Waiting for the Second Call - The Life of a Hotel Doctor

"This is the Shore hotel."

This sounds like a routine introduction, but it brought joy to my heart. It was a first call!... I almost never acquire new hotels, and the Shore, an upscale, boutique on the Santa Monica beach, had opened a month earlier.

I and my rivals keep an eye on new construction. As the opening nears, more aggressive hotel doctors approach the general manager or visit the lobby to extol their virtues to the staff. I send a dignified letter of introduction to the GM. This rarely works, but after more letters and the passage of time – years or perhaps a decade or two – calls materialize.

Before leaving the Shore, I stopped at the front desk to introduce myself, give thanks for the referral, and pass out business cards. The clerks responded with enthusiasm, accepted my cards, and promised to keep me in mind.

This reminded me that over thirty years, every Los Angeles hotel has called for the first time. These always excite me, but many never call again. It turns out that a first call means little; the second is genuinely good news. More will follow.

The Shore called first in June of 2012. The second has not yet arrived, but hotel doctoring requires patience.