Raymond Ming Featured In Virtuoso Magazine
Virtuoso Life magazine has featured Bermuda’s Raymond Ming in a “doormen around the world” special in its May/June 2014 issue, highlighting the well-known doorman’s “classic Bermudian style” in greeting visitors.
Virtuoso Life is published six times a year exclusively for the top clients of Virtuoso travel consultants and each issue is mailed to the homes of 200,000 readers.
In describing the role of a doorman, the issue said, “He [and sometimes she] is the first person you’ll meet at any high-end hotel, greeting you upon your arrival and ushering you into your new home for the next few hours or days.
“He wears a snazzy uniform and many metaphorical hats, from greeter to weatherman, personal valet, information desk, and who knows what else.
“You’ll meet more than a few of these friendly faces on the cover and inside this issue because they represent the warm welcome and the often strong sense of place they represent.”
Mr. Ming’s spot in Virtuoso Life magazine:
Mr. Ming — who recently retired after 45 years in the hotel industry – was featured alongside doormen from around the world, including those from Hong Kong, Rome, New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Berlin.
Mr. Ming was honoured in the 2013 Queen Birthday Honours List for services to the hospitality industry, with the official release saying his “personalised service and professionalism” make him a true ambassador not only for the hotel, but for all of Bermuda as well.
You can read the May/June 2014 issue of Virtuoso Life magazine online, with Mr. Ming featured on page 96.
Congratulations uncle Ray, just don’t forget to share some of your royalties.
You got yours Duane.
Wow why the dislikes?
Congrats Uncle Ray.Good and Faithful servant
@ Well Done ……..Wow, did you just say good and faithful “servant”……….deep!
He is a great example to us all. Congrats. Well deserved.
Congratulations Ray; you deserve this recognition, and more. The most appropriate way for me to further acknowlege you is in the following words of this nomination letter previously submitted to the VIP:
Thursday February 10th, 2011
Belco VIP Excellence Awards,
C/o Bermuda Hotel Association
61 Reid & King Street,
Hamilton
Nomination of: Raymond Ming, (Bell Captain, Head Doorman: Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa).
To whom it may concern:
It is indeed a pleasure to take this opportunity to nominate a unique Bermudian ambassador who embodies the essence, charm, civility and professionalism that are the very foundations of successful Bermudian hospitality. Raymond Ming is a consummate professional, who demonstrates his unwavering commitment and dedication to ensuring that our visitors and local patrons have and enjoy exceptional quality experiences as a result of his service to them. He is a loyal colleague, a model employee, and a trustworthy representative of our island home.
I have known Raymond since 1974 (during his time as a Captain at the Fourty Theives Nightclub, and his managing of the Bermuda Strollers); two years after my formal entry into the hospitality industry. Despite the fact that I am about 9 years his junior, I became keenly aware of his professionalism, natural charm and gentility, and passionate Bermuda-first attitude in his work ethic. And although these initial observations were often from a distance because we did not initially work together directly, we did eventually become work-place colleagues’ from 2007 through 2008 at the Elbow Beach Hotel; Raymond in his capacity as Doorman, and I in my capacity as Assistant Manager Hotel Operations. Raymond and I worked closely together to ensure total guest satisfaction, and he deserves special recognition for those challenging occasions when we collaboratively worked together to recover a positive guest experience, when negative or unpleasant situations arose. The numerous positive guest comment cards and letters of commendation received by Raymond are a testament to his consistent dedication to his profession, the hospitality industry, and his country.
Therefore, in January 2009 when I commenced my new position of Senior Guest Service Manager (Front of House Manager), at the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa, and began the pre-opening process of hiring new staff members, Raymond was at the very top of my list of candidates. Beginning in July 2009, in his new capacity of Bell Captain/Head Doorman, Raymond Ming commenced doing for Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa that which he has so consistently, and seemingly effortlessly, (because it is the natural essence of this man), been doing throughout his career. He immediately started to elevate our professional standard of service delivery, and create a welcoming, personable, yet individualized aura of greeting our guests, members, owners, patrons and or casual visitor to the property. One of the mantras that directs his life, and which he shares with his staff and other colleagues, ‘is that we are all salesmen or representatives, and that you never know who you might be talking to, or the type of experience that person may be having today’.
