Maids turn down the sheets. The ornithologist, naturally. The specialist will lead birding expeditions in Central Park across the street to help gazing guests distinguish long-necked cormorants on the pond from necking couples on a park bench. The new Ritz is following other luxury, boutique and resort hotels that are hiring unusual employees.
Hotels can be the most exciting thing in the world or the most boring thing.
Tea sommelier From oolong to pekoe, James Labe is a sommelier steeped in knowledge of tea. Labe already knew a lot about tea before he arrived. He worked in a Seattle teahouse for 10 years before arriving in New York. Colo. Summer guests wandering through the Hyatt Regency Beaver Creek Resort near Vail, Colo., will find an old cowboy who wants to tell them a story. As the hotel's professional storyteller, Frank Doll spins tales of the Old West.