Hotel Online 
News for the Hospitality Executive


advertisement 
 

At 70-Years Young, White-Gloved Hotel Doorman Leroy Mickens II,
Serves as an Ambassador to His City

His Kind Words to Passersby Offers a Reason to Smile

By Monica Yant Kinney, The Philadelphia InquirerMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News

May 16, 2012--The dapper doorman did not set out to class up the city single-handedly with his blinding-white nylon gloves. But since he has, and since I asked, Leroy Mickens II shares that the key to that gleam is a nightly soak in Dawn detergent, a morning scrub (one gloved hand washing the other), and air drying.

"I have eight pairs, so I always have a spare with me if they get dirty," Mickens says between taking requests from guests at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel across from City Hall. Having been voted the "Neatest" and "Best Dressed" member of the Class of 1961 at Norwayne High in Goldsboro, N.C., Mickens adheres to a sartorial philosophy that defines a life spent serving others:

"You have to stay sharp."

At 70, Mickens is both an instantly familiar and an easily ignored figure in Center City.

His elegant gloves caught the eye of a street photographer who snapped an iconic image that inspired Mickens' employer to upgrade the attire for a nation of doormen. Yet harried strangers rush past the gentle man in the perfectly pressed suit without glancing at his face, let alone his hands.

"Many people see a person who's a doorman and think of him as less or subservient," notes District Attorney Seth Williams, who has known Mickens for ages. "But there are so many layers to this guy. Wherever I go, he's always there and so pleasant. He's a great ambassador for the city."

Detailer to the stars

Mickens has done more than open doors, of course. Between 1977 and 1998, he and his siblings ran Mickens Bros. Car Cleaning Service, West Philadelphia's finest auto spa. Mayor Wilson Goode, Charles Barkley, politicians, and players alike trusted their four-wheeled alter egos to the fastidious family. (One Mickens Brother once quipped, "Our yard was nothing but dirt, but it was clean dirt.")

Urban radio listeners may know Mickens by voice from the programs he has cohosted with Georgie Woods (on WDAS) and Cody Anderson (on WHAT). Tune into WURD some Sunday and you'll hear Mickens, a member of 59th Street Baptist and a proud Prince Hall Mason, interviewing prominent African American men such as Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, Sheriff Jewell Williams, and Mayor Nutter.

"I have known Mr. Mickens for decades," Nutter confirms. "He's a man with a quick smile, a quick handshake, and a quick wit."

Watching Mickens stay cool amid chaos for a decade, his bosses at Philly Towne Park dubbed him "the best doorman in the city," the employee who should always be the first and last face hotel guests see.

Studying Michael Penn'sethereal photo of Mickens' outstretched hand, taken this year for the artist's "Philadelphia Project," company executives immediately ordered identical gloves for hotel staffers across the country, aiming to revive a style from another era.

"We're looking for a look that set us apart," explains district manager Steve Maiden. "That's Leroy."

Smiles for strangers

Mickens had the gloves before the gig, wearing them at Masonic meetings and to weddings as a show of formality and "purity."

The Wynnefield resident, a father of two, considers hospitality his life's calling, "an opportunity" as much as a career. If it's possible to know what someone needs before they do, this doorman does. (I witnessed him summon a valet after he had merely heard the click of a guest's heels on concrete.)

And though he's paid only to tend to hotel customers, on a given afternoon Mickens seems to know every third person who walks by.

Patrolmen pulling a double shift to testify at the Criminal Justice Center earn a promotion when Mickens calls them "Sarge." Every woman, especially those of advanced age, gets a "Hello, young lady." (Most grin and blush.)

Even grumpy cabbies desperate for an airport fare get a bow and a nickname like "Premier."

"I see people who pass here and look so unpleasant," Mickens explains. "So I study and try to think of something to say that will put a smile on a person's face who might not have had a chance to smile all day."

"That," he says, "is what I'm good at." That and keeping white gloves spotless on the job in the gritty city.

Contact Monica Yant Kinney at 215-854-4670, [email protected], or follow @myantkinney on Twitter. Read her blog at philly.com/blinq.

___

(c)2012 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.philly.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services



Receive Your Hospitality Industry Headlines via Email for Free! Subscribe Here

To Learn More About Your News Being Published on Hotel-Online Inquire Here

To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.OnlineSearch

Home | Welcome | Hospitality News
| Industry Resources

Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.