Success Stories

What I want to talk about today is something that happened many years ago when I was working in the hospitality industry.

One day, while working at the five diamond, five star Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, Az. at one of their restaurants, a party of five came in for lunch. Right away, everyone recognized the host of this group and were immediately terrified. Each one notified the manager to share their unwillingness to serve this group. The staff was aware of the verbal abuse and uneasiness this host caused throughout the hotel over the last week.

I immediately stepped in and volunteered to serve this group. After the meal, I presented the bill to the host. I then went to the bar to obtain drinks for another table. On my way back to the dining room, the host for the table was waiting for me at the hostess stand, next to my manager. The host proceeded to hand me the signed bill. Gratuity was written in, and yet the host handed me an additional $50 bill.

Then the host provided me the most flattering comment I had ever heard. The host said, “you are the first person in this business I couldn’t get too.” Your probably thinking what an odd statement. However, considering the person who gave it, I wore it as a badge of honor.

Before Donald Trump coined the phrase, “Your Fired,” this person actually displayed that behavior almost daily in the workplace at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. The person I am referring to is, Leona Helmsley, notoriously known as the “Queen of Mean.” The story doesn’t end there.

Three years later, while in bible study at my Real Estate office, I received a page, you know, the texting device called a ‘pager’. Yes, before cell phones had texting capabilities, we used a pager. The message read, “to the person I couldn’t get too.” Leona Helmsley’s name and phone number were listed underneath.

I paused for a bit and wondered why she would be contacting me. I no longer worked at the Phoenician Hotel and I was working full time in Real Estate. I waited about ten minutes and I called her. She immediately told me it took some work to track me down. Evidently, when I was serving her at the Phoenician Hotel, she inquired as to what other interests I had, and she stated I handed her my Realtor business card. However, that card was from a company I worked for when I first started in the Real Estate business.

After some awkward social conversation, she asked me if I could sell her Paradise Valley home. This was no ordinary home. Guard gated, over 20,000 sq. ft., including guest house, 10 bedrooms, 13 baths, 3 pools, one an Olympic size indoor pool, second pool outside with a 36′ waterfall and a third pool with a marble slide. Sauna, steam room, workout facility, lava pit and incredible city and mountain views perched upon 10 acres atop of Mummy Mountain.

If Leona Helmsley had that much faith and trust in me while just being a waiter, to ask me to sell her mansion, then absolutely you should trust me as well.

The only questions is, will you? Call me today, John Deutsch at 480-256-8688. I am sure you will be glad you did. I am here to serve you. Again, John Deutsch, 480-256-8688. Thank you.