The man, the boy, and the hotel story (assumptions, customer
service, helping others, kindness, humanity)
This
story is frequently told to be true. Whether true or not, it is certainly
powerful.
A
man and a young teenage boy checked in to a hotel and were shown to their room.
The two receptionists noted the quiet manner of the guests, and the pale
appearance of the boy. Later the man and boy ate dinner in the hotel
restaurant. The staff again noticed that the two guests were very quiet, and
that the boy seemed disinterested in his food. After eating, the boy went to
his room and the man went to reception and asked to see the manager. The
receptionist initially asked if there was a problem with the service or the
room, and offered to fix things, but the man said that there was no problem of
that sort, and repeated his request. The manager was called and duly appeared.
The man asked to speak privately and was taken into the manager's office.
The
man explained that he was spending the night in the hotel with his
fourteen-year-old son, who was seriously ill, probably terminally so. The boy
was very soon to undergo therapy, which would cause him to lose his hair. They
had come to the hotel to have a break together, and also because the boy
planned to shave his head, that night, rather than feel that the illness was
beating him. The father said that he would be shaving his own head too, in
support of his son. He asked that staff be respectful when the two of them came
to breakfast with their shaved heads. The manager assured the father that he
would inform all staff and that they would behave appropriately.
The
following morning the father and son entered the restaurant for breakfast.
There
they saw the four male restaurant staff attending to their duties, perfectly
normally, all with shaved heads.