Century-Plaza Doorman
My name is Abdoul and lots of my friends call me hot sauce because I love spicy food. I use to have hot sauce drinking competitions when I was a young boy and that is how my love for hot sauce started.
I am from Kuwait and if you don’t know where that is, that’s fine because there is only 1 million Kuwaitis in the world now. Kuwaitis are like polar bears… only a few left.
I started at the Century Plaza Hotel when I was 24 and currently work there.
I am 31 and I think the Century Plaza is more than a job- it is like a school to me. I have learned what unity means and also felt the love from every person I saw there. I can go on and on with all the names of people I respect and love there but it would be like winning a Grammy.
The hotel is located at the heart of downtown and is near all the attractions. I can truly say I am becoming an attraction myself at the Century Plaza after 7 years. The hotel has been through a massive transformation and the job gets five stars from me. One major advantage I have is when I get to go to work I get this feeling; like a kid getting a new toy; like someone getting married; like when the Canucks win. I can say that I love my job so much that it feels like I am not working. The reason is simple- it’s a family owned business and an independent hotel.
The owners and managers make me feel important and they take time from their busy lives to listen and talk to me. I always feel that if you get that kind of treatment and respect, I truly want to make them proud and work harder.
I have worked as a bellman, front desk agent, doorman, reservations agent and also worked on the switch board.
The guests at the hotel are wonderful and many of them are return guests. I always remember the returning guests and it truly makes me feel happy to see them again. I also love interacting with new guests to find out where they come from and how I can assist them while they are staying with us.
I will end this and say that the century plaza is my family.