Journals of a Hotel Manager

As the rest of the world slows down to the New Year’s Eve celebration, we at the hotel have rushed into a round-the-clock operation.

The chefs are busy chopping and slicing for the large banquet tomorrow evening that will feed up to 600 people.  Housekeeping staff are each assigned up to 14 rooms a day to clean.  Front desk is continuously crowded with guests wanting to exchange money, to buy stamps, and to request for duplicate keys which they have misplaced in the sea. Restaurants employ extra waiters to get through the non-stop mass that eat meals at all times.  Engineers check circuit breakers and haul in extra fuel for the stand-by generator just in case of a power outage as every air-conditioner is running 24 hours a day at the coolest setting.  And I sniff at the air in hope for an evening without rain.

My poor guests left their snowy homeland to come to our tropical island to usher in the new year.  But they have no idea that December is the most uncomfortable season on this island.  A few degrees south of the equator, our island observes the monsoon climate of the equatorial belt faithfully.  In June and July, we have the coolest weather and a constant breeze from the ocean, since it is essentially our ‘winter’ time in dry season.  By November, humidity shoots up to 85% and tropical rain storms unleash their unpredictable load for days.  The sun rarely makes an appearance, to much of our guests’ chagrin.  They in turn unleash their disappointment on me.

I look at the weeping windows with dripping condensation.  It is going to be a soggy New Year’s Eve with my innocent European guests all decked out in tuxedo and evening gowns.  I wish there is a polite way to advise them to wear cotton t-shirt and sarongs instead.

I’d better go take a look at the massive ice carving that is planned for tomorrow night.

Happy New Year!

© Global Hotel Nomad (SH)

Photo courtesy t0asty on flickr.com