I imagine there are a multitude of reasons why those of us who work in hospitality have chosen to do so. Among them are the enjoyment of providing excellent service, a desire to help travelers feel more comfortable when away from home and some people fall accidentally into a hotel career while pursuing something completely different. My story is particularly unique, and one I am proud of – I am in this business because in the first half of the last century, a man died from a paper-cut.

My grandfather worked at a hotel where that man used to stay. It turns out that he appreciated the service my grandfather provided so much that he hired him away from that hotel to work for his own. When the man later died of blood poisoning from a paper-cut (medicine just wasn’t the same back then), my grandfather was named as the primary beneficiary of the estate which included the Pawnee Hotel in North Platte, Nebraska. My mom grew up around that hotel and others her parents later owned around the country. After school, she and her sister would have to work the switchboard, clean rooms and do other hotel chores.

Photo of Pawnee Hotel in North Platte, Nebraska

By the time I entered the picture, my grandparents were retired, but I remember always knowing that my grandparents owned hotels and that my mom was raised in them. I had such a strong love for all of them that I decided at a very young age that I was going to work in hotels, just as they did. If that’s part of what made them such great and interesting people, I definitely wanted to follow in their footsteps. I have developed a passion for what I do and an awareness of how our guests and my fellow hotel team members are affected.

My story reminds me that all of us who work in the hotel have our own stories, and our guests do, too. For at least a couple days at a time, the stories come together; and if we can learn from each other, hopefully all are enhanced.

Steve Sitton
Director of Revenue Managemenet
Doubletree Hotel San Jose