Raymond’s professional, charming and consistent work ethic that he brings to the work-place daily, allows management to confidently know that the best of what the company and Bermuda represents, is being experienced by our guests’. And then there are the many examples of the exceptionally special things that Raymond does, that exceed the expectations of our visitors, his colleagues, and management. From the many examples of finding lost items that guests may have left in a taxi, to personally driving visitors to the airport in his private car, just in time to make their flight, due to the lack of available taxis. The following are just a few outstanding examples of Raymond naturally being himself:
• A taxi arrives at the front entrance of Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa; Raymond greets the middle-aged female passenger, who then realizes during this brief encounter with Raymond, that she has arrived at the wrong location on the property. The visitor, who was a guest of the Fairmount Southampton, was supposed to be meeting her husband and his hosts, for lunch at the Tucker’s Point Beach Club, and that he would be paying the cab fare. Realizing that she had insufficient cash on hand to pay the driver, Raymond, without fuss or creating any additional embarrassment at the front entrance, graciously paid the driver the fare, while assuring the lady that he would then provide her with a private transfer to Beach Club. The lady, who was quite emotionally moved by this act of kindness, proceeded to inform both a senior manager, and a TPC Ltd. Board of Directors member of Raymond’s act of generosity. Raymond then drove the visitor to the Beach Club where he was introduced to the husband, reimbursed for the taxi fare and to receive additional gratitude for selfless of truly Bermudian kindness to a stranger.
• During the week of June 1st, 2010, a businessman arrives at the hotel via taxi, is greeted by Raymond and is escorted to the reception desk to check-in. It is then that the gentleman realizes that he has forgotten his Portable Oxygen Concentrator, which was left within the taxi. Upon learning of the situation, Raymond assures the guest that he will do everything he can to recover the item. Calls were placed to all of the Taxi dispatch companies, and after a considerable amount of time had elapsed without any positive response, Raymond then called the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, and asked to have the message aired over the radio. It was only then that the taxi driver heard the broadcast, checked his car and found the item, and then contacted his dispatch company to confirm with TPC that he had the oxygen concentrator, and would return it to the hotel. When Raymond received the item, he then personally delivered it to the guests’ room. The gentleman was ecstatic to have it returned so efficiently. As fate would have it, just a couple of days later, Raymond and his wife were leaving the island to attend a family wedding, on the Delta Airlines flight via Boston Mass., and upon his arrival at L.F Wade, here was the same gentleman scheduled to depart on the same flight. In his excitement upon seeing Ray he then proceeded to tell others in the departure hall about the episode with his oxygen concentrator, and the way in which Raymond ensured it was recovered.
• During the month of April 2010, Ms. Laura Landro, Assistant Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal (The Finicky Traveler), made her first visit to Bermuda in more than 20 years, to both reacquaint herself with fond recollections ‘of previous visits, and to sample the changing presentation of our hospitality product. It was during her visit to the Tuckers’ Point Hotel & Spa, that she had the opportunity to meet Raymond Ming. Unbeknownst to Raymond who the lady was, the following situation arose: Ms. Landro was waiting one day for the hotel shuttle (which was not running on time, according to the advertised schedule), to visit the Golf Clubhouse. Realizing the situation, and always seeking to ensure guest satisfaction, Raymond politely offered to drive Ms. Landro to the clubhouse in his private car, which she graciously accepted. And then about 2 weeks after Ms. Landro and her husband departed Bermuda, one of the senior managers from TPC informs Ray about the article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, mentioning him by name. Subsequent to this, some American businessmen visiting the hotel on meeting Raymond, told him of reading about him in the WSJ.
There are so many other stories of situations wherein Raymond has so naturally and sincerely exceeded the expectations of scores of people to whom he provides service. He is always finding ways to create a friendly atmosphere, which is specific to each situation, and to every individual, whether it’s the leisure traveler, a family with young children, the special occasion, such as a wedding or an anniversary, or the business traveler with their particular interests or time-sensitive needs. Raymond carefully finds that unique way to enhance the moment and create lasting memories. And it is this unwavering approach which he applies to his work every day, which resulted in Raymond being honoured as the Employee of the Year 2010, to mark the first full calendar year of operation for the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa; a truly well deserved honour.
Raymond is constantly sharing of himself with his colleagues and staff, encouraging them, mentoring, reminding them of the important role they play in shaping our visitor industry. Sharing with them the mantra he lives by: ‘It’s not about me; it’s about the guests’. And that in particular he endeavours to let each guest know, by his services to them ‘that they are special’, and that is how he treats each one of them.
Therefore, I confidently present my friend and colleague Raymond Ming for consideration as the VIP best Bell Captain/Doorman, in the Front of House category in this the 11th, Annual Excellence Awards. Additionally, I trust that the significant contributions that Raymond has made during his nearly 42 years of service to the visitor industry of our country, and in particular to the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa, during what has been a very challenging 2010, when he has been such a stabilizing force, shall be worthy of his consideration as being the ‘Best of the Best’.
Sincerely
A. L. Keith Davis