More than two hundred years ago, the word "porter" meant only one thing - a resident of the country of Switzerland. How did it happen that today "porter" is a profession? And who are the porter and concierge? How are they different from a doorman?
The soul of the hotel from time immemorial
The origin of the profession took place 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 wandering artists has increased dramatically. Therefore, employees began to appear at the entrance to the establishments, who invited them to come in and eat, relax or spend the night.
These people were called gatekeepers or gatekeepers.
Etymology
The most popular version tells that the doorman is an immigrant. The eighteenth century turned out to be very difficult for Switzerland, so the natives of this country were looking for a better life in the Russian Empire. Whole families ran. Due to ignorance of the language, they got jobs as servants in inns and hotels. All that they said in response to any question was "Switzerland". The Russians quickly reset the ending, and by the middle of the 19century the word was used everywhere.
Adherents of the second version to the question: "What is a doorman?" answer that this is an elite guard. The word came from the guard, which guards the residence in the Vatican of the Pope. For for several centuries now only the Swiss have been recruited into it. In Italy today, the word svizzero means both a resident of Switzerland and a "papal soldier".
Inhabitants of the fifth republic are sure that the porter is a porter. The word has French roots and means "door".
Casus
In 1806, for the first time, the meaning of the word "porter" and its definition appeared in the dictionary, which led to even more confusion. Ordinary people in communication and even newspapers described with this word both the belonging of a person to the Swiss nation, and the position. Therefore, the question arose of how to call the indigenous inhabitants of Switzerland. Thanks to this, a word appeared in the Russian language, which they began to call only the indigenous inhabitants of a small mountainous country - "Swiss". Topic has been locked.
Professional responsibilities
So what does the doorman do? The meaning and meaning of the word and expression today clearly indicate that the main job of a doorman is to meet visitors to a hotel, inn, restaurant, etc. Depending on the class or star rating of the establishment, the duties of a doorman may vary. But in general terms, the activities of such an employee are as follows:
- open the door for incoming visitors, - monitor incoming and outgoing guests, - knowemergency phone numbers (ambulance, 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 communicate the location of the nearest restaurants, cafes, museums, memorable places, - good orientation in the city, - help carry things to the car or room or invite porters,
- know the location of the alarm and fire protection equipment, be able to use them, - provide information about any branch or structural unit of the institution, - monitor the cleanliness of the area in front of the hotel (restaurant, hotel, etc.), in the hall and lobby, - clean and wipe walls and glass in the territory entrusted to him, bring metal parts of doors or windows to a shine, - in case of malfunction of the front door, report to the management or repair it yourself, - make sure that there are no cars in front of the hotel (restaurant), - watch for 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 occurred in the course of his activities. And also he is responsible for non-fulfillment or negligent fulfillment of the range of his duties, according to the officialinstructions.
Appointed and dismissed by the director of the institution. He has no subordinates.
A doorman as a staff member
The appearance of the person at the door should match the style and class of the establishment. Therefore, the doorman's uniform is a very important part of his work. A vivid example is the clothes of such an employee in the Odessa hotel "London". The building in which it is located is stylized as the royal palace in Edinburgh (UK). Therefore, the designers have developed a livery that is very reminiscent of the guards uniform of the Royal Guard Regiment of the Tower of London.
In small hotels, the positions of doorman and administrator are usually combined. Therefore, here the porter is a person whose duties include meeting guests, being responsible for incoming correspondence, receiving faxes and phone calls. Sometimes employees keep lists of guests arriving and departing.
Large hotels or restaurants in their state have a day doorman and a night one.
And I would go to the doormen - let them teach me…
The meaning of the word "porter" suggests that this profession is mastered by people who love to communicate very much, who are not annoyed by answering the same questions a thousand times a day. It will not be difficult for a real doorman to fulfill the small requests of strangers, answer their questions, help them navigate in an unknown place and smile. It is not for nothing that a person of this profession is the face of an institution, be it a hotel, a restaurant,respectable residential building or 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 low-class or low-star establishments, the salary for the work of a representative of this profession is only $ 250, plus a standard tip no more than two dollars. The reason for such a small salary is the lack of particularly serious requirements for the position and obtaining special education. All you need is spoken English, no bad habits, good physical shape, the right age.
High salary (over 500 dollars) can boast of the doormen of the capital's hotels (restaurants, residential complexes, etc.). But the requirements here are higher: the ability to comply with corporate, service and business standards; the Russian language is perfect: competent speech, telephone etiquette skills, etc.
