Publication Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2005
A time to move on
A time to move on
(June 15, 2005) Rickey's employees work final days at hotel
by Jocelyn Dong
To everything there is a season, it has been said, and for the employees of Rickey's Hyatt this Saturday will mark a time to move on.
At the start of their final work week, Jacobo Lovo was folding blue, cloth napkins with one deft motion and tucking them into coffee cups, preparing for the last Palo Alto Rotary Club luncheon at Rickey's Monday. In the adjacent kitchenette, his brother, Israel, ferried pitchers of water to and fro. The concrete beneath him was nearly worn bare of the red paint that once colored the floor -- the remnant of another era at the 53-year-old Rickey's.
In the lobby, Front-Office Lead Ricky Infantino showed a guest how to get to Half Moon Bay, outlining the route and assuring the guest he'd be back in time for his next appointment.
Though a bitter tug-of-war over the hotel's plans grabbed public attention in recent years -- it's being razed in favor of 185 homes -- it's the hotel's employees and garden-style facility that have continued to earn the guests' praise to the end.
Last week, the Rotary Club gave the Lovo brothers a standing ovation for their years of service. The group started meeting at Rickey's -- then just a restaurant -- in 1948. Jacobo Lovo has been working at Rickey's since 1974; his older brother since 1982.
"We feel like Rotary members," said Jacobo, the younger and more talkative of the two. He choked back emotions as he addressed the Rotary Club last week, thanking them for their patronage.
Because Rickey's allows employees to keep gratuities as well as earn wages, Jacobo and Israel - 61 and 63-years old respectively -- never left. Now, they have a lifetime of memories from working at the hotel. There have been the United States presidents who've stayed there, the NFL football teams, and the corporate clients. There was the banquet guest who ate an entire New York steak and baked potato dinner -- then said it was so good, he wanted another helping.
Jacobo laughed and said he'd have to ask his boss.
Throughout the years, the brothers have known good bosses and not-so-good ones, nice guests and not-so-nice ones. It's been a character-developing experience, Jacobo said. Through customer-service training, he feels they've become better men.
Though the official closing date is not until Saturday, the facility is starting the process of shutting down. Monday morning, the brothers found the employee parking lot fenced off.
"Oh no, it's my parking!" Israel said when he saw the fence.
Standing in the Stanford Room and dressed in his black vest and pants with a cream colored, mandarin-collared shirt, Israel thought back on his long career.
His favorite part of the job? Working the wedding parties, he said -- "they're a lot of fun."
Jacobo has enjoyed decorating the buffet tables, a departure from the standard set-up and clean-up work. Based on the menu, he comes up with the appropriate color scheme, props and flowers.
And how has it been working with one's brother all these years?
Israel just smiles. "That's a good question."
Jacobo said they've made it work well.
"We enjoy working together, both of us. I help him. If somebody (else) is needed to work, I involve him," said Jacobo, who has seniority and gets a lot of the banquet assignments.
For Ricky Infantino, who has worked at Rickey's for nine years and at the Hyatt San Jose before that, job satisfaction comes from having guests return and recognize him.
"I see a familiar face!" they've said, entering the lobby and spotting him.
"It makes it more rewarding," Infantino said of the personal connection. "We're not a typical, sterile, box hotel. We don't impress with brass and flash."
But those relationships have also made the closing a challenge.
"This whole month has been sad," Infantino said. "We've already said goodbye to (the frequent guests). I've shaken a lot of hands."
The aging property has taken criticism over the years, it's true, Infantino said. He thinks the resort appeals more to the older guests, who like the garden and sprawling, relaxed atmosphere. Younger guests, he's noticed, are all about the high-speed Internet access and cell-phone reception. They almost don't seem to want a personal touch, he said.
But the challenge of working at an aging property has made him a better employee, Infantino said. He's had to figure out how to please guests in spite of the facility's drawbacks.
On Saturday afternoon, Rickey's employees will gather one last time and receive their final paychecks.
Infantino and other Rickey's staff have hopes of transferring to the Hyatt's Burlingame hotel, but the future is not so certain for the Lovo brothers.
"It's very hard to get a job now," Israel said, noting that younger people get hired, despite their comparative lack of experience.
Though the brothers would love to retire, they're not financially able to. They hope God -- and some connected friends in the community -- will help them find new employment.
"I trust in God. He'll provide something for us in the future. We have that hope," Jacobo said.
Already, one Rotarian spoke with the Bay Café at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, and the brothers have a stint working there one day a week for the next month -- serving the Rotary Club on Mondays.
After that, the club will try out Ming's for a month.
"I've applied there, too," Jacobo said, smiling.
Senior Staff Writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.
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