let’s give them both what they want. How stressful was it going to school while trying to open the Virginia? It was a fun journey... this was my dream. My brother-in-law jumped in to oversee construction while I was at school; and everyone pitched in. It was 9pm the night before opening and we were still hammering. The couple who owns the Windward House said their guests couldn’t sleep, so I told them, “I have to keep working! What if I buy all of your guests a free night?” An hour before opening we were still sodding and landscaping, and the crown jewel, a beautiful needlepoint rug that lasted 18 years, finally arrived, so we laid that down. It was a scramble. What about The Ebbitt Room? Did you come up against much adversity trying to open that? Jackson Street was divided — the people against it were afraid of having more traffic because there was already a restaurant on the street, The Mad Batter. In the end, the opening was an incredibly intense, amazing night. People were thrilled. What happened with the fire in March of 1997? It was the Ides of March and I was walking in the bird sanctuary in Cape May Point when I heard the fire alarms. When I got back to my house I saw a
“I have this reserve of optimism, although I did start to lose hope when, after applying for seven bank loans, six turned me down. I applied to Wharton Business School, thinking there was no chance of getting a loan. Then I heard from the seventh bank — I got the loan.” CURTIS BASHAW
note that said there was a problem at the hotel. I felt sick. I drove over and saw smoke billowing out. The firemen let me go inside to retrieve the main computer drive and they rolled up the needlepoint rug for me and covered the piano with tarps. I could see how proud those firefighters were of the building. But the flames and smoke gutted the front third of the hotel and forced us to close for 60 days. That night, after relocating the guests, our crew pulled an all-nighter, drying and hauling. At one point, our piano player, Steve LaManna, pulled the tarp off the piano and started playing “When Smoke Gets in your Eyes.” It was the sweetest thing. The next morning Tommy O’Hara showed up from Uncle Bill’s with boxes full of pancakes and bacon. I’ll never forget it. It’s amazing how sometimes the sweetest moments in Cape May happen in a time of crisis. What is your fondest moment? Near the beginning, a couple came to stay and they had the worst body language. It was a rainy weekend and they were grumpy. I remember suggesting things for them to do — by Sunday they left holding hands and saying, “Thank you; this has been so restorative.” There are often moments like that. It’s gratifying. What was the inspiration behind the most recent
concierge 2014
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