Which hotel staff member do you turn to when you need to score theater tickets or dinner reservations? The concierge, of course.
But some concierges are actually a wealth of information in ways you hadn’t even considered.
In part one of her series, Jamie Stringfellow uncovers the secrets of the concierges within the walls of historic and notable properties around the globe.
Dan Sotelo has been the chief concierge at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins on San Francisco’s Nob Hill since 1987. He has won several awards including “Winner of Best of the Best Concierge” in 2003 and “Winner of Best of the Best Chief Concierge” in 2009. This June 2011 will mark his 39th year at the property.
Sotelo was born in Los Angeles and came to San Francisco when he was 8 years old. He has been married to his wife Mary for 30 years and has three grown children.
What’s the one sight or experience a guest should see or have while in San Francisco—the one thing you think best captures the sense of place that you’d do if you only had an afternoon?
If I had to pick one it would be riding the cable car.
You can only find it in San Francisco and it offers a pleasant ride through several different neighborhoods.
I would start at Market Street/Union Square, go up the hill to Nob Hill, stop at the Cable Car Museum; continue through Russian Hill via Hyde Street, stop at Lombard Street and then continue to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Cap the ride off with a cup of Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Café. (Purchase a one-day Muni Pass for $13 for unlimited rides on the cable car and city buses).
What’s the most unusual request you’ve had to fulfill for a guest? Or couldn’t fulfill?
Boy, that’s insider information. Actually it happens often, but I’d say the most difficult task to fulfill is last-minute dinner reservations at one of the top restaurants in town. Especially for the same night on a Friday or Saturday.
Learn how to take amazing photos like the one above with photographer and author Lee Foster’s 5 Tips For Photographing San Francisco.
We have some really good contacts around town so we usually have luck, with the stars in alignment. You use the proper etiquette, speak to the right person, the maître d or the manager—people we know. The best way is to ask for a favor. Most people in that situation try to push their way, and that doesn’t work. If the person wanting the reservation is someone “special” that’s always helpful.
Is there a particular guest who has impressed you or left you star struck?
Well, we were expecting Sir Anthony Hopkins over the holidays, on the 31st of December. That’s his birthday! He didn’t end up staying with us—maybe he was finishing the movie that just came out. But he’s stayed with us in the past and he’s one of my favorite actors. He’s a pretty cool character for being a star.
Mrs. Obama stayed with us, with the girls. They’re pretty well-protected, so we didn’t get to interact too much. Some of the younger actors and actresses in the city to do films, I don’t always recognize.
No one has really “star struck” me beside Sir Anthony. He’s pretty impressive.
What’s your favorite room in the hotel, or favorite view?
My favorite room in the hotel is 1508, also known as the Cyril Magnin Suite. One of our long time resident guests, Mr. Magnin, lived here for over 30 years. His family owned the I. Magnin store.
Cyril, the old man, was a bachelor (at least when he was here). He was alone with his little Yorkshire Terrier named Tippycanoe.
He had his own butler and a driver who picked him up daily. He was an old-school gentleman, a bon vivant.
When I started here, we had four or five resident guests that stayed 30 to 40 years. This Cyril Magnin suite has a beautiful living room, dining room along with an outdoor terrace overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the North Bay. The bedroom and bath are large and very luxurious.
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What little piece of trivia or history do you like to tell guests when they ask about the property?
[The hotel] opened in 1926. Mr. Mark Hopkins died prior to his first mansion being built. When his wife Mary died in 1891 she left her mansion and estate of $70 million to her second husband. [The hotel survived the 1906 earthquake, but was destroyed in a fire right after that. Hotel investor George Smith then purchased the site and built the hotel that it is today.]
The Top of the Mark Lounge was opened in 1939 and soon became a favorite for all the servicemen as their last drink in the city before shipping off overseas for World War II. I think our address says it all: #1 Nob Hill. It’s very nice residential neighborhood, one of the best in the city for visitors.
What talent, or cultivated skill, do you think makes you exceptional at your job?
I think I’ve learned how to discern guest inquiries. Sometimes our guests have a vague idea about what they want and have very few details. Asking the right questions that are open-ended is a good way to start off.
One of my talents, I’m not sure if it’s a talent, is having patience. Listening is another good skill. Being a detective, sleuth, going after something. I think I would have been a good detective.
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How did you get here?
I started out at the Mark Hopkins as a high-school summer job! I tell people it was a long summer—39 years! I started as an elevator operator, an old manual elevator. It was actually a pretty unusual job for a kid. Then I was a bellman, then went to Tokyo when I was considering an upper-management position, and decided it wasn’t for me. I’ve been a concierge here since 1979, the year I got married.
You can’t beat San Francisco, that’s for sure. We’ve been basking in 60-degree [temperatures] while the rest of the country freezes.
What do most people not know about the inner workings of a great hotel?
In a great hotel, most guests only see the front of the house. We all depend on the people in the back. The heart of the house [that’s] doing the hard work for us. Those unsung heroes in the back—housekeeping, stewarding. Under pressure, they get it done. People work hard behind the scenes to make it appear seamless out front.
After all this time, does anything surprise you?
Yesterday I had about eight high school students drop in unexpectedly. They were doing some shadowing for the day—it was Groundhog Day. Junior high and high school students seeing if they like the hotel business. They were amazed that we could stand on our feet eight hours a day. They had lunch at the Top of the Mark, then went down to the pastry room and decorated cakes. It’s kind of challenging and hard to be around high schoolers. But it was kind of neat. Being an old guy, it’s hard to remember high school days. I’m not sure when they left if they’d made up their minds. I think they went away thinking, “I’d like to be a pastry chef.” They all got to take their cakes home.
What does your family think of your job?
My kids (two daughters just out of college and a son, still in school), when they were really little, they were able to acquire a taste for fine dining. Those opportunities we have as concierges… if I were the duty manager for a weekend, we’d stay here. They had brunch at the Top. They know the hotel business. They’ve grown up to be connoisseurs of fine dining, getting used to places like this.
What’s your daily ritual?
My daily ritual is as follows: While driving to work, I am always amazed at the view I view I enjoy coming from the East Bay. This drive usually allows me to be thankful that I work in the best city in world. I need my daily cup of cappuccino and I cannot start work without it! My favorite places are in North Beach, but for a daily quick and fast brew I always stop at Peet’s. Once I arrive at the hotel, get dressed, peruse the daily paper I walk up 34 steps to the lobby saying a morning ritual of “gibberish” and face exercises, open the door to lobby, one last thankful prayer and then it’s SHOW TIME!!!
What’s your favorite thing to do here on your day off?
My favorite thing to do on my day off is to find new breakfast locations with my lovely bride of 30 years. Some of my favorites are Brenda’s French Soul Food on Polk Street, Mama’s in North Beach and Little Skillet street food on Ritch Street.
By Jamie Stringfellow for PeterGreenberg.com. Jamie Stringfellow writes from Hermosa Beach, California, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. She is the co-founder and editor of WeekendWalk.com.
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