If you've been to the Hyatt Regency Tampa in the past 25 years, you've probably met Antonio de Sousa of St. Petersburg. That's how long he has been the welcome committee, traffic maestro and human GPS at the 520-room hotel. "I am just a doorman,'' de Sousa says, with characteristic humility.
Tired tourists, cranky conventioneers, jittery brides — all get the star treatment, same as the celebrities he has greeted, ranging from Carol Channing to Mr. T.
"My standard is the Drake, the five-star hotel where I trained to be a professional bellman," he said, referencing the venerable 1920 landmark on Chicago's Michigan Avenue, his only previous hotel employment.
Born in Portugal and raised in France, de Sousa exudes Old World charm. In his mind, the Hyatt is a castle and its guests are royalty.
"I treat them like kings, like they are my personal guests," he says.
General manager Derrick Morrow calls de Sousa the mayor of Tampa Street.
CEOs shake his hand. Secretaries stop for hugs en route to cars and offices. Power lunchers hand off car keys.
"The greatest thing about Antonio is his ability to develop relationships with everyone," says Morrow.
Nothing ruffles him.
Not even evacuating beauty pageant contestants as a hurricane brewed and threatened.
"I take it very seriously,'' says de Sousa, who knows dozens of "regulars" by name, car and sometimes, tip.
"Enjoy it, and the tips come automatically," he says, noting generosity can be geographic. "Guests from up North tip more." On a busy night, he'll pocket $100 or more.
And, drumroll, please…
The doorman has never missed a day of work since he was hired Aug. 21, 1985.
"My kids were born on my days off,'' said the father of two. Daughter Natalie, 20, attends the University of South Florida. His son John, 22, is a student at the University of Central Florida. His wife, Diane, works at the St. Petersburg College bookstore.
Some 15 years ago, en route from his home near Gladden Park in St. Petersburg, de Sousa's car broke down near the West Shore Boulevard exit at the end of the Howard Frankland Bridge.