I recently attended the Bruce Springsteen Concert in Pittsburgh and stayed
at the historic William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. I’ve stayed at the William
Penn several times over my life and always had a great time. I would often arrange
business meetings in the hotel and arrive early, just to sit in the lobby and enjoy the
beautiful architecture, while drinking a cup of coffee and croissant. It is like stepping
back in history and it is easy to see why hotels were the landmarks in most cities. As we
drove up to the ornate canopy, a fellow opened the door and welcomed us to the hotel.
He introduced himself as Dave and said he would take care of the car. He pulled out a
luggage cart and we politely declined as we just had two small suitcases. We went up to
our rooms and relaxed a while before dinner.
We had a wonderful dinner in the Terrace Room restaurant and were getting ready to
leave for the PPG Paints Arena, just a short distance from the hotel, when I realized that
I had left my phone in my car. I headed down to the valet desk and without saying a
word, Dave handed me my phone. I laughed and thanked him. When I went back and
told this to my wife and my sister and her boyfriend, my sister said she had known Dave
for years when she worked for the Benedum Foundation and would stay at the William
Penn, one night a week for over ten years. In fact, she said that when they arrived, he
recognized her and gave her a big hug, and welcomed her back after so many years.
As we checked out, Dave had our car pulled around and I thanked him for his great
service and attention to detail. He said that he had been there for over thirty years and
loved what he did. He said he has welcomed presidents and dignitaries from throughout
the world along with more Hollywood stars and famous singers than he could
remember. He also asked me to let my sister know how nice it was to see her.
Dave put a smile on my face and when I think about our visit to the William Penn Hotel,
I will have him at the top of the list. Thanks, Dave, and to that cranky old guy who wrote
that stuff about tipping, I think you changed his mind!