Crushing My Hopes - The Life of a Hotel Doctor

I didn't recognize the number on caller ID, and when I heard "This is Adele from L'Hermitage" I nearly dropped the phone.

L'Hermitage never calls. I serve many luxury hotels (the Langham in distant Pasadena is the most luxurious of all), but the celebrity Beverly-Hills-area establishments (Bel Air, Four Seasons, W, Montage, Beverly Wilshire….) as well as L'Hermitage pay me no mind. I'm not an aggressive marketer, and plenty of doctors are eager to serve them.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is a borderline exception. I've been its doctor four times since the 1980s, making about 150 visits. Each period lasted a few years before a more entrepreneurial physician snatched it away. It's been ten years since the last call, but I remain hopeful.

The L'Hermitage guest needed to speak a doctor, Adele informed me. Was I available? I was.

"I hope you can help me," said the guest.

I listened, and my heart sank as I realized that L'Hermitage had not seen the light.

You can guess what had happened. His request rejected by L'Hermitage's regular doctor, the guest had demanded that the staff find someone else.

Recovering from my dashed hopes, I explained that I could not accommodate him.