KEY Magazine Fort Worth

GUEST SERVICES

Family Style Guest Relations
by Don Patterson

Dining out for a family style meal is for most everyone, a comfortable experience. Sharing large portions in an informal and unimposing setting makes most patrons feel right at home. That’s the kind of feeling Dolores R. Santos serves up when greeting visitors at Fort Worth’s Botanic Garden. As a fifty-year Fort Worth native, Dolores well knows how to greet and serve patrons with typical southwestern family-style hospitality. “My family has been my life,” Dolores says, “and now that my children are grown and independent, I’ve found a new family in the people who visit the Botanic Garden.”

Dolores joined the facility’s staff as a temporary guest relations employee. When permanent concierge, Ruth Albritton, opted to retire, she recommended Dolores as her replacement. “I was surprised to be offered the position,” Dolores admits. “I had done a lot of temporary clerical work for the city in the downtown area. I knew a lot about Fort Worth but I knew very little about the Botanic Garden and was reluctant to accept the job. Ruthie Albritton was my mentor and encouraged me. I’m basically a shy person and although greeting visitors was somewhat new to me, I soon realized that by treating patrons as family members, I would help them feel more comfortable and overcome my own shyness.”

Dolores uses her informal greeting style to her advantage. “We have visitors from all over the world,” she explains, “and our facility can be very imposing. It is so large and there is so much to see. Making patrons feel at ease and willing to explore all we have to offer has become my personal and professional goal.”

Key Magazine has been a great help to Dolores in introducing new visitors to Fort Worth. “The magazine is very important to me,” she insists. “It tells visitors not only about our facility but has so much other information about the area. I get nervous when I run short of copies and don’t hesitate to call the publisher to ask for more.”

Dolores has learned in a very short time what makes a competent concierge. “I think you have to be very caring,” she says. “I feel bad having to tell visitors when we are closing for the day, and I urge them to return. I think most people want you to care about them and want to feel at home in their surroundings, so I try to do that.”

Treating visitors as family members is Dolores Santos’ key approach to achieving that objective.

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