At this YouTube link, there is a a 2.5 minute clip of an interview with a hotel doorman from Chicago who loves his job, and tells us why. The language is simple and would be suitable for intermediate English learners.
Transcript
Studio introduction
He is winning hearts and minds and some cold, hard cash at the Hotel Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue.
So, Will White is a doorman and he’s on a mission to brighten the day of each and every guest. So let’s check out why he loves his job.
The doorman
“Good afternoon, welcome to the Hotel Intercontinental”.
“Good afternoon”.
“One car to come down to the garage, please.”
Well my duties include .. er.. greeting guests when they arrive to the hotel, giving them information on the hotel, and getting taxis for guests, and also ..er.. recommending restaurants and things to do throughout the city.
“All right, you guys have a good day.”
Well, I’ve been working this job for 20 years. I was in high school and my sister, she was actually employed at the hotel at the time. And she saw that I was working hard in school, and she said, you know, her job was hiring. And she asked me to come down and I put in an application; and they hired me to be a bellman here at the hotel. And I’ve been here since that time.
“You’re welcome, sir” [Indistinct]
“Will this be for overnight or short-term for you all?”
“And then the next building is the Marriott.”
I love being a doorman, you know, I have good experiences every day with different people from all over the world. The winters are a little tough. But if you dress for it, you know, it’s a pretty great job to have.
“If you go to Ohio, which is the first intersection, and take a left, ….”
“Well, is there luggage for me to send upstairs for you all?”
“Now your husband …”
I’m meeting people all day, you know, and I’m in a good mood. And if I meet someone, if they’re not in a good mood, 9 times out of 10, if I have a good conversation, you know, I can give them a smile. My thing is to try to… each person that I come in contact with, is to try to make them leave from my presence with a smile.
“Thank you very much…”
“You’re welcome to the Intercontinental.”
“Where are you travelling to?”
Well, I love my job because I get to be myself, I get to meet new people every day. And it brings daylight to my own life.
“Welcome to the Intercontinental….Have a great day…See you all later today.”
Some days, my days might not be bright, but I’ll come here and I’ll meet someone and they’ll make my day. You know, that’s the great thing about a job like this, because you’re dealing with regular people; so you never know what kind of conversation you’re gonna have. Every day is different.
Discussion in studio
And all I can think of : the people-watching that he must have in his little perch right there (oh, the stories) must be awesome!
The stories that he could probably tell of things that he’s seen late at night outside that hotel. That’s cool. Then, he loves to make everyone else’s day.
Now, if you love your job, we wanna hear from you. Send us an email. Let us know why you love your job and we could be featuring you, right here, on our show.
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