The Hotel Clerk Inspirational story contributed by Sang of Delaware
One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia, USA. Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
"Could you possibly give us a room here?" - the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple
and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All
of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't
send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in
the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's
not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks
comfortable for the night."
When the couple
declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me,
I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them. So the couple
agreed.
As he paid his
bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You
are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel.
Maybe someday I'll build one for you."
The clerk looked
at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they
drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was
indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and
helpful isn't easy.
Two years passed.
The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter
from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip
ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man
met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and
34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale
reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the
sky.
 "That,"
said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you
to manage."
"You must
be joking." - the young man said.
"I can
assure you I am not." - said the older man, a sly smile playing
around his mouth.
The older man's
name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was
the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its
first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw
the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of
one of the world's most glamorous hotels.
"When
you serve the customer better, there's always a return on your investment."
--- Kara Parlin
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