Lange Overcomes Visual Impairment to Win Spirit of Hilton Award

Hilton College student one of 10 employees worldwide to receive highest honor from company

Student and hotel employee Bruce Lange, wearing a ceremonial Prometheus crown, listens to words of praise from General Manager Ed Carrette before receiving his gold medal and a check for $350 from Hilton Corp. Winning the Spirit of Hilton award is the highest honor for any Hilton employee.

HOUSTON, April 29, 2009 — Bruce Lange had the talent, the drive and the attitude of a hospitality dynamo. All he needed was a chance.

But until recently Lange, 47, had been denied that chance. Lange is visually impaired, able to read only at close range with the aid of a magnifying glass, unable to drive and forced to use a cane when walking. A student at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, one of the top hospitality programs in the world, Lange was trying to pursue his dream and limited not by his own disability, but by the inability of others to see his true potential.

When Ed Carrette, general manager of the Hilton University of Houston Hotel, heard of Lange’s interest in the hotel business, he saw no reason why his hotel couldn’t benefit from Lange’s obvious customer service talents. After making small changes to improve the lighting at the hotel’s Front Desk and a new software system for visually impaired users, Carrette welcomed Lange onto his team as a Front Desk attendant.

Lange’s impact was immediate, and the results were dramatic. Customers began filling out comment cards with glowing praise for Lange and the extra special care he took to ensure their satisfaction.

On April 17, during the regular weekly meeting of the Hilton University of Houston Hotel staff, Bruce Lange didn’t notice the balloons, the streamers, the giant card signed by the entire staff. He heard a series of strange noises — the staff had been given celebratory kazoos and plastic noisemakers — but thought nothing of it. Then, in the middle of the meeting Carrette received a call on his cell phone. It was Dennis Jett, vice president of Brand Performance for Hilton Corp. But he hadn’t called to talk with Carrette. He asked that Bruce Lange be put on the phone.

“I just wanted to let you know that you have been chosen to receive the Spirit of Hilton Award,” Jett said, his voice crackling slightly on the speaker phone. “This is the highest honor for any Hilton employee. Only 10 people in the entire world receive this prize monthly. You are the future of our company and of hospitality. Your example shows what we as a company strive to do every day. Your professionalism and attitude are a credit to University of Houston Hilton and Hilton Hotels.”

The lobby of the hotel erupted in applause, the gathering of more than 50 hotel staff and Hilton College faculty roaring its approval, and the squeaking of kazoos and noisemakers could be heard from a closed office on the floor above. As Carrette placed a ceremonial Prometheus crown and the gold medal awarded to Spirit of Hilton recipients around his neck, Lange couldn’t muster the words to explain his joy.

“I wish I could divide this medal into a hundred pieces to share with all of you,” Lange said through his tears. “I couldn’t have done this without your support and your love. I learn from you every day, and this award is not mine but all of ours.”

Lange’s humility, so essential to his uncanny ability to serve his guests in just the right way, was on display as always, but it received a thorough testing as the plaudits and praise began to mount. Carrette presented Lange with a check for $350, an engraved plaque, and told him that he would be featured, along with the nine other worldwide honorees, on a poster that would appear in all Hilton Hotels across the globe. Carrette then began to read from Lange’s official nomination for the award, written by Front Desk manager Arecia Bejarano.

“Bruce Lange goes above and beyond when it comes to service and exceptional guest satisfaction,” Carrette read. “He makes sure every guest leaves with an everlasting impression. His disability does not prevent him from fulfilling Conrad Hilton’s dream of providing all guests with exceptional service.”

Then came a moment that seemed to touch Lange more deeply than any check or commendation from Hilton brass — a personalized letter from a guest at the hotel who had experienced Lange’s dedicated service firsthand. The woman had requested unscented soap that would not aggravate her allergy, but the hotel had none on hand. Lange, himself afflicted by this same sensitivity to scented soaps, heard of the woman’s plight and had a fellow employee drive him all the way home to retrieve a bar of unscented soap. The woman, Marnette Hays of Memphis, was at first speechless.

“I told Bruce he didn’t have to do it, that I would have worked something out,” Hays wrote to a Hilton Hotels corporate service representative. “Bruce explained that he did have to do it, that he wanted me to be completely satisfied with my stay and would go to any lengths to ensure that. The Bruces of this world are getting harder to find.”

Born in Rochester, NY, Lange spent 23 years in Austin before deciding to go back to school and enroll as a student at the Hilton College. He wasn’t getting any real opportunities at hotels in the area, and he figured the stamp of an education might help legitimize his application. He said he always knew hospitality was his calling, and his disability has only heightened his ability to truly connect with guests and make them feel at home.

“It’s about listening to a guest, not just what they are saying but what they are not saying,” Lange said. “Great customer service is about anticipating a guest’s needs before the person even realizes it. Some of us are simply born with that innate ability to make someone feel welcome. A great program like the Hilton College can nurture and mold that ability. I know I’m where I should be.”

John T. Bowen, dean of the Hilton College, said Lange perfectly exemplifies the spirit of service that Conrad Hilton wanted to instill in students of the college that bear his name. He said Lange also serves as a lesson for those who would arbitrarily disqualify those with disabilities.

“Part of being a good manager is getting beyond the perception that someone cannot perform because of certain disabilities or challenges,” Bowen said. “Our prejudices and biases sometimes eliminate people for consideration that could be huge assets for the company and provide excellent service to customers. Bruce’s accomplishments and his service show how well people can perform if you just give them a chance.”

About the University of Houston

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Contact:
Barrett Goldsmith
713-743-1509
bgoldsmith@uh.edu