Where to stay when you leave.
Doorman Chronicles: Hudson Hotel Doormen Speak
1/27/2005 at 10:39 AM
Tags: Miscellaneous

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When you approach the now legendary Hudson Hotel on West 58th St., you won't see a neon sign, or any other sort of sign screaming out the name Hudson Hotel, Schrager's joints prefer to remain a bit understated from the outside. However, you will see a couple of fashionably dressed men outside the property, in dark suits, complete with long dark coats and gloves. These guys are the doormen (who double as bellman at the Hudson), they are the gate keepers of the hotel, and fountains of information...if we can get them to talk.
We spoke with Hudson Hotel bellmen Bron Keller, and Frank Weldon to see what sorts of sordid tales Hudson doormen could tell.
The bellmen speaks, after the jump...

When did you start working at the Hudson, and why?
Bron: Three years ago, mainly because of the energy level. You can't get that anywhere else.
What do you tell the starf***ers who come to the Hudson looking for a celebrity encounter?
Bron: I just tell them to hang
out at the bar -- it's a really trendy night spot
**Bron keeps a keen eye on traffic. The Hudson is situated across the street from the new AOL Time Warner Building with its bustling shopping center, and
sandwiched between office buildings, shops and restaurants, the narrow
stretch of West 58th is streaming with traffic. Bron shouts at a
stopped delivery truck to move on, and speaks with a cabbie who's
blocking the truck's way; the street is clear again. We re-engage.**
Do Hudson's doormen get any special training for the job?
Bron: "No, not really, when I got here, Christian" --
**he gestures at the doors,
where another doorman has just disappeared** -- "he'd been here first,
and he showed me around, but a lot of it is just common sense."
What's the strangest guest request you've ever fielded?
Bron: Well, there're midnight beer and cigarette runs.
And one night, these people in fashion who were staying here, they
called down in the middle of the night and had us run over to the store
across the way to get them scissors, tape and ribbon.
[Scissors, tape, and ribbon? Man those fashionistas are always so far ahead of the drug curb...is that the kind of thing Richard Pryor use to do? Oh wait, maybe they just needed to cut some fabric...]
**At this point Frank Weldon chimes in.**
Frank: Of course there's porn. And
there was the guy who wanted handcuffs. And there's always drugs -- cocaine, pot, heroin...
Wouldn't a coke run put them in a tight spot?
Frank: Oh yeah, we don't do that. I'll just say, 'I'm not really the right
one to talk to,' and they'll want to give me money! They're from out of
town, and they don't have the local connections, so they think we can
help them out. But that would be bad news, not going to happen.
What has been your favorite guest encounter to
date?

Frank: We had this German photographer who was
staying here, a German guy... he lives in the States and in Germany.
And we were talking and it turns out that his apartment in New York is
right next door to my friend. He'd lived right there for like ten
years! I might have even seen him, and then he was here at Hudson.
Try to beat that LinkedIn!
Related Stories:
· Dad Books Hudson For Family Of Four [HotelChatter]
· Chic Coffins At The Hudson [HotelChatter]
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