He Was Blocked At A Hotel Reception For His Clothes, But He Was The Owner, The Undercover Boss.

Stanley walked through the corridors at the back of the hotel until he reached the lobby. Once there, he stopped in a corner where he saw Mariana chatting with a woman in a suit.

Her name tag said Leila and that she was the manager of the hotel. Stanley approached her and Mariana felt a chill in her stomach when she saw him back in the lobby in an even worse state than the day before.

She asked the manager to excuse her and went towards him saying that he needed to leave, that he never should have come back. Seeing the receptionist’s behavior, Leila paled.

Stanley walked past Mariana and started talking directly to the manager.

He said:

“Leila, how are you managing things here?”

“I was just about to give you a promotion and put you in charge of more hotels in our chain.”

“But it seems that these people here have no clue who they work for!”

Leila began to apologize to Stanley. When Mariana finally realized that she was in front of the owner of the hotel, she fervently begged for forgiveness, saying that she didn’t recognize Stanley dressed like that.

Stanley said that he tried to identify himself, that he even took out his wallet to show Mariana his documents, but the receptionist didn’t even let him. He was wearing simple clothes because once a month he did volunteer work at an animal shelter in the area.

He had spent a lot of time organizing things at the shelter and didn’t realize that he was without a cell phone to call a car, so he decided to just go to one of his hotels in the area. But for Stanley this was the least of his concerns.

He said that their treatment of him was unacceptable, not only because he owned the place, but because – even if he really was a man without possessions, without education, without the elegant or expensive clothes or living on the street – their treatment of him was cruel, without the slightest consideration for the human person.

Stanley said that he would have to review the role of all the employees in that hotel and had no way of guaranteeing that the manager, supervisor, receptionist, and security guard would keep their jobs.

But he made it clear that Vera, the service manager, had proven to be a much more tactful person to deal with the situation. If all the stress caused by this incident was worth anything, it was that Stanley had found someone he could trust and would not let the five stars of the hotel dictate his or her behavior.

Mariana asked not to be sent away, because she recognized her mistake and was willing to change. Then Stanley said that was fine, she could stay, but she would have to do a month’s work in the service area of the hotel, where she would not be allowed to wear pretty clothes, jewelry, high heels, or even make-up.

Mariana said she would not do it, that she would not and could not accept this punishment. It was unacceptable and humiliating.

Stanley looked at her with pity, put his hands on her shoulders and said with all the calmness in the world:

“Do you mean that you think being a cook, a porter or a cleaner is to be humiliated?”

“Do you think these people are not up to your standards?”

“Well, know this- they are very worthy.”

“And punishment is what you cause us all with your arrogance.”

“The only unacceptable thing here is your lack of humility.”

The next day, a man in a suit and tie arrived at Vera and Cristian’s home late in the afternoon. He introduced himself and said he was taking care of business for Mr. Stanley.

By this time Vera knew that the old man she had met the day before was actually her boss at the hotel and could not believe all that had happened. However, the man in the suit was there to give good news.

Cristian would get a prosthetic leg and physical therapy for his pain. They would also get a better and more spacious house in another part of the city, closer to the commercial area.

In addition, if Vera agreed, they would pay for an intensive management course to prepare her for a higher level position in the hotel. Vera and Cristian were stunned by the news.

They were happy, but at the same time felt that this was too much for a couple who had done nothing special for that old man.

The man in the suit replied that the world had become a place full of stingy, proud and selfish people. An act of kindness like the one Vera and Cristian had shown, without expecting anything in return, was rare and made Stanley realize what really matters in life and reminded him of what it was like to be around people who make others feel good.