Bellhop on-Duty: Basha
You’ll never catch him without a smile, or extending a warm welcome to every guest who walks through our double doors and into the Refinery Hotel. He is genuinely always happy and prides himself in treating all guests with respect and a little bit of humor. If you ask him what his favorite holiday is, he’ll proudly tell you that every day is his favorite holiday — and you’ll believe him! We sat down with Basha to chat about where he finds the strength to smile everyday and what makes his job so incredibly awesome.
Firstly, how in the world are you always so pleasant?
I just feel happy everyday! I like to live life like it’s the last day, and make plans like it’s the first day. That’s how I manage stay happy everyday. I’ve been in customer service since I was thirteen years old so I know how to work with people, and this has helped me maintain my positivity. I’ve traveled all over the world, and I think that has really helped me to understand people. It makes me happy knowing that I can make someone’s experience positive. Our guests come here for fun, so I like to show them a good time. We all do our part here to make that happen. I can make anybody like me within the first two minutes of meeting me. (Well, mostly everybody!)
What has been your best day here at Refinery?
I have two stories about my best day at Refinery. The first one is when a family from Canada bought my daughter a little rabbit toy. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Another time a guest, Mrs. Mindy, who was a children’s book writer gave me a signed copy of one of her books for my daughter Alesia. She wrote “Alesia, when you grow up you must know that your daddy loves you as much as the whole world.” The book was really great and the gesture really touched me. We still have the book today.
Can you remember your favorite guest?
I have many favorite guests! We have a lot of really great guests, and I think that is part of our success at Refinery. Having great guests really makes a huge difference. One guest named Whitney is one of my favorites. She’s a regular here at the Refinery and she just has such a wonderful personality. Then there was the Laundry family, they were really great guests.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is seeing guests walk away satisfied. For me, this job isn’t about money. The guys and I all joke around if we happen to get a big tip, but that’s not what the job is about to me. Seeing a guest happy is what makes me happy, and it fills me up with so much joy. I appreciate the effect guests have on me.
Basha, we want to be just like you when we grow up. Here are a few fun facts about our bellhop Basha—he surprises us every time!
1. The guys around the hotel gave him the nickname Basha-Uber because he knows every cab driver in the area.
2. In a month, he only watches about an hour television.
3. Basha speaks Italian fluently, and he taught himself.
4. He is a bit of a collector, keeping everything from business cards to guest postcards.
5. Basha happens to be his last name. You’ll have to ask him for his first name yourself — we can’t give everything away 🙂
