More than two hundred years ago, the word "doorman" meant only one thing - a resident of the country of Switzerland. How did it happen that today the doorman is a profession? And who are the receptionist and concierge? What is their difference from the doorman?
The soul of the hotel since time immemorial
The origin of the profession occurred in the Ancient East. The appearance of the first hotels also belongs to this period. This is due to the fact that the number of pilgrims, merchants and traveling artists has increased dramatically. Therefore, at the entrance to the institutions, employees began to appear who invited to enter and eat, relax or spend the night.
They called these people gatekeepers or vestibules.
Etymology
In the most popular version, the doorman is an expat. The eighteenth century turned out to be very difficult for Switzerland, so the indigenous people of this country were looking for a better life in the Russian Empire. They fled whole families. Due to lack of knowledge of the language, they were employed as servants in inns and in hotels. All that they said in response to any question - "Swiss". The Russians quickly nullified the ending, and by the middle of the 19th century the word was used everywhere.
Adherents of the second version to the question: “What is a doorman?” they say that this is an elite guard. The word came from the guard, which bears the protection of the residence in the Vatican of the Pope. For for several centuries now only Swiss have been recruited into it. In Italy, today the word svizzero means both a resident of Switzerland and a “papal soldier”.
Residents of the fifth republic are sure that the doorman is the receptionist. The word has French roots and means “door” in translation.
Casus
In 1806, for the first time, the meaning of the word “doorman” and its definition appeared in the dictionary, which entailed even more confusion. Ordinary people in communication and even newspapers described with this word both a person’s belonging to the Swiss nation and his position. Therefore, the question arose about how to name the indigenous inhabitants of Switzerland. Thanks to this, a word appeared in Russian that only indigenous people of a small mountainous country called “Swiss” began to be called. The topic was closed.
Professional duties
So what does the doorman do? The meaning and meaning of the word and expression today clearly indicate that the doorman's main job is to meet visitors of a hotel, hotel, restaurant, etc. Depending on the class or stardom of the establishment, the duties of the doorman may vary. But in general terms, the activities of such an employee are as follows:
- open the door to incoming visitors,
- monitor the incoming and outgoing guests,
- Know the phone numbers of emergency services (ambulance and fire, police, etc.)
- follow the rules of service or accommodation,
- call a taxi at the request of the guest,
- know and be able to clearly tell about the location of the nearest restaurants, cafes, museums, memorable places,
- good orientation in the city,
- help bring things to the car or number or invite porters,
- know the location of the alarm and fire protection, be able to use them,
- provide information about any branch or structural unit of the institution,
- monitor the cleanliness in the area in front of the hotel (restaurant, hotel, etc.), in the lobby and lobby,
- clean and wipe walls and glass in the territory entrusted to him, bring to shine the metal parts of doors or windows,
- if there is a malfunction of the front door, report to the directorate or repair it yourself
- to ensure that there is no accumulation of cars in front of the hotel (restaurant),
- monitor alarms and billboards (if any).
The doorman has the right to receive information from any employee of the institution for the performance of his professional duties.
This person bears criminal, civil or administrative liability for violations that arise in the course of his activities. And he is also responsible for non-fulfillment or negligent fulfillment of his duties, according to the job description.
Appointed and dismissed by the director of the institution. He has no subordinates.
Doorman as a full-time unit
The appearance of a person at the door should correspond to the style and class of the establishment. Therefore, the uniform of the doorman is a very important component of his work. A striking example is the clothes of such an employee in the Odessa hotel "London". The building in which it is located is stylized as a royal palace in Edinburgh (UK). Therefore, the designers developed a livery, very reminiscent of the guards uniform of the Royal Tower Guard regiment in London.
In small hotels, the doorman and administrator are usually combined. Therefore, here the doorman is a person whose responsibilities include meeting guests, responsibility for incoming correspondence, receiving faxes and phone calls. Sometimes employees keep lists of arrivals and departures.
Large hotels or restaurants in their state have a day doorman and a night.
And I would go to porters - let them teach me ...
The meaning of the word “doorman” suggests that this profession is mastered by people who are very fond of communication, who are not annoyed a thousand times a day to answer the same questions. It will not be difficult for a real doorman to fulfill the petty requests of strangers, to answer questions of interest to them, to help orient oneself in an unknown place and smile. It is not for nothing that a person in this profession is the face of an institution, whether it is a hotel, restaurant, a respectable residential building or the office of a large company.
The business is not very profitable
Despite the fact that the doorman is the face of an expensive hotel or restaurant, his salary is low. In institutions of low class or small starry, the wage for the representative of this profession is only $ 250, plus standard tips not more than two dollars. The reason for such a small salary is the lack of particularly serious requirements for the position and special education. Only spoken English, rejection of bad habits, good physical shape, suitable age are needed.
High salaries (over $ 500) can boast of porters of metropolitan hotels (restaurants, residential complexes, etc.). But the requirements here are higher: the ability to comply with corporate, service and business standards; Russian is perfect: competent speech, skills in telephone etiquette , etc.